The feeling of living abroad comes with nuances. The people you meet, the food you eat, the culture you dive headfirst into, and the biggest thing that comes out of it would be the experiences you have living life overseas.
The question comes down to what is an expat or an expatriate? Expat is a shortened term for expatriate. If we want to dive deep into this question, let's set up what the words mean.
An expat has left their home country and resides or lives in a different country. These people may have left their homeland to live or work in another country.
There are around 258 million expats, and by 2050 an estimated 405 million people will be expats: about 9 million American expatriates and another 5 million British expatriates living overseas.
An immigrant comes to reside in a foreign country permanently, and an expat is in a foreign country temporarily or permanently. They are the same thing.
Going to a new country where the food is different, the customs are different, and the foreign language can bring on some culture shock to many people.
There are many reasons people may become an expat, from learning a new language to going to school, or most likely because a job relocation has sent you abroad.