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:
