Mental Emigration and the Expatriate Spirit#

More and more Chinese people are choosing to study abroad, work overseas, or immigrate. Information about the material preparations for going abroad—whether it's how to apply to schools, how to apply for various immigration programs, or even how to work illegally—can be easily found online. However, content about the mental preparation for going abroad is lacking. If you have already gone abroad or are preparing to do so, this article might be useful to you. I have studied and worked in English-speaking countries for more than ten years, and I'll mention some English terms, but it's okay if you don't understand them 😄

What Does Going Abroad Mean?#

First, let me be pedantic and talk about the meaning of the term "going abroad" (出国). Due to the long history of unification in China, the Chinese character "国" (country) actually encompasses the meanings of three English words: state (government), nation (legal country), and country (broad sense of country, including land, people, language, writing, culture, etc.). Going abroad means leaving the state and the legal nation. This distinction makes many things easier to explain. For example, going abroad has nothing to do with whether you love your country or not, because patriotism is about loving your country in the broad sense of spiritual belonging (i.e., country—you can say "I love my country," but you wouldn't say "I love my state"). Once you go abroad, it often means simultaneously accepting the rule of two governments, obeying the laws of two countries, and trying to understand unfamiliar lands, peoples, languages, writing systems, and cultures...

What is Mental Emigration?#

Often, even after going abroad, you can still live as if you were in China: staying in Chinese communities, speaking Mandarin or your hometown dialect, buying familiar flavors from Chinese supermarkets, watching Chinese news, browsing Chinese social media, following familiar programs... If, on a warm and quiet summer night, on a snowy winter day, or on some random occasion, you develop interest and identification with another culture, you begin your mental emigration 🎉

What is the Expatriate Spirit?#

The connotation of mental emigration is a unique kind of thought and emotion, a desire and will to pursue a better life—let's call it the "expatriate spirit." You might laugh: going abroad is just going abroad, a matter of a plane ticket, why talk about spirit? I think the act of going abroad itself carries no less meaning than mountain climbing or competitive sports. Since we have mountaineering spirit and competitive spirit, why not talk about the expatriate spirit? 😉 I think the expatriate spirit has four core elements: curiosity, reverence, freedom, and independence.

Curiosity#

Curiosity gives you the motivation to explore and learn in an unfamiliar country. Whether it's finding your way around, understanding political systems and legal regulations, curiosity is the best teacher. As long as you're curious about the world, don't arrogantly assume you already understand the whole world from your time in China, aren't afraid of making mistakes, and bravely try new things, curiosity will drive your world.

Reverence#

If curiosity is the accelerator, reverence is the brake. After going abroad, you can't do things based on assumptions from old habits; you need to observe and inquire more about everything to avoid a lot of embarrassment and unpleasantness. You should have reverence for various regulations, beliefs, laws, and customs, and try to follow local customs.

Freedom#

China emphasizes moderation and order, while in many countries you can enjoy much more freedom. Take a deep breath and feel the sweet air of freedom! You can also loudly tell me that you don't feel anything at all. Break free from constraints—you were born free. Let them be, those people you like or dislike; you neither need to nor can silence them, because they are also free.

Independence#

In many countries, independence is a virtue. Going abroad requires independence to some degree, both in life and spiritually. This independence means the ability to endure and find ways to solve loneliness, failure, and humiliation. When you face massive amounts of information with limited knowledge, independent thinking is important. Whether it's text or video, pay attention to the author, their intent, and how they guide their audience (Shocking!! This expert proposes the "expatriate spirit"—if you don't read this now, it'll be too late!! 😂). Collecting information from multiple sources, especially local sources, can help you get more accurate information and make more reasonable judgments.

Some Final Rambling#

How great it would have been if I could have seen this before I went abroad! Mental preparation for going abroad is actually very important, and I hope this short article helps you. ❤