If you've lived abroad for any extended period of time, you know that there are generally two types of people. Those that chase, and, those that run.
Some think runners are looking for something that they’re afraid to have at home. I think their adventures abroad are induced by fear of something; could be a poor economy with few jobs for very qualified people (and many of the runners I’ve known are quite qualified), or it could be a relationship, it could be a shit family, it could be a “grown up life.” It could be another degree they don’t want to admit they need. It could be a job that doesn’t fulfil their needs. It could be anything.
But people run from their responsibilities - this much is obvious and I don’t feel that I need to substantiate this.
I think the fear of running is completely normal and I think there are many reasons people run from their country of origin; a boyfriend that they hate plus a shit family (as per one situation with a good friend in Asia), or a grown up life (as per one situation of another good friend I have in Africa). But whatever the reason, I understand why people run.
People run because they don’t know what else to do.
People have a hard time with that. Which is why I understand. I had a hell of a hard time finding out I wanted to do what I do and I fully understand that. But runners are still looking - while running away from something that they won’t admit they’re passionate about - because they’re afraid. They’re afraid of many things and this is to not pass judgement upon them for that - but they are afraid - they’re afraid of responding to their passions, to their decisions, their degrees or to their qualifications. And then there are chasers.
Chasers: Those of us that are after things we cannot have in our country of origin.
But we also think that chasers cannot chase when there is the same opportunity in their country of origin. We think there is a huge difference between someone who chases something they’re after and someone who runs from something they’re afraid of. Although I completely understand their fear, but we, after many real-talks, also challenge them to chase. To stop running.
But often, they get caught up in the notion that they’re a chaser, not a runner. They justify; they rationalise, they run and find themselves cognitively dissonant to their life abroad. Because they #YOLO; because they #liveinthemoment, because their 100 followers on instagram demand more pictures. Because they like the life of living in another culture.
But they can’t admit that they could do the exact same thing they do in Australia - in America. In Korea - as they can in America. In England - as they can in Australia. In Canada - as they can do in Indonesia. In France, as they can do in New Zealand. They can’t live in their country of origin because they can’t #YOLO. Hell, they can’t live without their culture or their way of being in their world - even if they’re in another part of the world. They run from it but expect it somewhere else.
If you’ve ever lived abroad - you know exactly who I’m talking about.
Chasers cannot sit still for too long - we’re after our best opportunity - forever flexible in our definition of the “best” opportunity. We don’t #YOLO. We enunciate the hashtag in meetings and use our words to explain our lives though our well written blogs. We focus more on work than we would ever focus on twitter or hashtags. We warn those who may choose a life abroad, because we’re (god damn) sick of meeting you. We can live without our cultures; we can adapt, we can live the same way and we can live without our favorite things. Runners cant. Runners can't adapt. But chasers can adapt to an opportunity in Texas.
Chasers spend more time focusing on the work that brought us here and never find time to write their well written blogs - runners focus more on twitter and instagram - they’re too hungover to write well, much less work. Runners run from their possibilities. Chasers find success elsewhere.
Chasers take responsibility. Runners feign it with #YOLO. It’s as simple as that.
Here’s to having my dream job elsewhere and chasing the same damn thing back home.
Live it high y’all.
