I was sitting at the pub the other day, watching the tide coming in and the sun going down. I was surrounded by a bunch of people chatting away in many different accents, all doing the same thing. It was the weekly “sundowner” session, something you can set your watch by. At the end of a long, hot week, most of the expats in town congregate at the bar on the beach in time to watch the sunset, and pass the evening complaining about the vagaries of life in the tropics and putting away a good few G&Ts.
Of course the argument goes that a) G&Ts are good for you because they prevent malaria and b) there’s nothing else to do here at the weekend except get drunk. Aside from the obvious lack of local leisure facilities and the less obvious argument that quinine in tonic water may, in massive doses in some way assist with malaria (definitely unproven as far as I know), I got to wondering what else is it that seems to link the expat life so closely to alcohol consumption?
I should point out at this stage that I don’t have an answer. I mean, I spent some time in Hong Kong and the expats there were among the booziest I have ever met, and they didn’t have lack of facilities or malaria as an excuse. Is it then that, being away from home the local pub becomes a good way to meet new people, or that, being away from home makes us less inhibited and more inclined to socialise? Or is it that many of us who choose to live abroad are actually the type of people who would, in our home environment, frequent the local pub on a regular basis anyway? Whatever it is, alcohol has long been considered an integral part of the “the expat lifestyle.”
Being away from home, with a regular turnover of people, makes finding new friends on a regular basis a reality of life, and the easiest place to do this is often a bar. Lack of inhibition may come with moving to a new place, it’s not your culture so you feel fewer constraints, can be who you want to be, and reinvent yourself as you wish, and alcohol seems to fuel this. Lack of family-based social networks means that expats tend to socialise more extensively, and socialising tends to involve drink. The different types of pressure in an expat life also make a weekly “download” with other people in the same situation an important outlet, after all who else will understand the problems with colleagues, language, and local culture? And yes, perhaps, people who tend towards the expat life are the same kind of people who would seek regular social contact, lubricated with a few drinks, back home.
Whatever the reasons, the temptation to drink when living as an expat seems to be a big one, and one that people should take cognizance of, since the risks can be high. Getting drunk in a foreign place can be dangerous, and the support structures available at home to help people manage their relationship with alcohol are rarely available.
That being said, for me, the weekly sundowner ritual is more than a chance to meet new people, get drunk and complain about where I live. It’s also an excuse to leave work early, because my job is more flexible here than it would be at home, and to sit somewhere beautiful and appreciate the freedom and great environment I have chosen to make my new home. After all, you really can’t appreciate tropical seas and a beautiful sunset without a drink in your hand!
By BeiraChick - Loving My Life Abroad...
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