Being an expat - not all fun and games...
From MsAdventuresInItaly - comes this gem . Go read the whole thing, but the one that really hit home for me was this You are your country, you are your countrymen. Every bad thing that happens in your native country or that your country does will inevitably be brought up in conversations with you. Usually the person’s opinion is clearly expressed well before asking yours, if they ask at all. You may be asked to defend, explain, or criticize a subject or person which you might’ve never talked about had you not moved. You’ll have to get used to the fact that the people in your current country may know more about your home country and its current news than you do. I always find myself going through the above in two countries. When in India, I'm American. When in America, I'm defending India. And when anywhere else, I get to defend both . And the worst part is, I end up doing this even when I actually feel that the other person is correct! Its t...