 The Spanish conquistadores were not the first to jump in boats and travel around the world, settling down with various degrees of success. They were, however, the first group to be documented as officially going for "glory, gold and god." These days we tend to jump on planes rather than boats, and we're no longer culturally insensitive colonizers. Now we're 'expats.'
The term expat is short for expatriate, which comes from medieval Latin and according to a friendly online dictionary means 'one who is voluntarily absent from home or country.'
While investigating why expats are here in Ukraine, it became clear that the whole expat phenomenon is actually quite complex and multi-dimensional. As an international friend of mine expressed, "Personally I don't like the term expat. It's too limiting. We're all just people living somewhere, what's the big deal?" This made sense to me. Therefore, to find out if there is in fact a big deal, it became necessary to employ a marginally scientific method of classification to clarify who these people are and the types of thought processes/motivations at work.
After considerable research, I determined that there are five main categories of non-indigenous dwellers found in Ukraine: expat bubble-dwellers, international globalizers, activist hopefuls, international locals and the implants. There is of course no formal hierarchy or class among them, although it's interesting to note that there is also relatively limited inter-group socializing.
Surprisingly, cultural exchange did not come up at all when delving into the motivations of bubble-dwellers, globalizers, hopefuls or implants. The most often given reasons for being in Kyiv were work and involuntary posting. "I applied to work in the Barbados, and instead they offered me Kyiv. Go figure," said one international aid worker. There are of course some people who actually enjoy being here and have Kyiv as their first choice. "I was offered something in the tropics, but I turned it down because I like Kyiv so much," stated an Australian girl who incidentally has since left.
In general, there appear to be 5 main non-culturally related motivators for leaving home and braving the big, wild world. These 5 motivators are what I've come to call the "5Gs." The Spanish conquistadores (or at least their historians) singled out the first three motivations: Glory, Gold and God. However, in keeping with our increasingly complex modern times, these days they are joined by two more: Girls and Gumdrops; hence the term "5Gs." Evidence of the 5Gs is present in all the categories mentioned above and will soon be explored below.
Given the considerable lack of actual scientific method used in research and classification, there are of course crossovers between these categories, additional minor motivations and as always, individuals who simply transcend the box and all possible categories. Nevertheless, in terms of identifying stereotypes and broad expat trends, such a classification system seems to hit the G-spot.
Let's begin with the broad categories. The expat bubble-dwellers are found in the upper echelons of the Ukrainian international community. These are the high level diplomats and prosperous businessmen who live comparatively sheltered existences in the lap of luxury. They (and their families) are usually fully catered to by generous contracts, hardship compensation clauses and travel allowances. There is a certain degree of social elitism, not necessarily because they are deliberately cliquey, but rather because the vast majority of society simply cannot afford to keep up. This group earned their name because many appear to be living in a bubble, completely insulated from everyday life in Kyiv. While talking to an otherwise very nice and approachable expat, he described buying things in the kiosk down the road as "investing in the local economy."
The international globalizers are perhaps the most well-known group currently in Kyiv. This group lives quite a comfortable life, usually of a lifestyle and quality that they would otherwise be unable to enjoy in their home countries. People in this category are engaged in small/medium businesses, or donor-driven development work. Internationals have a certain amount of worldliness and claim to enjoy multi-cultural experiences. They are a fun loving bunch and are likely to have genuine 'local' friends. Cross-cultural relationships (often resulting in marriage) also characterize this group. This group got its name because members are constantly on the move, every few years they settle in a new city or a new country. Kyiv is but another stop on the great journey around the world. In the meantime, party on. "Kyiv has such a great nightlife, so much to see and do, too bad I can't stay longer," lamented an Italian whose next destination was Asia.
And then there are the activist hopefuls. These are people who move to another country out of a certain degree of idealism. There are sub categories of activist hopefuls. One subcategory is people with ethnic roots (or who are Diaspora children), who want to help/get to know their ancestral country. Another subcategory is people who have moved here because conditions are perceived to be better than in their home countries. These are usually students and/or those that are working hard to support families back home. The third subcategory consists of people who are simply attracted to the adventure of living abroad and just can't seem to leave (for whatever reason).
Overall the activist hopefuls aren't usually characterized by personal wealth. They struggle to survive alongside the average inhabitant of the country. Often making similar salaries to them, sometimes making less (depending on what work they find to do). This group earned its name due to the optimism and confidence they bring with them when they arrive. "Kyiv offers me the chance to make a difference in my life," explains a Chinese friend of mine who came as a student seven years ago and managed to find ways to stay beyond her studies.
The fourth broad category of people is still quite small in Kyiv. This group tends to only emerge as a result of the activities of the other three groups. This group consists of people I like to call "international locals." As it is perhaps less self-evident, a slightly more detailed definition is in order. An international local is someone who moved to a country as a child (or was born there) and neither parent is from the host country. This person would then have attended local schools in the local language, whose friends are predominately local, and who, except for physical appearance, is culturally local. This isn't to suggest the parents' culture is completely lost; rather the person is multicultural in the flesh as it were. People in this group are equally comfortable operating in either culture (although sometimes they are more comfortable in the adopted one).
International locals are characterized by periodic rejections from both their adopted culture and their parental culture. Rejection by locals comes using the rationale that, "You speak fluently and act like one of us but you have a different passport or a different face/skin color therefore you're not 'actually' one of us." And from fellow-citizens comes, "You can speak and look like one of us, but sometimes you forget words and there's something different about how you think and act, plus you live abroad. You're clearly one of us in passport or biological ethnicity only." Both sentiments have elements of technical truth, and yet are also untrue and quite painful at the same time. "When I was in my home country last, a Turkish taxi driver told me I had a bit of an accent and asked where I was from. Imagine, a Turkish immigrant telling me I had an accent. I couldn't wait to get back to Kyiv," revealed a German friend of mine.
There is a sub-group of international locals that consists of children of bubble-dwellers and globalizers. These are people who grow up literally all over the world and have a very fluid sense of home and culture. They have spent most of their school life in international schools in exotic locations, and have more frequent flier miles than many businessmen. These are international locals in the global sense of the term. For them "going home" to a particular country and living exclusively there is a novelty and often as much of a challenge as their lifestyle is perceived to be by others. The world as a whole is quite literally the only home they've ever known. "I'm on my way to the States to go to university. I was born there but left when I was 3 and haven't lived for longer than 2 years in any country. I'm really worried about going back. I don't think I can manage living 4 years in the same place. Thank god for semesters abroad!" a young African-American confided.
The final group consists of the ones I affectionately refer to as "The Implants." These are the residential expats, or homesteaders. Regardless of original reason for being here, the implants have really settled down in Kyiv. They often marry someone from here because they actually fell in love, and then choose to remain because they sincerely like living here. Many bubble-dwellers find them a novelty and a bit of a threat to their world-views, whereas locals find them cute. "My wife lives here and so far I like living with her," a certain magazine editor told me with a wink when we first met.
Any even partially complete look at expats requires examination of their motivations. As mentioned in the beginning of the article, work or more specifically the Gold as a result of work is the biggest motivator. This applies across the board to bubble-dwellers, globalizers and hopefuls alike. Even those who originally come to Kyiv to help the country tend to fall into this pit. Ukraine is not the only country in which those who come to do good, end up doing very well for themselves instead. This is not to belittle their contributions, but rather to express the admittedly cynical view that just because an expat came for the admirable reasons, doesn't mean he/she stayed for them. As an American friend once told me, "I had to come all the way to Kyiv to live the American dream of a nice house with a big garden and an expensive car, because I sure wouldn't have been able to get them back in the States."
Glory is the next biggest reason for being in Kyiv. The number of truly inspired people in the world who are eager to do their part and more if necessary in solving the world's (and Ukraine's) problems is astounding. Normal jobs are meaningless to them. "Why would I work in a dead-end job in some business when I can be a part of actual changes for the better here?" a cheerful young man from the NGO world asked rhetorically.
God is present to a certain extent in all groups (no pun intended). However aside from personally held beliefs by individual expats, there are a number of straight up Christian Missionaries. Fresh faced and enthusiastic, these believers are like an army of fire ants. Through faith and organization, they seek to conquer a Ukraine that for the most part already believes in Jesus Christ-and has believed for longer than many of the denominations now spreading their word here have existed.
Missionaries often like to think they are in the activist hopeful category, living simply, contributing services freely and struggling alongside national counterparts. However, with a secure source of funding (even if it's minimal) and the close-knit networks of like-minded compatriots, many missionary groups actually fit more comfortably into the bubble-dwellers category. Especially when you think for a moment about the frustration they must face on a daily basis literally preaching to the converted. On Kreschatyk one Sunday not long ago, there was a street performance by a group of missionaries that enacted the struggle between good and evil and how Jesus can save us all from evil. In his concluding speech the moderating youth (through a translator) told the crowd "I'm just here to spread the word of our Lord. Did you like our play? Who here wants to be saved and accept Jesus Christ into their life?" The crowd looked at each other in confusion and some even started shaking their heads and chuckling.
The most well-known and least admitted motivator for being in Kyiv falls into the Girls section. There are numerous articles and movies on this topic so it suffices to be brief. In search of true love and traveling to Kyiv or smaller cities to find it (or a cheap equivalent), people with this motivation can come from any of the categories of overseas dweller. Individuals with this motivator often visually consume every sweet young thing walking by. Anyway, enough said. You all know to whom this refers.
Gumdrops. This is actually the most romantic group. Named after the popular North American sweet, people in this category consist of those who stick sweetly with spouse or partner, and go with them around the world. Marriage or partnership isn't easy under the best of circumstances, but being flexible enough to uproot themselves and their family on a regular basis is a sacrifice not many are happy to make. While the group mainly consists of women, there are also a growing number of men, who in the interests of fairness, are doing a swap. For example, she follows him for 5 years, and then he follows her for 5 years. Gumdrops' biggest challenge is usually finding ways not to go stir crazy while waiting out their turn. Jobs (especially in Kyiv) are not easy to find and many turn to voluntary pursuits and social clubs. "I can't stand the idea of joining a women's club, but after 2 months indoors with nothing to do, I was seriously considering giving one of the clubs a call. Luckily I found a part time job," revealed my editing friend over coffee.
There are hardships to living in any country, and there's no question that being an expat increases the level of hardship exponentially (especially in Kyiv where there are no reliable English language movie theatres). But in the end, the attitude with which you go about your life makes a difference. A motto I picked up at a summer camp many years ago is "No deposit, no return." It's the instruction found on soda pop cans for recycling. If you don't deposit the cans, you don't get any return. Similarly, if you don't invest in your life abroad, you won't get anything out of it. Those who take the time and energy to really settle in have a much different experience and fit less easily into the categories and motivators than those who keep to their own kind and their work.
So you may be surprised to find your international friends or co-workers fitting quite nicely into one of these classifications, and maybe unexpectedly gain new insights into how to interact and communicate with the said international expat. Or you may find that nothing that you've read today applies to reality and all of this makes no sense whatsoever. Either way, keep in mind that in the end we are all the same anyway. Some of us are just more similar to each other than others.
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