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Expat Life After Sept. 11th.

© Huw Francis

The images of September 11th will be with us for a long time. Those people who had family members, friends, acquaintances and colleagues killed or injured will be grieving for a long time to come. Most people in the world were shocked and saddened by the actual events and the aftermath and confounded in trying to understand who could do something that belongs in a horror movie not real life. Whole countries paused on Friday 14th to remember the victims of the attack - who came from around the world - and I offer my own condolences to those of you who have lost family, friends or colleagues in one of the four planes, the WTC or the Pentagon.

The list of countries whose nationals were killed or are still missing is huge - it seems that more than 2000 expatriates are among the 6500 listed as missing or killed.

As expatriates we often feel pain of separation from friends and family, and for most of us the distance will have seemed to grow on Tuesday 11th. The uncertainty about friends living in New York and Washington DC, the travel warnings put out by our embassies, the cancelled flights, the ongoing reduction in flights and even the closure of some US airports will add stress to the lives of many expatriates in the coming months and years.

Expats have known for a long time that the events of one country deeply affect the lives of people in others, but this time the whole world will be affected and many expats will have to think long and hard about whether or not to stay in their host country. Not that more countries have suddenly become dangerous to live in, or because of the likelihood of terrorist attacks increasing in frequency – many countries have been suffering frequent terrorist attacks for years. However, being a successful expatriate requires confidence and a sense of well-being, and once your equilibrium is lost, regaining it in a foreign country can be difficult.

There is also the effect that continuing your time abroad (or in a particular country) has on your family:

• Spouses may feel more threatened, lonely, or unsafe than an employed expatriate who has reassuring contact with colleagues around the world and does not watch the international news broadcasts all day.
• Children may be unsettled by greater security at their school and on expatriate compounds and worry about a parent who travels frequently.