The Great Migration of Expatland
The world largest migration of wildlife, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, is about to get started. Following the rains, around 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebras and 200,000 Thomson’s gazelles will travel in a clockwise direction between Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara and back again.
Peak season for The Great Migration in Kenya, one of my former home countries where I used to live as a kid, is from July to October. This got me to thinking about another interesting phenomenon that takes place yearly in about the same period. Namely the relocation of a large group of expats either travelling to the Dutch Caribbean islands, where I live now, or travelling back to their home country the Netherlands.
I am pretty sure that in most parts of the world this is peak season for expats emigration and remigration too because usually relocations are planned during school holidays. Summer break is by far the longest period of free time making it an excellent period for making the transition or in other words undertaking The Great Migration of Expatland.
In the Netherlands, where I used to live before I became an expat myself, summer vacation starts between the end of June and the beginning of July and runs through mid-August depending on the specific region. Consequently, making this the peak season for The Great Migration of Expatland on the islands.
On Curaçao alone about 100 families relocate as military personnel changes positions, an actual Changing of the Guard so to speak. The military being one of the biggest organizations posting expats in this region but definitely not the only one. So, in total it is even more than 100 families going through this transition and undertaking The Great Migration of Expatland yearly.
During their yearly migration the wildebeest, zebras and Thomson’s gazelles in Africa face different kinds of challenges throughout the different stages of their travel. Amongst which life-threatening dangers. It is said that about 250,000 wildebeest don’t even make it successfully to the end.
On the road they face threats from crocodiles, lions and sad to say even humans pose a threat in the form of poachers. One of the biggest barriers however are the rivers they have to cross along the way especially the deep Mara River with its steep crocodile filled riverbanks and treacherous currents.
I would not go as far as to say that the journey an expat makes poses life-threatening dangers, but unfortunately there are expats who, like some of the animals, do not manage to make it successfully to the end either. Not in the literal sense of the word of course. But for example, families might return home earlier than planned because they are not able to cope with the challenges, people might not be able to overcome their homesickness or relationships might break up cutting the posting short and so on.
The animals in Africa undertake The Great Migration because they are actually looking for greener grazing lands. Here you can also make the analogy with expats because often the reason for becoming one is that people are looking for something new. Be it adventure, new experiences or maybe even a better life.
When it comes to the Dutch Caribbean Islands, you can imagine that the prospect of living on a tropical island with infinite sun, sea and sand is seen by many as the so called ‘green pastures’ that they are looking for. Thus, expectations are often high to begin with.
Roughly, based on the theory of Oberg (1954) and Lysgaard (1955), The Great Migration of Expatland can be divided into four phases. That is 1. the Honeymoon phase, 2. the Rejection phase, 3. the Adjustment phase and 4. the Adaptation or Reintegration phase. Adaptation if an expat is just starting the expat journey in a new country and Reintegration if the expat is rounding up the posting and heading back to the initial home country.
Like the Great Migration of Africa, it is a roundtrip with the same beginning and end. You start by leaving your home country, spend a determined period of time in your temporary (home) country, after which you go back to your original home country again.
This notion of temporality always luring over your shoulder is a distinguishing and challenging feature of being an expat that is hard to escape. The trick is to successfully make it part of your life in a way that works for you.
The animals complete this incredible cycle of migration year after year drawn by the promise of the rains and green pastures ahead. As for expats this is not normally the case but depending on the organization you work for and the opportunities, they offer it could be a recurring adventure to. Probably not year after year though as most expat postings last anywhere between a year or two, to three maybe four.
Read more about the different phases of the expat journey, or in other words The Great Migration of Expatland, what defines them and how to successfully go through them and enjoy them, in my upcoming blogs.
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Are you an expat on the verge of starting The Great Migration of Expatland, already halfway through or in some other stage of the journey near the beginning or the end? Find out what I can do for you by making use of your ‘Just Connect the Keys’ 30-minute complimentary session and booking a commitment free appointment now.