15 Signs You’re an Expat

#1  Your social media feeds are filled with posts in multiple languages. You are able to figure out most of what’s happening via context; you rely on Google Translate for the rest.

#2  It takes you a good five minutes to answer the question: “Where are you from?” Do you mean where I was born, where I was raised, or where I live now?

#3  You root for multiple teams in the Olympics and World Cup. But what do you do when they play each other??!

#4  The speed at which you’re able to mentally convert different currencies is your new party trick.

#5  You own far fewer things than most people your age, but almost each item comes with its own story and memory.

#6  What would be simple errands in your home country become major accomplishments in your adopted homeland. 

#7  You try to hide how sad it makes you when your friends and family no longer expect you to attend weddings, holidays, reunions, and other major milestones.

#8  Your expat friends have become your surrogate family. They watch your kids for you, celebrate your birthday, invite you over for holidays, and listen to you vent over a glass of wine.

#9  Your passport is always up-to-date and readily accessible.

#10  You have strong opinions about Skype vs. FaceTime vs. WhatsApp.

#11  Nothing embarrasses you anymore. New country, new language, new culture—being an expat is a humbling experience and little humiliations are daily occurrences. Now you laugh it all off.

#12  You find yourself eating food that would have turned your stomach before.

#13  Your weather app is a travel log of all the places you’ve visited over the past year.

#14  You watch your nieces and nephews grow up through pictures.

#15  You know that any friend who visits you more than once is a friend for life.

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Header image by Luca Baggio on Unsplash