For
the record
I
am an expat. That is a person who lives abroad but retains their
citizenship to the country I which they were born. I am a US citizen
living in England.
I
moved here with my family in my 30s. It was going to be a great
adventure for 2 years. Seventeen years later it has been. We moved
for the opportunity to experience a different culture and to give our
children an experience of the larger world. After 2 years the jobs
stayed here and you stay where the bread and butter is.
I
would not want to give up my US citizenship but it is getting harder
and harder to keep it as an expat. We pay taxes in the UK (much
higher then we would in the US) but I still need to file US taxes
every year. We never owe anything but I spend over $600 each year to
an accountant to help us show the IRS that. My kids need to start
filing now too. I am no longer represented in the US government but
do vote (but my vote is never opened) unless as a tie break. It is
challenging to be an expat. It costs me money in tax bureaucracy for
two countries! I have no 'home'. When I visit the US things have
changed and the home I remember no longer exists. Some US friends
would consider us borderline traitors and here in the UK-I am always seen as
the 'American'. I
love
the US
and often miss it and the amazing 'can do' attitude of people who
live there.
So why do I continue to live overseas?
We
stay because we have have built a life here over 17 years. Some of
my closest friends are Irish, French, anglo-Indian and English. But
I am still an American and I would like to think that I preform a
service as an expat. Expats are ambassadors for the US. We help
bridge the cultural gap and promote a understanding of each others
cultures promoting understanding and maybe finding a shared humanity
despite cultural differences. I work as a nurse for the NHS so I
interact with many people each day-most with preconceived notions
about Americans. We get to know each other as people. Colleagues
laugh at the odd phrases that I say and I laugh at theirs. We
connect. I would like to think that promoting understanding between
cultures has the power to create a more peaceful world. Staying
within borders would be like locking ourselves in our houses and only
watching Fox news. How could we possibly understand or get to know
each other.
My
children have had the opportunities I hoped. They are multicultural.
We live across the street from a Hindu and Muslim family. We live
on the same street as families who are English, Irish , South
African, Kiwis and Australian. My kids have gone to school with
students who are English, Cypriat, Korean, Polish, Chinese, French
and Irish. That was worth staying for because now their home is the
world.