Sometimes the Grass Actually Is Greener

by Simon Black

Recently by Simon Black: Young People: Get Ready to Grab Your Ankles

The other night in Auckland, the alternative rock band Gorillaz performed at Vector Arena down the street from my flat. I didn’t have to go to the concert– I had the best seat in the house right from my own balcony, sort of like the Wrigley Field Rooftops in Chicago.

It was the first summer evening of the southern hemisphere, and I sat listening to the band with a few expat friends and a nice bottle of one of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blancs… and once the music faded, we started talking about expatriation– what makes people stay and what makes people leave.

I’ve met a lot of expats over the years and seen the psychology of people’s decision-making processes up close and personal. For many, the decision is driven by emotion: fear, anxiety, sense of adventure, etc.

Some people react to this wide range of emotions by packing up overnight and heading to a place they’ve never been before expecting it to look like Topeka, Kansas. It doesn’t usually work out for these folks– they encounter challenges that don’t meet their unrealistic expectations, and frustration sets in.

The successful expats I’ve met all made calculated, rational decisions after a few boots on the ground trips and a lot of research. When they properly set their expecations and maintained the flexibility to deal with the unknown, they almost always ended up happy with the decision.

As many of these successful expats have found out, sometimes the grass actually -is- greener… sometimes life actually can become better, more interesting, more fulfilling when they step away from the grind, think clearly about what they want, and follow a new direction.

Earlier in the day I had a meeting with Iain MacLeod of IMMagine New Zealand, a local immigration specialist who will be speaking at our upcoming offshore workshop in Panama. Iain’s a great guy, very knowledgeable and experienced, and we were swapping expat stories at his office.

Iain’s known quite a few expats who have made New Zealand their home– from England, South Africa, the US… meanwhile there are a lot of Kiwis heading overseas themselves.

You see, there’s a bit of a brain drain here, particularly among the talented youth. Many of them find New Zealand to be too small, too provincial, too limiting… and they run like hell to places like Los Angeles.

Ironically, I’ve met a lot of Californians who are beating down the door to get into New Zealand– they find LA to be too crowded, too dangerous, and too stifling. To them, New Zealand is paradise.

As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure… and with the expat game, it’s a bit of a global merry-go-round.

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December 30, 2010

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