expat; what's the catch?

Main Entry:

¹ex·pa·tri·ate

Pronunciation:

\ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt\

-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

ex·pa·tri·at·ed; ex·pa·tri·at·ing

Etymology:

Medieval Latin expatriatus, past participle of expatriare to leave one's own country, from Latin ex- + patria native country, from feminine of patrius of a father, from patr-, pater father

definiton:

to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one's native country

to leave one's native country to live elsewhere; also : to renounce allegiance to one's native country

Now this is interesting... i found this definition in Meriam-Webster online dictionary. I had been wondering about this word for so long. You see, i married a Korean man, and with that fact i needed to move to HIS country instead of residing on my own. Course there were some complications if i were to live on my own native land, but then again complications are everywhere. So after weighing about a dozen pros and cons, i have decided it's all for the best to live here in his mother land.

Then i encountered this newspaper, and it has a page entitled: The Expat's page. i already know what an expat is, what it means, its etymology, HOWEVER, if it were applicable to me or not was the question that caught me. My whole life i never imagined me to go somewhere else abroad, much less live far, far away. Now i find myself almost three years in Korea., AND married.

If we were to take the definition given by Webster, and thru it's latin derivation, then i am considered an expat. Here's the catch: i'm married. And here's another catch: i'm female. Is the title expat ONLY for single foreigners who had decided to live abroad? Or for male foreigners with native wives who had not yet decided to change their citizenships? Or those foreigners who had changed their citizenships? There's also this ridiculously ludicrous idea that ONLY white people, or those from the western hemisphere are considered expats!

Complicated, huh? but lemme get one thing straight: i'm a Filipino National, because i'm still a Filipino citizen living in Korea. We're still debating on whether i'll be changing nationalities or not. Meanwhile, i just gave you something to think about. =)

have a great day!