Ten Types of Expats

During the two years I've spent living in Cairo, I've noticed about ten different types of expats. It's hard to say what type of expat one will become before arriving. The different experiences and intentions one has before arriving mix with the encounters in the new country, all contributing towards an eventual metamorphosis of identity. Before long, a new shape does take place, and sometimes the transformation isn't what you expect. Awareness of these ten common expat types is the best antidote to embracing them.

1. The Closet Depressive

The closet depressive is my favorite figure. By day this expat is cheery as a spring flower; at home, alone, when the windows and doors are shut, she stares at the floor in the corner. She always turns a smiling face to you, not because she is trying to fake happiness, but more because she doesn't want to bring you into her depression. Her depression is too personal to share. It is too deep. Only Buddha could fathom the suffering. The closet depressive runs from sincerity, lies to herself about her situation until she actually convinces herself - albeit temporarily - of an international bliss. She never complains nor wearies your ears with harangues. But some days you may not see her; she has stayed home, brooding in silent sadness, thinking about how wonderful it is to be in a new culture.

2. The Cultural Pluralist

The cultural pluralist, through and through, wants you to know that your ethnocentrism is real and that it is really quite nasty, actually. She tries to win over your prejudices and convince you that this other type of lifestyle you're immersed in, though "different," though dissimilar to your own traditions and habits, is an alternative lifestyle that is just as equally valid, vital, normal, worthwhile, and meaningful as your own, or as a previous life you remember with nostalgia.

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About the Author Tom Johnson (Tom's Blog) taught writing at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He now lives in Florida with his wife and three daughters.

First Published: May 02, 2004