E is for ...Expats
At
the beginning of this A-Z , I put down the relocation as an excuse for my
haphazard participation in the challenge - and Alana from Rambling with AM wrote in the comments
" I've
never even moved to another country, never mind a different hemisphere. That
sounds like a challenge way beyond A to Z!"
It
made me wonder - how many people actually do move out of their country and why?
What percentage of the global population are expats exactly ? Turns out it's
really tiny. Estimates vary from less than 1% to around 3%. Much less than I
thought. And here's a fascinating article on global migration patterns that attempts to answer
why.
Personally,
I'm okay with moving around, because that's what I'm used to. I have been
moving since I was four. I remember my mother explaining that very first
move from Calcutta to Delhi - a thousand miles which may well have been a
different hemisphere for a kindergartener. She was very matter-of-fact, no, grandmother
isn't coming with us, your father has a new job there, no your friends aren't
coming either, but don't worry, it's going to be fine, it'll be more than fine
because there are new friends just waiting to be made in every place we
go. In time, Delhi became home. But just as I was getting used to
that, my father moved to Africa. And so on and on.
Moving
is habit-forming. It's drudgery but it's also exciting, an adrenaline rush.
It's a familiar comfort zone - the processes are the same but the end product
is new. And moving keeps me focussed on the things that matter - both
materially and otherwise. It declutters the home and the mind in one fell
swoop, given that the baggage allowance both material and emotional is
laughable, as I mentioned earlier. Moving is also perspective. It's
shown me that the world is truly round and small and vast and magnificent,
superbly amazing beyond words at all times, never mind the meagre allowances
and incomprehensible security rules.
Thank you for the shoutout-much appreciated! Strangely, all of your links link back to my blog's "post edit" page, which is truly strange. Is this happening to you, too? I'm interested in that expat article. Anyway, my experience with moving is way different than yours, and I enjoyed reading about yours. Your Mom was wise with her advice to you. My only childhood move was to a larger apartment in the same building. My husband was in the military for four years but even then, we only had to move to different places three times. Cleaning out the house is a good part of moving - a great clutter cleanup. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteGood grief! I have no idea how that link messup happened! But I think I have fixed it now?
DeleteMoving within the same language zone is different from moving where the language is unknown. Moving three times in four years - wow! That's kind of hectic. We moved three times in three years in the UAE, the kiddo was small then, and it all worked out okay in the end, but it was a general pain in the neck at the time, not my most favourite of experiences :)
The links work now - thank you. When we had the three moves in four years, we didn't have a child, so it was less complicated. But yes, we did those moves and it certainly brought back memories. They were all within the United States. Florida to Iowa, Iowa to Texas, Texas to Kansas. No wonder we've now been in the same house (after a couple of more state moves) for some 35 years. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
DeleteAlana, I've had that happen with other blogspot blogs. You use the link and it goes to your edit page, but other people use it and it goes where it's supposed to, we don't see the edit page. I panicked about that before! The only time I moved as a child I was too young to remember. Then, we stayed put, but for a year out of the country. My parents rented out the house furnished, and put our stuff in storage, so it wasn't really a move out of the country, so much as nearly a long vacation.
DeleteMy parents were both expats. And my father had a new language (as well as a new hemisphere) to contend with.
ReplyDeleteThat said I really don't like moving. The drudgery takes over from the excitement in my wimpy head and body. I am so very glad that you can see the positives. And am completely certain that moving three times in three years with a young child was definitely challenging.
It's not so much seeing the positives as becoming uncomfortable and restless in one place if I'm there beyond a few years. Moving with a child is a whole new ball game as compared to just adults moving.
DeleteMy parents too were expats, my father especially led a nomadic existence all his career. But then he came back to Cal and stayed put for nearly 40 years after that. I can't imagine that I'll be okay if I have to do that :)
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteTravel is indeed Excting, Exhilerating, Enlarging... and as you are aware, I can be counted among that surprisingly little percentage of global Expats. ...I wonder, though, if those numbers account for those who are otherwise called 'refugee'. Are they not also Emigrants? Meanwhile, have fun with that packing! YAM xx
E=Eternalnot
Expat is a rather narrowly defined term - excludes people who move permanently to another country to settle there (immigrants) and also people who are fleeing home country because of conflict or disaster or other political reasons.
DeleteThere are more refugees as of now than expats - it is beyond disturbing and depressing!
I moved when I was 4 too. But we were moving home to Detroit where all my cousins, aunts uncles and grandparents lived. We lived there for the next 20 years. I've moved alot since then, but never out of this country and never to a different language.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways USA must feel like a continent by itself - geographically vast and culturally diverse, even though the language is the same.
DeleteYour experiences as an expat are magical to me. Growing up, I lived in the same home since age 2 and my father is still there. Amongst my PA friends, I'm the one who moved after college - going to TX was like another world and one questions if Texans really do speak English. (!!) I like travel, but the thought of moving is mind blowing for me - I definitely settle in with roots. But I think that's why I like your blog so much - the lovely poetry and language, plus the mystical aura of other worlds. E equals Exhilarating.
ReplyDeleteAs a military brat, I've lived in and visited many foreign countries. Happy to be in one place now, but I'm grateful for the experience as it opens ones mind to a much bigger world.
ReplyDeleteAs a Air Force wife, moving was a part of life. In fact, staying more than 2 years at a place made us restless! :-) Then we moved thrice in a year, to make up for lost time!! Moving can be challenging but its a unique experience. Maybe kids would suffer but I like to think it makes them stronger is some ways! Happy AtoZ!! :-)
ReplyDeleteAgree that children gain more out of the experience than they lose. I wouldn't want it any other way for me or my child.
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