I really hate the term expat and the dumb excuse that it's about not wanting to stay forever. I mean I thought I was just a Ukrainian immigrant. But it turns out for like a decade I was a Ukrainian expat while my family was sure we'd move back and only then did we become Ukrainian immigrants when we decided to stay. And then ofc I thought I was an Austro-Ukrainian immigrant when I moved countries for uni, but now I'm thinking that the quality of life is actually super nice in Vienna and it might be nice to find a job there eventually, so I guess actually I'm a Austro-Ukrainian expat after all! Silly me! I mean no one's ever called me anything but immigrant and Ausländer but it's nice that technically they were all wrong (including me) for over a decade.
Otoh I respect non-Westerners using expat. Heard some Jamaican author (I think) say he proudly uses expat because immigrant involves some degree of "immigrant angst". He just enjoyed moving country. Good on him, really. No borders, etc.
Nah my dad's job was prestigious enough we wouldn't get Gastarbeiter. But my main self-identity as a teenager was Ausländer, which now that I think about it is kinda depressing lol. "Yes hello I am foreigner and I hang out with foreigner friends, some of whom were actually born here but aren't white so they're considered foreigners anyway. Yay!" I didn't even really identify as Ukrainian lol, just as "not quite Austrian". 😂 Ah, immigrant angst.
I've never lived there actually! Most of my friends moved there after school, so I know my way around, but they're all libs... or became radicalised in 2020 and haven't joined anything (yet) lol
I really hate the term expat and the dumb excuse that it's about not wanting to stay forever. I mean I thought I was just a Ukrainian immigrant. But it turns out for like a decade I was a Ukrainian expat while my family was sure we'd move back and only then did we become Ukrainian immigrants when we decided to stay. And then ofc I thought I was an Austro-Ukrainian immigrant when I moved countries for uni, but now I'm thinking that the quality of life is actually super nice in Vienna and it might be nice to find a job there eventually, so I guess actually I'm a Austro-Ukrainian expat after all! Silly me! I mean no one's ever called me anything but immigrant and Ausländer but it's nice that technically they were all wrong (including me) for over a decade.
Otoh I respect non-Westerners using expat. Heard some Jamaican author (I think) say he proudly uses expat because immigrant involves some degree of "immigrant angst". He just enjoyed moving country. Good on him, really. No borders, etc.
Ausländer oder Gastarbeiter if your older.
Nah my dad's job was prestigious enough we wouldn't get Gastarbeiter. But my main self-identity as a teenager was Ausländer, which now that I think about it is kinda depressing lol. "Yes hello I am foreigner and I hang out with foreigner friends, some of whom were actually born here but aren't white so they're considered foreigners anyway. Yay!" I didn't even really identify as Ukrainian lol, just as "not quite Austrian". 😂 Ah, immigrant angst.
Completely unrelated, but Vienna is pretty cool! Were you able to find any good orgs there?
I've never lived there actually! Most of my friends moved there after school, so I know my way around, but they're all libs... or became radicalised in 2020 and haven't joined anything (yet) lol