--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A funny thing about living abroad is that…" description: "\"“A funny thing about living abroad is that what might separate us expats back home brought us closer together in China. We'd listen to their complaints..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/megan-rich-30318_expatriate_a-funny-thing-about-living-abroad-is-tha_2506345.jpg" --- # A funny thing about living abroad is that what might… ![“A funny thing about living abroad is that what might separate us expats back home brought us closer together in China. We'd listen to their complaints about the food, their legs swelling up with the MSG, and instead of rolling our eyes as we might've thought we would at Americans complaining…” quote by Megan Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/megan-rich-30318_expatriate_a-funny-thing-about-living-abroad-is-tha_2506345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/megan-rich-30318_expatriate_a-funny-thing-about-living-abroad-is-tha_2506345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/megan-rich-30318_expatriate_a-funny-thing-about-living-abroad-is-tha_2506345.jpg) > ““A funny thing about living abroad is that what might separate us expats back home brought us closer together in China. We'd listen to their complaints about the food, their legs swelling up with the MSG, and instead of rolling our eyes as we might've thought we would at Americans complaining abroad, we listened and offered advice on where to find more palatable, familiar food. For their part, they seemed to conveniently ignore the fact that we were living together unwed, and when they'd pass by our room, door open, there was no strong feeling of judgment.”” [Megan Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living abroad can turn cultural differences into shared experiences, reducing judgment and fostering mutual support among expats. **In simple terms:** Being abroad can bring people together despite cultural gaps. Key Takeaway Embrace openness and help others adapt. Themes cultural exchange community judgment adaptation Mood reflective empathetic Type personal essay observational When to use this quote - finding familiar food abroad - building supportive networks - navigating shared living spaces Key Concepts expatriate dynamics social empathy cross‑cultural interaction Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure mutual respect while sharing resources? - What boundaries should be set in shared living abroad? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper power imbalances or personal boundaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expatriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expatriate/) [Expats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expats/) [Living abroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-abroad/) [Living together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-together/) ## Related quotes > [“People wonder why so many writers come to live in Paris. 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Sudden change to which the skin can't possibly conform, faster than the aging of man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-rich/the-faces-of-the-people-were-wrinkled-with-change-sudden-change-to/) [Megan Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rich/) [Explore all 17 Megan Rich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-rich/) ## More Expatriate quotes > [Being an expatriate doesn't go down well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/being-an-expatriate-doesn-t-go-down-well-in-america/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [“You never feel more American than when you leave America.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lebovitz/you-never-feel-more-american-than-when-you-leave-america/) [David Lebovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lebovitz/) > [“Sometimes I long to forget… It is painful to be conscious of two worlds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-hoffman/sometimes-i-long-to-forget-it-is-painful-to-be-conscious-of-two-worlds/) [Eva Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-hoffman/) > [“Ô, the wine of a woman from heaven is sent, more perfect than all that a man can invent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/the-wine-of-a-woman-from-heaven-is-sent-more-perfect-than-all-that-a/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“But if I am not a criminal, I beg to be permitted to go abroad with my wife temporarily, for at least one year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/but-if-i-am-not-a-criminal-i-beg-to-be-permitted-to-go-abroad-with-my/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [“A place has a curious quality when you have only a partial understanding of its language, and in those early months the sensation was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/a-place-has-a-curious-quality-when-you-have-only-a-partial/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I travel backwards and forwards quite a lot. I live very near to the train station. I'm kind of playing at being an expatriate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/i-travel-backwards-and-forwards-quite-a-lot-i-live-very-near-to-the/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [“I know of no other place that is so fascinating yet so frustrating, so aware of the world and its own place within it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-turnbull/i-know-of-no-other-place-that-is-so-fascinating-yet-so-frustrating-so/) [Sarah Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-turnbull/) > [I know my own deficiencies, one of which is that I had lived away from America for such a long time. It's called expatriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/i-know-my-own-deficiencies-one-of-which-is-that-i-had-lived-away-from/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [“I am an international kind of guy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-am-an-international-kind-of-guy/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-re-an-expatriate-you-ve-lost-touch-with-the-soil-you-get-precious/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I'm a third-generation Miamian. I'm fond of it. I'm an expatriate, so it's the only American city I can still legitimately claim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/i-m-a-third-generation-miamian-i-m-fond-of-it-i-m-an-expatriate-so-it/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [“Ô, the wine of a woman from heaven is sent, more perfect than all that a man can invent. When she came to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/the-wine-of-a-woman-from-heaven-is-sent-more-perfect-than-all-that-a-2/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [I'm interested in people who find themselves in places, either of their choosing or not, and who are forced to decide how best to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-m-interested-in-people-who-find-themselves-in-places-either-of/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I see myself as a perennial expatriate because, frankly, I don't think I fit comfortably in any conventional form of filmmaking, and I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/i-see-myself-as-a-perennial-expatriate-because-frankly-i-don-t-think/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) [Browse all 25 Expatriate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expatriate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A funny thing about living abroad is that what might separate us expats back home brought us closer together in China. We'd listen to their complaints about the food, their legs swelling up with the MSG, and instead of rolling our eyes as we might've thought we would at Americans complaining abroad, we listened and offered advice on where to find more palatable, familiar food. 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