The Eight Kinds of Expats You Meet in Italy, Part I

By Cherrye Moore
May 10th, 2010

6 Comments »
Posted in ( SEO Tools )

By: Cherrye Moore

Here at ACC we spend a lot of time talking about expat life and in truth, many of us have a lot in common. We are all living in a foreign country. We all miss things about home. We all love, or at least like most of the time, things about our new countries.

But I’m convinced the reasons that motivated our expat status have more to do with our experiences than many people consider, at least for those of us who are expats in Italy.

So, in this two-part series, let’s examine the eight-in my book-types of expats you will meet in the bel paese.

The Short-Term Expat
This expat moved to Italy for a study or work abroad opportunity, not necessarily because he was in love with Italy or the Italian language, but because it seemed like a fun addition to his ever-growing resume.

This expat is blissfully happy with Italy and is friends with other expats he met at work or school. He doesn’t cement ties to the country since he knows he’ll be leaving in T minus 10 months.

It is typically easier for the Short-Term Expat to accept Italy’s nuances and adapt to that post-college lifestyle he might be living as an expat.

The Old-Timer
On the other end of the spectrum is the lifer … the expat who moved to Italy years and years and years ago, likely because she married an Italian and they chose to live here rather than the US.

This person may have lost some of their (insert country of origin here)’ness and speaks to other expats from her country in Italian rather than their native language.

While she may have had a hard time adjusting to life as an expat in Italy, she doesn’t really remember … it was too long ago.

The Lover
The Old-Timer likely entered Italy as a “Lover,” but from those aforementioned years and years and years of living in Italy, became an Old-Timer.

The Lover, like yours truly, came to Italy because she was in love with an Italian and they decided to start their lives together in the bel paese. The Lover may or may not envision spending her whole life in Italy and may secretly be plotting her return to native soil.

It might be easier for The Lover to adjust to Italy because she has an Italian citizen showing her the ropes, yet she might feel more torn between the two worlds, since she may not have wanted to leave in the first place.

The Run-Away
The Run-Away, on the other hand, wanted to leave. He left his home country because he wasn’t feeling satisfied or fulfilled in either his career or personal life. This expat is here for the long-haul and tends to focus on the positive aspects of his new country.

It might be easier for this expat to pack up and leave than it is for the Old-Timer or the Lover, but the longer he is here, the more Italy feels like home.

Come back on Thursday to meet the other four kinds of expats you’ll see in Italy.

Cherrye Moore is a freelance writer and travel consultant living in Calabria, Italy. She can organize a group Calabria tour or help you plan a custom itinerary for your family from her website, My Bella Vita.

Photo: The Trendliest

Rate Post

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)