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Well written piece.

There are other categories.

There are mid and upper level mgmt folks heading Asian or host country fields of major multi-nationals.

And there are missionaries--funded or self-supporting; with or without mission organization--working usually rather tirelessly and sacrificially for The Kingdom and helping often very disadvantaged groups in host countries have better lives.

The category of expat the author seems to focus on tends to include lots of--if not consist of mostly birds of rare plumage who he seems to describe fairly well. "Don't fence me in" seems to be a favorite mentality and perspective. And what, with the Hollyweed-i-zation of the American West--there's not much wild west to go to if you like being warmer than Pt Barrow Alaska.

Many do have the attitudes toward sex and marriage so well described. And, too often, for the reasons proffered.

But it's still a rather bleak view/slice of reality and a rather bleak set of mores in a lot of respects. There's a lot of loneliness in the aging expat birds of rare plumage who's main claim to fame have been a particularly unique brand of hedonism and too little else.

Even foreign women get tired of alcoholism--physical abuse or none. Even foreign women get tired of even American et al brands of selfishness on the part of largely gruff to complaining, even whining bar hounds. Sooner or later a lot of them end up crying in their beer alone.

It may be of some comfort that their State-side families don't see the depths they've sunk. And, it's nice that the economics are still somewhat functional. But it's not much of a life to write home about. And the old better times with their youth and less westernized, less developed host country escapades and contexts recede more and more rapidly, more and more fully into the foggy boundaries partially pickled memories that never were that pristine accurate in the first place.

The corporate types tend to get rotated in and out with annoying frequency unless an odd member decides he likes what he's got and has enough clout to persuade the home office to leave him be.

Or, as in one case, when the multi-national was taken over by a hot shot bean counter hell-bent to even more extensively outsource a historically American emphasizing company--the expat corporate hotshot leaves that company with a huge retirement account and bonuses and sets himself up still as the chief jobber for his former company but more on his own terms--still in the cushy style he's long been accustomed to--only more so and more on his own terms. Some guys have the best of all worlds, it seems.

Thankfully, in this particular case, he's long been given to helping The Kingdom and now routinely goes on mission trips to an Asian country much needing the funds and expertise brought to the orphanages etc. he reaches out to.

I've even heard his full-time working expat-professional wife has mellowed considerably from a too common certain flavor of ostentacious haughtiness. And, he's reportedly been a good boy in the home department for a long time, now.

The author also left out the masses of writhing, moving, young birds of rare plumage roming the world a la the flower children of decades past in a new iteration. They teach English or pan-handle or manipulate more money out of daddy back home or manage by some cleverness to keep fed and somewhat clothed.

Some are decent sorts out for adventures while they are young and none too tied down. Some have degrees and want some wide experiences and adventures to add to their experiential perspective on life before they become tied to the suburbs or managing daddy's company. Others want some such experiences before they bother with more schooling they are not totally convinced is in their best interests anyway.

Some are running every way possible and as fast as possible from any fences and any hint of any authority telling them what they must or must not do or anything else they don't want to hear. Too many still fail to appreciate the strictness with which many host countries view and treat western expat kids who abuse drugs. And a lot of them have yet to learn plenty about cause and effect and reaping and sowing in terms of life choices, behaviors, mouthiness etc.

And now we have raging rampant Global Government Tyranny trying to homoginize the whole planet into the lowest common manageable denominator. It may be interesting to see how these gifted folks who are artists at falling through the cracks deliberately still manage to do so with a shrinking quantity and diversity of cracks to fall through.

I greatly miss Asia. I'd be back there in a flash if God allowed it. It's good to help dad with mom's last months. It's not fun. It is honorable.

But I'm sure thankful for the net and phones and a diversity of Loved ones, Godsons and Goddaughters there. I enjoy being a citizen of the planet as long as it's not construed to have anything to do with the march of the looming Global Government Tyranny.

But I also deeply cherish the historic values, place and associations with the US OF A. Though I have often felt much freer--even in some Asian 'martial law' contexts than I have at times in the USA.

Anyway--good article in a lot of respects.