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Thanks, Kate, for this informative post on the domestic expat — vs. expats who are domestics. (Hmmm… we should do an article on the latter theme as well one day: expat domestics who become tragedies of displacement!)
I particularly liked the Morris Mirror Metaphor (sorry, couldn’t resist the alliteration). It enhanced my understanding of why I always liked spotting other gaijin in the crowd even after living in Japan for quite a few years.
To be honest, the more I examine at this topic from a cross-cultural perspective, the more curious it seems. I’m especially intrigued by the contrast between UK and the US. In the US, I frequently hear people who move from one state to another — particularly from states in the middle to one of the coasts — referred to, or referring to themselves, as “expats.”
But in all my time of living in the UK, I never heard a Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish person call themselves an “expat.” It seems to me they’d have more of a case for doing so, than someone from Minnesota, given that Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are their own countries. Is that because it’s politically incorrect? I’m genuinely curious…
However, I do note that when a Brit moves to Australia or another Commonwealth country, the “expat” term kicks in. Take for instance this forum discussion on BritishExpats.com, started by a British retiree in Sydney who is looking for friends.
It’s the first time I heard a Welsh/Scottish/N. Irish person use that term in England too. Then again, things have changed since you and I lived there. Like devolution…