I appreciate how you manage to keep a calm and collected attitude about the mistreatment you suffered along your career. I guess the years that passed help on that, they give you perspective. When money talks, the c-suite listens -- never truer words!
The way you portray the difference between expats and immigrants through your experience makes one never want to become an expat. The extra expats get is money and privilege, but I wouldn't want that if it comes at the expense of my humanity.
Thanks for your kind comment, Monica. I don’t view what happened as “mistreatment” and I don’t believe people were being malicious in their behaviour. They simply didn’t know better. The person who told me that sometimes you need to learn the hard way, was later transferred to a higher risk location. It was my job to provide pre-deployment security awareness briefings. I asked if he wanted the briefing and to attend training or if he’d rather learn the hard way. He looked worried and didn’t know what to say. I smiled and told him the training wasn’t optional and that my role was to support colleagues, not put them through unnecessary hardships. 😉
Hahaha! You have so many good stories. I'm going through some hardship/bullying at work, and I think I read everything that's related to professional experiences from this perspective...
I know many of these struggles! I too have never had the much longed-for expat package…I still say that as though I’m waving jazz hands around: **expat packagggge**. That’s the dream for many of us abroad and only a privileged few can secure it!
I appreciate how you manage to keep a calm and collected attitude about the mistreatment you suffered along your career. I guess the years that passed help on that, they give you perspective. When money talks, the c-suite listens -- never truer words!
The way you portray the difference between expats and immigrants through your experience makes one never want to become an expat. The extra expats get is money and privilege, but I wouldn't want that if it comes at the expense of my humanity.
Thanks for your kind comment, Monica. I don’t view what happened as “mistreatment” and I don’t believe people were being malicious in their behaviour. They simply didn’t know better. The person who told me that sometimes you need to learn the hard way, was later transferred to a higher risk location. It was my job to provide pre-deployment security awareness briefings. I asked if he wanted the briefing and to attend training or if he’d rather learn the hard way. He looked worried and didn’t know what to say. I smiled and told him the training wasn’t optional and that my role was to support colleagues, not put them through unnecessary hardships. 😉
Hahaha! You have so many good stories. I'm going through some hardship/bullying at work, and I think I read everything that's related to professional experiences from this perspective...
I know many of these struggles! I too have never had the much longed-for expat package…I still say that as though I’m waving jazz hands around: **expat packagggge**. That’s the dream for many of us abroad and only a privileged few can secure it!