As an expat, some questions I am always thinking of are:
✨ How long do you have to live in a place before you're considered a 'local'?
✨ What qualities or characteristics do you need to exhibit to demonstrate that you are a 'local'?
✨ How do you differentiate someone who is considered a local and someone who is not?
@nabzilla well I can't speak for urban folks but round these 'ere parts I'd say about 2 generations 😆. I remember driving with a real estate agent and he pointed down a driveway and said that's where that new doctor lives. On questioning it was a doctor who's been there about 15 years. "Ah you got me", he said.
Having said that I think the same is true most rural communities the world over.
But at a guess 30-40 years should do it.
@geth oof this is such an interesting perspective! Thank you for interacting!
By your description I wouldn't be local to Australia or my home country, and neither would my parents.
My family moved to Aus in 1999 and have been here since. I've visited my home country maybe a total of 4 times in the 20 years I lived in Aus. I experienced all of my major life milestones in Aus: schooling, graduation, jobs, car license, marriage, etc.
I have lived in Dubai now for 3 years, and I feel like I'm somewhere in between. I'm not really an expat living here since this is a long term move for us. My daughter was born here. However, I have lived here long enough that I know hidden gems, and understand local social norms and culture quite well. And by all means, I call it home.
My husband's family has been here for 3 generations and 40+ years, but they're still considered 'expats'. This is a common experience for those in his generation. The language around 'expat', 'local', and 'native' is very different to what I encountered in Aus, which has been an interesting experience and opened a lot of dialogue.
#expat #immigration #local #culture #dubai #home #thirdculture
@nabzilla OK so I was being slightly flippant :)
I have no experience of moving to a country that doesn't share the same tongue and a big swathe of history. That would be hard I guess! From what I've observed in rural Australia there is a hierarchy of localness. There are the families that have been here for generations, then there are the people who are here but are obviously very invested in the community. For those folks, the time they've been here is not so relevant.
I've been here since 2001. I was 31 when I moved. I don't think I'll ever feel Australian to the core, but that's OK. Some of us are Travellers! :)
@geth haha I did not read it as flippant, I promise. You answered based on your experiences, so it was definitely very interesting to read.
I love that you mention a hierarchy of localness, because I think there definitely is some truth to that from what I've observed around me both in Aus and the UAE.
How you feel about being in Aus for so long is how I feel in general. I don't quite feel completely Australian, or entirely from my home country, or entirely from the UAE. However, I think I relate the most to being Australian than I do with anything else.
Whereabouts did you move from?
@nabzilla ah so you are well-travelled! Australia has a long way to go to be a happy multicultural society I think. London is amazing in that regard. My Kids feel some connection to the UK, despite all being born here to Australian mothers. So yes I think it's interesting being an ex-pat, and sometimes hard. But well-travelled folks are always more interesting to talk to at parties :D
(I hope, lol)
@geth I don't know about well-travelled haha, but I have been fortunate enough to visit a few places so far.
That's so interesting that they feel more connected to England! Maybe it's part of them wanting to feel closer to their roots. I definitely didn't feel very connected to my Bangladeshi roots until I met my husband, and have been trying to reconnect to my heritage since.
Haha I think well-travelled folks definitely have a lot of stories to share. What are some places you've travelled to?
nabs 🌻
Gethin Coles