ACA American Citizens Abroad

by Margaret Malewski
Intercultural Press
219 pages, 2005, $24.95, ISBN 1-931930-23-6

Who is a GenXpat?     

A GenXpat is a young business professional between the ages of 24 and 39, someone who is single and mobile and has moved abroad to pursue a career in an international company.

GenXpat by Margaret Malewski deals with the unique challenges of this lifestyle, such as negotiating a contact abroad, managing work and moving logistics, surviving culture shock, making friends, dating or maintaining a relationship abroad, and making a smooth transition back home.

GenXpat is specifically focused on one type of expat. As a result it’s less relevant to others, such as student backpackers, teachers, volunteers, or what Malewski calls “the traditional expat family,” the senior executive sent abroad with spouse and children.

Dating Overseas    

Malewski gives a complete overview of dating overseas and asks good questions along the way. She writes first about making friends abroad, then discusses dating and the cultural factors that may help in understanding a cross-cultural relationship. She also writes chapters on long-distance relationships and how to process a move with your partner.

Expat Stories     

My favorite parts of GenXpat were the GenXpat stories at the beginnings of every chapter. Malewski interviewed a number of GenXpats before writing the book, and to introduce the topic in each chapter, she tells the story of one GenXpat. The stories put flesh on the concepts Malewski talks about. They helped me imagine the complexities of the situations as if I were dealing with them myself.

Questions, not Answers     

My only disappointment with the book was its lack of practical advice about everyday expat life. Malewski stays true to her word. She says, “I hope [GenXpat] has provided you with a useful framework to structure your thinking, to ask the right questions, and to find your own answers.” For someone who is considering the GenXpat lifestyle, I think the book asks the right questions to help that person make a good decision. However, for someone like myself who has lived overseas for a few years and is looking for practical advice about life abroad, I wasn’t satisfied. Malewski posed the right questions, but offered little in the way of concrete advice.

While this book aims to be a comprehensive guide book for Americans considering an overseas assignment for the first time, it is also a book which can be most useful for all Americans already overseas.

Reviewed by Kelly Crull, a travel writer and essayist. Kelly has lived in Amsterdam, Madrid, and currently lives in a small town on the Spanish Mediterranean. You can find more of Kelly’s writings at kellycrull.com, a tribute to everyday expat life in Spain.

______________________________

If you want to comment on this book, contact ACA .

Help ACA. If you order this book from Amazon, ACA gets a small commission--at no increase in cost to you. Order now from amazon.com USA or from amazon.com UK