i will not explain why i call myself an expat

i’m a black woman, born in the united states, living abroad. and i will never understand people who do this. specifically people who identify as black american or african american who take time out of their day to either apologize for or explain themselves to someone who challenges them for using the word “expat.”

doesn’t matter what label you reach for. immigrant, expat, migrant, all three in the same sentence. why do you feel the need to explain your word choice to anyone, even if the person challenging you looks like you? maybe you’re one of those people. maybe you’ve corrected someone for it. i’m open to hearing why, because i’m curious. but i will never apologize, and here’s why.

i don’t believe in borders.

most of us, all of us really, have no real understanding of migration. willingly or unwillingly. ours, our families’, anyone’s. so when someone challenges me on the word i use for myself, i look at them and i say nothing. i’m not going to waste my beautiful brain energy giving you an alternative so you can feel better about what you think i should call myself.

i’m here for a lot of reasons. most of you will never understand them. and because i’m not going to explain, you’ll make up your own story about why i’m here. that’s fine. make up whatever you want.

but while i’m here, i argue with no one, and i explain to no one. if i decide to call myself an expat one day, an immigrant the next, a migrant the day after that, or all three in the same breath, mind your business.

i could give you a hundred things more important to think about than what word i use for myself. here’s one: when’s the last time you saw a white homeless person sleeping on the streets in brazil?

sit with that one.