# Ex-pat Dopers, roll call! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846 "2008-09-09T21:17:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/1 "2008-09-09T21:17:51Z")
I’m sure we’ve done this many times before, but with the hordes of lurkers _shy and guilty half-raise of the hand_ coming out of the woodwork right now, I’m curious as to how many more people will step forward. Hey, I’ll start! I’m an American who has lived in Germany for 12 years now. I moved after I married my wonderful, adorable German husband and we have two little Germericans, as my aunt refers to them. I had taken one evening German course before I moved over, and you know what? German turns out to be a tough language to learn as an adult. Frickin’ three genders and changable adjective endings. Completely unncessary, if you want my unvarnished opinion! Who’s next? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/2 "2008-09-09T21:26:58Z")
Well, I am in the US until I get another contract, but I am a long-term expat. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/3 "2008-09-09T21:27:29Z")
I used to live in Prague, but I moved back. I’m a repat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/4 "2008-09-09T21:37:09Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > I used to live in Prague, but I moved back. I’m a repat. 🙂 You’re an ex-ex-pat! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/5 "2008-09-09T21:54:47Z")
I’m an Australian who’s been living in the US for about 9 years, so I’m an expat; and one of my sons lives in England, so I’m the father of an expat too. Between the ages of 2 and 9 I lived in England, so my father and I were expats then. (My mother wasn’t, since she was born in England, so she was then an ex-expat). ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/6 "2008-09-09T22:15:59Z")
I’m a US expat for a bit over 6 years. I’ve lived in Tbilisi, Wellington, Dubai and Prague for the most part. Not sure where I’ll go next - possibly spending more time in the US to be closer to friends and family. Since I own my own business, I can live where ever they’ll let me spend my money. Singapore would be nice, but immigration is difficult (though Malaysia is not so hard). ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/7 "2008-09-09T23:55:38Z")
Technically I’m not, but I spent six months in London and seem to have left my heart there, and I’m hellbent on finding a way to make it my permanent home. So I guess you could say I’m a pre-ex-pat. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/8 "2008-09-10T00:07:24Z")
Been teaching in Japan for just over a year, here for at least one more. I like it here, so it’ll probably end up being at least three, but I know I’m coming back home eventually. For a little while, anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/9 "2008-09-10T00:43:13Z")
I’m an American expat in Australia. I live her permanently now. Cheers, G ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/10 "2008-09-10T01:21:24Z")
How did you get out? How did you find a German husband, or a job teaching in Japan? What kind of business has you living in Tbilisi, Wellington, Dubai and Prague? Man I could so live somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/11 "2008-09-10T01:59:24Z")
I’m a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in beautiful Sichuan Province, China. I just got here a few months ago and I will be here for two years. I spent the previous two years teaching high school computer science with Peace Corps in sunny North Provice, Cameroon. Just a big of culture shock going from Africa to China, heh. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/12 "2008-09-10T02:20:15Z")
I’m American but have lived 18 of the last 22 years outside the US, in the Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia (moved here 3 times), Mozambique, and Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/13 "2008-09-10T02:32:58Z")
Uruguayan in Thailand… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/14 "2008-09-10T02:57:36Z")
Another ex-ex-pat… a mere 3 years _yng Nghymru_ (in Wales). ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/15 "2008-09-10T03:00:05Z")
18 years in , ah, Japan. Have no idea when or if I’m going back. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/16 "2008-09-10T03:12:47Z")
I’m an ex-expat: I’m British, but lived in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for about three years. Well, also West Virginia, but I’d rather not talk about that. So my wife is now the expat. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/17 "2008-09-10T03:22:45Z")
I’m an American in Canada, 9 years, second citizenship, second kid and second career later. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f0a364/32.png) [@Duck\_Quack\_s\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Quack_s_Echo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/18 "2008-09-10T05:55:38Z")
I was born in the US (Lexington, KY) and lived my first twenty-five years in Lexington, graduating from Transylvania University. I migrated to Brisbane (Australia) in 1971 and, except for two years in Papua New Guinea in the mid-eighties, I have lived here ever since. I’ve been an Aussie citizen for about twenty-five years now. My wife is also originally from the US (Indiana) and also an Aussie citizen. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/19 "2008-09-10T06:02:19Z")
> [@Mongo\_Ponton](#): > > How did you get out? > > How did you find a German husband, or a job teaching in Japan? > > What kind of business has you living in Tbilisi, Wellington, Dubai and Prague? > > Man I could so live somewhere else. Teaching jobs are not too hard to get, from my understanding. This is doubly true if you have a TEFL cert (some places will give you one for doing 30 hours of coursework over a weekend). I applied to the JET program (and got in the second time around). I love it here. Living somewhere for awhile is really the way to see cultures you’re interested in. Since being here, it has kindled an interest in checking out some other countries I’ve always wanted to see-- Vietnam, Korea, etc. I’ll teach my way 'round the world if I can. If you’re serious about living somewhere else, and you don’t have things tying you down (family, huge amounts of debt that are only being offset by your extremely lucrative job), there’s really nothing stopping you from moving than the simple fact that you haven’t done it yet. Once you put things in motion, it’s easier than you might think. ---
**Author:** ![ShakWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ShakWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShakWave)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846/20 "2008-09-10T06:11:06Z")
I lived all my life in Pakistan, until around 8 months ago when I moved to Sydney, Australia. I will be here for a another one and a half years or so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ex-pat-dopers-roll-call/462846.md?page=2)