Do expats ever NOT feel foreign?

by Your GoSouthExpat.com Webmaster

Sometimes you get so accustomed to living overseas that small things pertaining to your daily living just stop seeming foreign to you. And it's easy to forget when these things become natural to you, that YOU may begin to seem more and more foreign to friends and family 'back home'.

It struck me the about a month ago when I went on an Amazon River boat trip in Northern Bolivia. As we floated down the river we set out some lines and did some fishing, as probably anyone would on this river. Took the fish back to camp at night and had them for breakfast the next morning. Nothing too abnormal with that - until you twitter 'did some fishing, the piranha was delicious...' and your inbox fills up with messages like 'oh my gosh, are you okkkkkkk?' and 'weren't you scared???'

It hit me again a few days ago when a friend called from the US in the morning. I left the blender on and went running to answer the phone.

"What's that awful noise behind you!" she yelled.

"Oh sorry, hold on, I left the maracuya in the blender!"

"The wha...?"

In your host country people expect you to act differently and are surprised when you blend in quite well with the local population, speak the language fluently, barter a price down with market vendors with the agility of anyone else...

Often the same thing happens in reverse 'back home' where you look and speak 'like you're supposed to', but think differently, aren't completely updated on topics that are considered 'general knowledge', can't remember how to pump gas on your own...

Do expats ever NOT feel foreign? I'd love to hear your expat stories!






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