Expatriate

ex·pa·tri·ate*
v. tr.
To send into exile.
To remove (oneself) from residence in one's native land.
v. intr.
To give up residence in one's homeland.
To renounce allegiance to one's homeland.
n.
One who has taken up residence in a foreign country.
One who has renounced one's native land.
adj.
Residing in a foreign country; expatriated: “She delighted in the bohemian freedom enjoyed by the expatriate artists, writers, and performers living in Rome” (Janet H. Murray).

What is this thing I've become? I can't even mention the word in front of my mother. It sounds so final and heavy - "to send into EXILE", "to RENOUNCE ALLEGIANCE to one's homeland". Yikes. I prefer the more casual "expat" (n. chiefly British).

And speaking of which, AmericanExpats.co.uk is a wealth of useful information about all the major issues: immigration, transport, employment, money. The Forum is central to its success. During the long months when I was trying to get a work visa, I found lots of articles by people in my exact situation. There's an answer to just about any question you can think of, and if there isn't other forum members respond almost immediately.
* Source :The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hooray for your new domain name. I look forward to reading more of your adventures.

I particularly enjoyed the segue from the definition of expatriate to the website for Americans overseas.

B

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