We did this as a comic exchange, so to see the one that I drew in the EGF style, check out the EGF site or Facebook page!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Guest Comic by tXc - Acculturation Realisation
We did this as a comic exchange, so to see the one that I drew in the EGF style, check out the EGF site or Facebook page!
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What's the difference between an expat and an immigrant?
ReplyDeleteThe snide response is: you're an expat if you're white, an immigrant if you're not.
DeleteIt's a good question, though; I'm not sure whether I've seen a good answer to it.
I think, and this is my thoughts, that an expat is a person who voluntarily move to another country, keep their original citizenship and passport and live and work abroad because it's fun and exciting. But can at any time move back to their home country in case they get homesick.
DeleteAn immigrant moves due to other reasons, lack of work, war or other problems, probably seek new citizenship and probably won't move back to their home country, just visit from time to time.
But this is just my though on the difference.
I'd agree with Martin's definition, but a bit simpler - basically an expat doesn't intend to stay, but an immigrant does. Expats can become immigrants.
DeleteThat said I've learned since starting this comic that "expat" carried a pejorative connotation, like Philip noted - ye olde white-person-coming-for-exotic-reasons-but-not-immersing-themselves-and-only-hanging-out-with-other-expats trope.
In the case of tXc's comic, it's just meant as "foreigner." I'm guessing "foreigner gone foreign" sounded redundant.
I recognize that behaviour from when I went to class to learn Japanese. We would speak (badly) Japanese in class, as soon as we left the classroom we went back to Swedish.
ReplyDeleteHard to get immersed that way! Best if the other students don't speak your native language...
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