Being an expat:

So one thing about being an expat is that you have a built-in group of people who will hang out with you because you have the virtue of having a passport in common. And mostly I like expats. These are people who share something else in common with me: a willingness to move halfway around the world and to agree to move somewhere else in a few year's time. Most expats are wanderers at heart, as I seem to be, people who get impatient at being in one place for very long.

In a place like Australia, obviously, the expat support network is not really necessary. I work with Australians and mostly hang out with Australians.

In the past week, Americans have caught me referring to a car park, arvos, and the lift, and, horror of horrors, I asked someone how they were going the other day.

I think I need to start spending a little more time with Americans.