Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert
Let's just stick with the word "expat". I think everyone is aware what it means and how it should be used. No point in beating this to death on DR1.
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Robert,
like some of my young gringo friends might say "hey,..my bad" for taking this issue into such minute detail. Looking back up the thread your OP comments and external link were actually much more on target by using the word foreigner rather than the confusing expat term which was only later introduced into the thread. I thought of it as a relevant clarification because it is not quite the same thing to have a short-stay mentality (traditional expat) than a long-term one (DR1 kind of expat). That's that.
The level of assimilation will therefore be the result of:
1- host country's ability to accept foreigners, and
2- the individual foreigner's social skills and degree of motivation to become part of the local society.
It is acknowledged that it is much more difficult to assimilate into Japanese culture for example, than to US culture. There are varying characteristics to each culture that makes them more or less welcoming than others. I happen to think that the DR as a specific host is quite open to the rapid incorporation of foreigners, and therefore it falls back to the foreigner's part of the equation: how much do you want to adapt and assimilate?
best,
- Tordok
