The Expat in Me

Sometimes I wonder why I can't fully express my strong desire to live abroad and become a part of British culture (not permanently, but at least for several years at least.) I know a good part of it is because the History nerd in me romanticizes much of it, but after one year living in England, I'm still not dissuaded. The desire courses in my veins and re-inspires me every now and then.

I came upon this portion of C'est la Vie in which Suzy really seemed to capture some of those similar feelings I have on the matter. In lieu of France, read "England".

In America's large population, it's harder to find your way and to make your own place. I had often felt lost in America...if you are not young and rich and hot to trot, you are invisible.

As an American who stepped into this new world, I think I was able to adjust more easily than some because I have always had an interest in history and a passion for a way of life that is all but gone from the United States. My university degree is in history; my favorite books are historical fiction and historical biography. I am truly interested in how life was lived int he past, which, believe it or not provides information for daily life in modern France.

I have a personal theory that many of the Americans who like living in France share an inner craving to return to a way of life from times past; they don't mind that many things in France don't work... that France is behind the times in just about everything. They prefer the slow pace and the social structure of another era. The trade-offs are worth it. Sure, these expats have mobile phones and computers and enjoy modern modem life, but they are also offended by the hustle and bustle of a world of yield management, crime in the home as well as on the streets, drive-by shootings and corporate unaccountability without employer loyalty for the working guy...

It's my bet that expats also like the challenge of things being a little bit harder within the structure of their lives; they are as tough as pioneers and can take the stress of doing business - and living life - in a different code. They like the rules and the manners; they like the quaint thinking that passes as marketing in France. They like a country that is about bad television and good magazines and even better conversation.