Hello and welcome to Two Fat Expats. Episode 9 and Kirsty and Sarah are discussing the ugly expat…and we don’t mean looks!
Once again the Mawuna Koutonin article made an appearance, this time in The Guardian. Kirsty and Sarah believe that everyone who lives and works overseas as a non-permanent resident should be called an expatriate regardless of race, colour or socioeconomic status.
What are the bad stereotypes of an ugly expat? How do you stop yourself from becoming the ugly expat and behaving badly. Kirsty and Sarah talked about what they think makes an ugly expat. Maria Foley’s blog post on how to become an ugly expat in 12 easy steps is a great tongue in cheek look at the ugly expat. You can read the post here.
Dress code in the Middle East is a hot topic. Many expats and tourists want to know why they can’t wear their spaghetti strapped dress in the shopping mall, or wear a short skirt. Why can’t they eat pork in public? It’s very offensive to the local community so whilst you are in another country you need to abide by their regulations. It’s just good manners, right? There is a great article on Traveler about what to expect when visiting the Middle East which you can read here.
Our suggestions for social media this week:
Instagram: @audiosoup
Twitter: Mr Q @iloveqatar
Blog: Champagne Cartel (we love them)
Podcast: Stuff You Should Know and Reply All
Hashtag: #expatlife
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3 Comments
Amanda Settle
Ladies this was a great one and I’m sure will spark a lot of debate. That article in the guardian was deliberately inflammatory, they like to do that! I guess we’ve all had moments when we’ve been guilty of being an ugly expat but hopefully not too many and we improve over time?!
Corinne
Oh I nodded along and said yes the whole way through.
Firstly, that article in the Guardian is BS. I know people of all colours who call themselves expats. In the media here everyone who’s not a GCC national is called an expat!
I think I tried so hard not to be an ugly expat I was too cautious and sensitive and that was probably a bit ugly in itself. I would smile so hard at everyone and say hello to everyone, being super nice and being walked over just in case I offended anyone.
Sarah, this summer will be my second spent in the ME. It’s quiet and lovely, plus I just don’t enjoy being in Sydney in the winter when everyone’s at work and school. Like you I felt weird leaving “my home” for 2-3 months, I felt a little like I was abandoning my post (my mind is strange).
Love your podcast guys! Can’t wait for the school one next week, going through my own issues there!!
Katie M
Yesterday a friend recommended I listen to your podcasts. I’m an expat in Singapore (not the fancy, G&T drinking, Country Club type of expat though). I’ve never really liked, or fitted into the posh-Expat crowd. So much of what you said in your podcast resonated with my experiences. The thing that made me nod my head and say “Yes!! Exactly!!” was when you described Expat life as regular life, but in a different country. I’m still a mum doing school runs, supermarket shopping, cooking dinner, doing the laundry and all that stuff. It’s not glamorous, it’s not fancy, it’s just life.