Member-only story
Why Do People From High-Income Countries Call Themselves “Expats”?
Even when they are immigrants
“I’m spending time with these other expats.”
Said my friend living in Germany.
“What is an expat?”
I asked, truly intrigued.
“Oh, it’s just how Americans who move to Germany call themselves.”
“Oh, you mean other American immigrants in Germany?”
Long Pause
“…. I guess you can call us that too.”
I am an immigrant from Mexico who was brought by her parents to live in the U.S. when I was in my teens—that’s right, it's a tough age to be socially awkward due to cultural and language differences. My experience as an immigrant was considerably privileged, as I became an American citizen through my mother before even arriving here.
Since arriving in the U.S., I went through an identity crisis for about 15 years. As a Latina who does not comport with the expectations that people have of “Latina” and “Mexican” in the U.S., people often told me I was neither and would ask where I was really from.
During my identity crisis, I tried to hide I was an immigrant to avoid getting labeled, but it was bound to come out as I have an accent when I speak…