Being an expat

I have many titles that I have acquired in life, some of which are: daughter, sister, friend, cousin, aunt, wife,  and now I get to add expat to the list.

I was talking to a friend a few weeks back and made a comment about being an expat. She said, “What does that mean?” It hadn’t really occurred to me that the title of “expat” might not be familiar term used by others.  However, after thinking about it I realized it wasn’t a term I had used much prior to becoming one.

The official definition is:

Expat-a person who is voluntarily absent from their home country; i.e. American expatriates

When searching for information about how to navigate different systems here in France I have come across a multitude of resources directed towards the expat community. There is this website dedicated and organized to expats in many different places in the world. 

There is a Facebook group for expats in Paris. People post questions about things they are trying to figure out (housing, finding jobs, a grocery store that carries food specific to their home country, etc). It is also used for planning social events to meet up with other expats. Unfortunately all of the outings occur in Paris which isn't ideal since I am living out in Chartres, but it's a great concept and maybe one of the events I will be able to attend. 

I haven't noticed any negative tone used with the term expat yet but I am sure that people have varying opinions about us! I would love to hear from other expats here in France or anywhere else in the world to share experiences. So if anyone out there is reading this and has been or is currently a fellow expat, please shoot me an email (found in the contact page)!