A writer, journalist and publisher who has authored three widely read books on Expat issues, Robin Pascoe shares her unique gyaan on problems of relocation with Johnson Thomas.
Why Expats? Don't human beings all over the world suffer from similar problems?
As an expat myself, I had inside knowledge of what went on in the minds of expats. Their problems are no different from others but the feeling of being an alien, the fear, the trepidation and the vulnerability of being in a new place and almost having to start from scratch are unique to Expats.
What do you talk about?
I talk to them about the challenges of being an Expat. The women want to feel validated that their challenges are real because they may have a husband who tells them that they are making it all up. The children need to understand that if Dad's traveling a lot, he's not traveling on purpose.
What difficulties do Expat kids face...?
Kids have identity issues about where they are from, especially when their families move around a lot. If you ask these third culture nomads where they are from, they havn't a clue.
But aren't Expat communities too small in number?
For the past ten years Expat communities have been growing at a faster pace and increasing hugely in numbers. India has a huge base of 50,000 Expats living in the country on work, while there are larger communities of Expats of Indian origin living and working all over the world. The numbers are increasing.
How do you plan to reach out to Expat communities in India?
Well, primarily my task here is to speak to the staff of multinational corporations and their families. I also have a few company lectures lined-up and then I'll be visiting the International schools and the women's clubs in the city.
Don’t Expat communities come from different cultures and communities?
Everywhere I have gone I have expected things to be different but they are not. Cases vary. One Expat spoke about moving to Europe a few months ago for a once-in-a-lifetime job, her partner agreed...yet once they got there, there were problems aplenty. A third culture kid who spent his life in Papua New Guinea, China, the US and the Middle East, had spent the least time in the country of his birth, New Zealand. Then he had to go to New Zealand on work and it turned out to be his most difficult posting. I get asked the same questions wherever I go. I generally focus on the internals- things that no one wants to think about. It's all about providing emotional support to those distressed by relocation.
Are they receptive to you?
Oh Yeah! When I talk about parenting everybody's ears are wide open because it's easier to talk about your kids. But when I talk about marriage , it's a tad more difficult to break the ice. They want to talk about their marriage but because the Expat communities are small, they can't be seen talking openly about marriage …
Don't Expat communities lead a very nomadic exixtence?
There is a 25% turnover in Expat communities at any given time. The community is constantly changing. I talk to the Expats trying to prepare them to go home(wherever that may be)-'They all have to go home one day,' I say…
Is that such a major problem?
In fact repatriation is one of the biggest problems faced by Expat communities. It is the most overlooked dimension of culture shock. People do not like to think about it. They think it will be fine but it's not. They become strangers in their own country and that causes a great deal of distress.
Traveling spouses, international Human Resource practitioners, relocation specialists, and international school communities worldwide applaud Robin Pascoe’s pragmatic but sensitive approach to the joys and challenges of families and global relocation. Robin , an Expat herself, is a writer, journalist and publisher who has authored five widely read books on Expat issues and is today reckoned as ‘The Expat Expert’. She has also been interviewed in numerous international publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Working Mother Magazine, Utne Reader, CNN, and others.
In this interview she shares her unique gyaan on problems of relocation. In conversation with Johnson Thomas.
Why specialize in Expats alone? Don’t human beings all over the world suffer from similar problems?
As a writer, journalist and publisher, an expat myself, I had inside knowledge of what went on in the minds of expats. Their problems are no different from others but the feeling of being an alien, the fear, the trepidation and the vulnerability of being in a new place and almost having to start from scratch is what Expats and their families experience when they have to leave their own familiar set-ups and go abroad for work.
My website went up about ten years ago. It was something new, nobody had that kind of help available online so that’s how I became the expat expert. I had also written two books previous to that. It all just seemed to happen overnight. The books kept coming, My website got a lot of response and companies like Santa Fe did well to promote the whole concept. My speaking tours around the world have been a great success. I go speak to International schools, women’s clubs, human resource people and Expat families all over the world.
What do you talk about?
I try to talk to them about the challenges of being an Expat. Specific challenges that Expat communities face when relocating to a new country or place. The women want to feel validated that their challenges are real because they may have a husband who tells them that they are making it all up. The children need to understand that if Dad’s traveling a lot, he’s not traveling on purpose. This is business.
What difficulties do Expat kids face...?
Kids have identity issues about where they are from, especially when their families move around a lot. If you ask these third culture nomads where they are from, they havn’t a clue. So I talk to the kids about their identity issues and to the parents about the challenges of dealing with these issues. The families are what I call silent partners in the relocation. They usually do not have any choice in the relocation. I also speak to corporations and urge them to pay more attention to the family side. If the families don’t go then the corporations will find it difficult to retain talent and this would in turn affect their business. I also speak to the Embassy staff in different Foreign Ministries. Any corporation or organization sending people to a foreign country on assignment, I go in there and speak to them about what needs to be done to strengthen family relationships, helping them cater to their specific needs in order that the assignment may be successful.
Who is a third culture kid?
The research for third culture kids began in India about ten years ago initiated by the US embassy. Third culture kid is defined as someone who has spent a significant amount of their developmental years in a culture outside their parent/passport culture. A global nomad is someone who has moved because of a Parent’s occupational choice. So Expatriates have problems that are magnified because they have lost everything that is familiar to them.
But aren’t Expat communities too small in number?
For the past ten years Expat communities have been growing at a faster pace and increasing hugely in numbers. India has a huge base of 50,000 Expats living in the country on work, while there are large communities of Expats of Indian origin living and working all over the world. The numbers are increasing as economies blend into one another and opportunities increase. Globalisation has made it much easier for people from one country to find work in another and vice versa.
So are you going to be speaking to the Expat communities living in India? How do you plan to reach out to them?
Well, primarily my task here is to speak to the staff of multinational corporations and their families. The Expat’s more or less have affiliations to multinational corporations. I also have a few company lectures lined-up and then I’ll be visiting the International schools and the women’s clubs in the city to talk to the Expat families. Over the years I have received many feelers from these communities for such interactions through my website and this visit fulfills that obligation.
Expat communities come from different cultures and communities? How do you tackle this anomaly while addressing their issues?
Everywhere I have gone I have expected things to be different but they are not. Cases vary. One Expat spoke about moving to Europe a few months ago for a once-in-a-lifetime job, her partner agreed that it was just too good an opportunity to refuse, so he happily supported the move. And went along. They talked long and hard about what options there might be...yet once they got there, there were problems aplenty. A third culture kid who spent his life in Papua New Guinea, China, the US and the Middle East, had spent the least time in the country of his birth, New Zealand. Then he had to go to New Zealand on work and it turned out to be his most difficult posting. Another Expat, an accompanying spouse who moved to Sri Lanka with her husband three months ago had to relocate again because of company restructuring. It was the most trying period of her young life. The problems are universal no matter which country I visit, the climates may be different and the solutions for each situation may differ but by and large the problems are generally the same. I get asked the same questions wherever I go. I generally focus on the internals- things that no one wants to think about. It’s all about providing emotional support to those distressed by relocation.
Are they receptive to you?
Oh Yeah! Depending on the communities. When I talk about parenting everybody’s ears are wide open. They want to know everything they can get because it’s easier to talk about your kids. But when I talk about marriage , it’s a tad more difficult to break the ice. They want to talk about their marriage but because the Expat communities are small, they can’t be seen talking openly about marriage …It would seem like their marriage was in trouble and everybody would know about it.
Don’t Expat communities lead a very nomadic exixtence?
There is a 25% turnover in Expat communities at any given time. The community is constantly changing. New faces come in while the old move to new destinations. I talk to the Expats trying to prepare them to go home(wherever that may be)-‘They all have to go home one day,’ I say…
Is that such a major problem?
In fact repatriation is one of the biggest problems faced by Expat communities. It is the most overlooked dimension of culture shock. Re-enter shock happens when going back into your own culture. People do not like to think about it. They think it will be fine but it’s not. They become strangers in their own country and that causes a great deal of distress.
Isn’t this a more recent problem?
No . it’s always been that way. In the earlier times people went home by boat which took anywhere from a month to three or even six months of travel. They had enough time to process the changes and so the shock at re-entering their formerly familiar culture zones were not as much as it is today in the jet age-where everything happens in a matter of hours. Of course the problem is even greater today. Expats who left their countries years ago find the changes on return too overwhelming to deal with and therefore flounder emotionally. I sometimes think of myself as a validator and facilitator giving them an opportunity to express their distress and come to terms with the changes.
Johnson Thomas
Books authored by Robin Pascoe
Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World
A Movable Marriage: Relocate Your Relationship without Breaking It
Homeward Bound:A Spouse’s Guide to Repatriation
