As my cyber friend Global Gal pointed out in her recent comment (see last post re: IKEA trip), there are at least two kinds of expatriates. She called them "Suitcase Expats" and "Shipment Expats."
Shipment Expats
We've been "Shipment Expats". Our company has been sending people to China for nearly 20 years, so they have run a well oiled machine. The company calls expats International Service Employees (ISEs), and their ISE compensation package is filled with words like: hardship location, cost of living index (and adjustments), R & R packages, international school tuition, private vehicles with drivers, home leaves and Look/See visits. The package has language to describe how shipping will take place, how to arrange long-term storage in your home country, and details on how to import your pets. There are relocation consultants, people available on the other end of the phone in your home country to answer questions, and often people in your host country to hold your hand. (Our proverbial hand holder is called the ISE coordinator... I eluded to her also in a previous post.)
Suitcase Expats
"Suitcase Expats" on the other hand usually come with far less support. Sometimes the term half-pat is used for people who come to work in a foreign country without the backing of fat companies with glamorous expat packages. One definition I found described half-pats this way:
A new name has been coined for foreigners living (/drifting) in China long term: “halfpat“. “Expat” on the other hand, according to this definition, means temporarily-relocated big-corporation type people… those people who never get into “the real china” and enjoy salary/benefit packages from their firms virtually identical to what they get at home.
... [Halfpats] are more stable and committed to China in the long-term and they have significant cultural, linguistic and market understanding.
… There are more than simply financial benefits to hiring halfpat staff. Perhaps the greatest advantage is their cultural understanding and language skills – which simply cannot be underestimated in a market like China. These two characteristics allow halfpats to hit the ground running and give them a sustainable advantage over traditional expat managers.
Probably the strongest advantage of halfpats is their weird ability to live in China and not get sick of it…
The overall stability and long-term commitment of halfpat staff is also superior to that of the average expat. In fact, many remain in China for a 5-10 year period which makes them less of a risk in terms of failing to complete their assignment. Its estimated that 60% of expats are unable to complete the duration of their assignments.
from Shenzhen News & Commentary
I love the line about the "weird ability to live in China" without becoming irritated by the experience! What I find interesting is that often the most successful expatriates are not the ones who come with all the perks. Sometimes the ones who show up only with simply the maximum amount of luggage (and layered in clothes to save suitcase room -- anyone else read this account in Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible?). These people are often teachers, missionaries, small business owners or just over-grown backpackers with a penchant to learn about other cultures. These people's success, in my mind, is derived from the fact they come because they want to be part of a different culture.
The problem many traditional expats (what Global Gal has dubbed "Shipment Expats") run into is that they come to a foreign country (say, again China) because its a good move career wise, financially, or ... especially in the present economy... there is no other viable options. They are not necessarily Sino crazy, or interested in learning about other cultures, or, for that matter picking up a second language.
The people with expat packages don't have to find and negotiate their own housing, pay their own rent or even do little things, say, try sticky hard-to-find Chinese deodorant (people in China by and large don't wear any underarm deodorant or antiperspirant; and most expats with shipments bring their own!); they don't need to learn the language to function, or even have to learn how to hail a cab. This is not to say that "Shipment Expats" don't do these things. But many times, they don't have to, especially if they don't want to.
So who is happier? Who is more successful? Which one leaves China feeling richer for their experience? Which type of expat gets the most out of their China/international adventure? I'm not sure. (Though I can wager a guess. Spoiler warning: halfpats stay longer.)
I know, personally, that it is important for our family to appreciate the gifts that come as a "Shipment Expat". We have enjoyed every moment of our travel opportunities. We appreciate a company willing to make our time here comfortable. I don't want to take them for granted. More importantly, I don't want to hide behind them and see China from inside the walls of an expat compound. There are certainly choices we need to make on our own. Active choices that effect our quality of life in so much as it enriches our months and years spent outside of the U.S. I can't imagine living in foreign culture and not seizing upon the gift of learning a new language (especially one 1/5 of the global population speaks!) I want to learn about the history of a country that is roughly 25 times longer than my own.
The above are just the laywoman's musings of a longish-term "Shipment Expat" ...
For articles on these issues consider:
7 comments:
Fascinating, Jen! I guess according to this, I would've been a half-pat in India! I went on my own (of course I had friends locally to help me), I was not sponsored by a company, religious institution, college or anyone. I applied as a free agent to a college there and was the first American (to my knowledge) that was accepted as a degree-granting student....I lived in the normal hostel with the other students, paid my own bills and did many things on my own...
But the main thing this article highlights to me is about 'suitcase expats'. I never understood how someone could live abroad and not immerse in the culture, since that was my experience. This helps me to understand that more.
Wow! I didn't expect that my comment would lead to a full post, but thanks for writing about this. I, too, find it fascinating. I had no idea there was a name for suitcase expats - halfpats. I know that in some expat circles in some cities in China there is a bit of a rivalry between the two expat camps. It seems some halfpats think derisively of the expats living in the fancy houses and expat enclaves. I don't get that. I've lived in a hotel in the middle of cornfields for a year and three years in extremely local conditions. It's been great, but it's also been super challenging. I'm now dying to make the switch to trad expat, shipment or not. I want my belongings that have been in storage for 4 years. I want a comfy house. I want to go down to the import supermarket and buy the things I have been missing. I'm not gonna lie! On the website where derisive things were said about traditional expats, someone made a good point. Living in a lower class neighborhood just to be more "real" isn't actually being real, since there are Chinese of all income levels and the mid to upper class apartment buildings are full of Chinese, too. Basically, I think we should live how we feel most comfortable - immersing in the culture or just dipping a toe in. I'm extremely introverted, so that's why I say I'm "on the fringe."
But then again, I'm not sure that we're 100% halfpat anyway, since we're not really sino-crazy and we came here because it was an aviation opportunity at a time when there were few available to us. The DH and I will likely be making the switch up to traditional expats with a package deal sometime within the next month and I'm happy I've had the opportunity to see both sides.
Thanks ladies, for the great discussion!
I'm finding this topic very interesting! I would love the web address you were eluding to, GG!
And here's another can of worms (something I've predicted was true, and recently found some evidence to support): North American's are the most finicky expats. Our European counterparts settle in better and stay successfully at much higher rates!
What I appreciate about QD is that the expat community is relatively small and therefor more international in make-up, and the line between "half-pat group" and "expat group" seems more blurred, especially in our age bracket.
-The tai tai
I respect suitcase expats but am glad to be a shipment expat. Not sure if I could do it w/out support of a company. With two young children, it makes life so much easier to be able to bring many comfort items along. Sometimes shipment expats do tend to live in a bubble of "Westerness." It takes a little more work to make yourself part of life in China (or wherever). The work is definitely worth it and, in my opinion, leads to better success. My mind was opened up so much by our many experiences. I was able to drop the American-biased judgement and say, "Just because it's different doesn't mean it is wrong." Most of the time at least...I will admit to those days of thinking why don't they just do it the right/efficient/Western way. Just my two cents....
So True! I have totally seen this in action, both in Bangladesh and Bolivia. The Shipment Expats (or Embassy Brats, as i remember bitterly calling them) definitely had a much harder acclimating to the cultures because they never had to. Their respective countries/embassy provided everything. They were always getting american foods in their post system, so they never ate the local food. It is quite a sad thing to live in a foreign country and never be able to be immersed. My family and I had to live out of what we had brought or bought for 6 months! While this was a challenge it really forced us to get out and go to the local markets, explore the cities and find out how to get along. I enjoyed being a Half-pat, though I was definitely a little jealous of the amenities provided.
I'm sorry I can't seem to locate the website I mentioned. I was sure that it was an expat forum, either for Tianjin or Dalian. In my searching, however, I remembered this site: http://chinahopelive.net/ that does discuss the different types of expats and how they experience China. (I do think the comments can sometimes be a wee too judgmental on those who choose not to go totally native, but it is a very interesting blog. One of the newer posts discusses local schools vs. International and I was very tempted to comment. I think the local schools would be good for kindergarten/early years, but I think avoiding international schools out of fear your kid won't speak Mandarin is really unfair. Intl schools are fabulous, affording great opportunities for locals and foreigners alike. And they can also be varied in their language approaches. Plus I think the parents do have to take responsibility for language acquisition depending on their goals/values/beliefs, etc. But I guess I should have posted this over there.)
Schooling is one of the greatest hurdles we've faced here. I agree that the opportunity to attend an international school is amazing. Unfortunately in China it is also very expensive. So, it may be the case that "suitcase expats" (whose company won't pick up the hefty education tab) have to send their children to local or private Chinese schools due to the high cost of an international school education.
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