Who lives abroad?

How can we overcome the stereotype that prevails in Congress and the Executive Branch that Americans who live abroad are the uber-rich who move outside the United States to avoid taxes and live the life of luxury?

The simple answer is that we need to change the narrative. That means telling and retelling the individual stories of Americans abroad and compiling still more stories, particularly on banking and tax issues. And, it means backing these stories up with compelling research and statistics.

Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels has done just that in her survey of Americans abroad and this brief overview of the results (PDF). Among other things, Amanda’s survey results put the lie to the stereotype of Americans abroad as unpatriotic, wealthy tax cheats. Indeed, according to the survey, the top three reasons for initially moving overseas are: marriage or partnership (23.4%), study/research (13.3%) and employment (11.0%).

Read the results and spread the word. And, if you live abroad, or lived abroad in the past, why did you move abroad? Share your experiences in the comments.

So Far and Yet So Near

In 2005, American Citizens Abroad (ACA) published So Far and Yet So Near – Stories of Americans Abroad, a collection of stories by Americas describing their experiences abroad. The book is a compilation of forty-seven stories by Americans who have lived abroad. In my reading of the book, I could relate to many of the stories, and I found they all held interesting and thought-provoking perspectives both on the experience of being an American abroad and on America itself.

The book is a great gift for friends and family. And address questions and issues such as:

• What it’s like to live abroad on a long-term basis?
• The joys and difficulties of integrating into local culture, and whether you even need to.
• What happens to your sense of national identity?
• Impact on family life and friendships back home.

If you want to learn more about Americans abroad — our unofficial ambassadors to the world — the book is available here, and if you buy it through ACA’s site (via links to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk), you’ll be helping to fund the important work that ACA does for all Americans abroad.