Reflection on "Expat"

I got home last Monday. Looking back at India, the difference between this trip and all others I've taken really stands out: I still haven't really wrapped my head around what it means to spend time in another country not as a student, a tourist, or a local, but something in-between & off to one: a business traveller.



When I showed up at the airport, there was someone to meet me. When I wanted to see the city, some of my coworkers set up a trip to show me around. And when I wondered what exactly my role in this country might be, I realized I already had a label: "expat."

Before India, "expat" to me meant disaffected Americans lounging languidly around the Left Bank in Paris. In India, "expat" meant pre-trip tips on how not to "act like a manager," expense reports (virtually unlimited as far I could tell), an extreme level of respect from the team, very very long hours, and an unexpected social division between "expats" and "locals."

Of course, the trip was also a lot of fun - but it's the parts I was uncomfortable with that I think are the most interesting. And to avoid a crazy-long blog post, I'll put those up in the next entry :)