Two Most Important Expat Traits
Immigrating to another country requires certain qualities that expats must continuously nurture in order to live a fulfilling life abroad. After participating in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) and completing the first year of our master’s degrees in France, Jalen and I have a fair amount of experience living in France as Americans. According to us, the two most important expat traits, especially for foreigners living in France, are patience and humility.
Patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
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Besides its delicious food, beautiful architecture, and fine arts, France is also known for its bureaucracy, strict rules of etiquette, and complex language. Foreigners living in France can agree that certain processes, behavioral norms, and components of the French language simply don’t make much sense. From the prevalence of snail mail in administrative procedures to the necessity of always addressing others with the proper subject pronouns, living in France can evoke intense frustration for immigrants.
Cultivating your patience will minimize these feelings of annoyance, will help you to tackle stressful situations, and ultimately will allow you to prosper in a country where “slow living” isn’t a trend, but a way of life.
Humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance.
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Expats, and especially American expats, often demonstrate a level of self-importance incompatible with a satisfying life abroad. After all, Americans are often taught from a young age that the United States is the greatest country in the world. However, a mindset lacking humility will almost certainly make integrating into French culture a challenge. In practice, this can translate to Americans feeling entitled to special treatment or believing that French culture should change to suit their preferences.
Working on your humility will allow you to accept that while life in France can be tough, French culture won’t change just for you. Instead, you are the one who must grow as a person, improve your cultural competence, and carve out an expat life for yourself in France.
Whether you’re an expat or just a Francophile, how do you think working on patience and humility could improve your life? Let us know in a comment below.
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