Expat (#5MinuteBlog)

Expat (a 5-minute blog, no edits, nothing fancy, just going with the gut)

Expatriate, better known in its shortened form, “expat”. Defined as someone who lives outside of their native country.

But doesn't it feel like it has more meaning than that?

I have seen and heard this word glorified in many places. Even with such a simple definition, there is a mystery surrounding it. To me, the biggest question is why. Why do people become “expats”?

Adventure? Opportunity? Escape?

When I say the word, I think of Hemingway and friends, the “Lost Generation”, sitting in a café in Paris, drinking something strong. I think of artistry and wandering. There is just something about the word, but I can’t quite figure out how to describe it properly.

Have you been an expat? Are you an expat? If you were to become one, where would you go?

New Zealand? Chile? Thailand?

Perhaps it is really a state of mind. Seeking something new and different. Being someone new and different.

It is an interesting concept to me. An interesting word. I think about it often, and wonder what that means.

-Houston Bailey (@BumpBailey)