Living Abroad

Living in another country may appear at first glance an aspect of national cultures. However, the problems faced and the ways and means of dealing with them are very much an individual effort. Not the state but the individual is facing the music of the other country.

Living abroad is not so much a well-defined concept as a perception of experiences. When are you a visitor to another country and when someone who lives there for a certain period? Consider for instance living in a hotel, apartment or house. Do these differences, including for instance doing your own shopping, cooking, cleaning and working, make a difference in perceiving the other country? Hence, the difference between a visit and a stay abroad may not be clear-cut. Some people do not even consider a stay of half a year abroad as really living abroad.

Immigrants have to deal with the idea of dual cultures but expats do not. An expat represents the

organisation s/he is working for in another state than his or her own and expects to go back after a couple of years. The expat does need the cultural competence to quite some degree but does not become part of the culture of the home country. Nevertheless, living abroad may have a ‘dual culture effect’, particularly on children if they go to local schools.

This distinction between expats and immigrants shows again the difference between integration and assimilation. Integration refers to adaptation to the guest country’s culture, including the mastering of the language to some degree but without giving up your own culture. However, your own culture is more or less hidden from public view. In communication and behaviour the integrated person does not appear very different. The assimilated person is like the people of the country of residence in terms of communication, feelings and behaviour.