Who's an Expat?

With the upcoming move to England, I'm pondering my identity again. Lots of questions have been rolling around my head, in terms of how to define myself:

• Can you be an expat if you're a citizen returning after a long absence?
• Do you stop being an expat when you become a citizen of your new country?
• Are you less expat if your culture is similar to your new countries' culture?
• Should I be seek out a Canadian expat community in England?

I've always identified with expat culture, like the Brits in Spain or the Canadians in Mexico. Although in Canada the Brits just tend to blend in rather than stick to their own kind. Perhaps they are a tad over represented in pubs, but Canadians are no slouches in the beer-swilling department.

I'm not technically a British expat in Canada. Not since 1979 when I became a Canadian citizen at the ripe old age of 10. Nor will I be a Canadian expat in England when I move back there. I'm a citizen, although it feels a bit strange to make that claim, having been away for so long.

I recently came across the term "Third Culture Kid" and as I read up on it, I definitely identified with much of it. The basic definition is "children who accompany their parents into another society."

Christina from A Broad's View reposted "31 Signs You're A Third Culture Kid" and I strongly identified with 13 signs. She writes "A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parent's culture." Check. However, I think most TCKs, as opposed to immigrants, are living in a new culture temporarily due to a parent's profession and will be bonding with other children in the same situation. I think of army brats, missionaries' kids and the children whose parent is in the oil or construction business.

My dad moved us to Canada when he was hired to head up a department in a new university. I guess I would have been a TCK to start, and recall the kids of some of my dad's colleagues who were in the same boat as my brother and I. But once we got our Canadian citizenship I'd say that changed. Still, I don't think we were just run-of-the-mill immigrants either, because we kept such strong ties to England. And my parents endlessly discussed the idea of going back to England (especially when they retired).

Although I can feel very Canadian in some ways, and very British in others, I have many memories of striking up friendships and associations with those people in a group who are from different cultures. Particularly in elementary school and junior high, I remember getting on extremely well with girls from India, Pakistan, and Germany. Perhaps a bit of the TCK at work?

The term TransAtlantic has also appealed to me, ever since I heard the term TransAtlantic Accent. It describes that caught somewhere between two worlds existence. Disappointingly, I haven't found the term used very often in the way I am. The somewhat clunky subtitle of this blog is currently "The kid of expats journeys "home". Maybe I should adopt a crazy grin and change that to "Stuck in the Middle With You."

Finally, I want to add that I can only just start to imagine what this identity struggle must be like for someone whose two cultures of origin are far more disparate than those of England and Canada. My parents were clearly far less adventurous than many, and should be ashamed of themselves. Throw in another language, different core religions, or a radically unconnected history with each other, and I couldn't start to imagine how strange one must feel to be existing in that kind of halfway-between. If that's you, I have NO problem with you laughing at my silly teeth-gnashing. I'll quietly go find the blog of an American-Canadian to roll my eyes at.