The 3 Types of Expats

When I tell people that our family currently lives in Nigeria, inevitably one of the questions that follows is if we are missionaries. The answer, of course, is no.

We do love Jesus, but to be clear, we’re here for the paycheck, the travel, and the career opportunity.

Of course, I don’t say that.

In American culture, it’s strangely taboo to admit you did something for money. I find this ironic, because so much of our culture is motivated by capitalism.

Instead, I say we’re here for my husband’s job, which is also true, and seems to be more acceptable.

I’ve since learned the term for such a person is “expat.” In general, I find expats fall into 3 categories:

1. Lifestyle expats. People who move for a better life. It could be culture, scenery, cost of living or love.

2. Mission-driven expats. People who serve a cause bigger than themselves. Missionaries, Peace Corps volunteers, the military and researchers.

3. Career expats. People who moved for career potential and paychecks. This is us.

The question I wrestle with is whether being in the latter category makes us the worst type of expat.

I feel this sometimes. That out of all three we’re somehow morally inferior. We’re not following any big passion, nor are we saving lives or curing diseases. Instead, we’re just here hoping to pay off our mortgage, fund our kids’ college and maybe, just maybe, add a pool to our backyard in Texas.

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Saving money has been great, but it hasn’t come without a price. The daily lifestyle tradeoffs are real and relentless. And sometimes I wonder if it’s all been worth it.

Our company house in Lagos is perpetually broken. It is 40 years old and has never had preventive maintenance. They will repair things only after they have broken, imploded and then caught on fire.

Additionally, the team my husband’s company contracts to “fix things,” typically cause more problems than they alleviate. Last time they came to fix our AC, they flooded the kitchen. And when they located where the leak was coming from, I kid you not, they DUCT TAPED it until it was no longer dripping.

This is my real life.

In Lagos, for safety reasons, my kids travel on a bus to school which is sandwiched in between 2 armed-security cars as kidnapping is a real threat.

The paycheck. The career opportunity. Maybe, one day, even a pool. Those are the reasons we endure all of this.

Of course there’s been some unforeseen and wonderful surprises. I’ve learned that I love traveling. We’ve met the best of friends on our compound and within our school. I’m continually inspired by the resourcefulness and resilience of Nigerians.

But those aren’t the reason we came. They’re gifts we didn’t expect to receive.

Some people move because they’re in love.

Some people move because they feel God called them to.

Some people move because there was a good career opportunity.

And as ordinary, boring or even selfish as that sounds, I think it’s OK.

Because your reason for coming doesn’t determine the kind of person who you’ll be when you arrive. None of these motives guarantee you’ll be a good neighbor, help the local people, learn the local language or contribute something meaningful to the host society.

That part is up to you after you arrive. And to be honest, it’s something we’re still figuring out ourselves.

So, no, we’re not missionaries. But we do love Jesus. We try our best to be salt and light while we’re here, and we hope to leave the people we’ve met and the places we’ve visited in Nigeria just a little bit better than before we came.

P.S.

If you’re wondering how this all started, THIS POST explains it. It’s also when this fun adventure started.