Teacher, Environmentalist, Recovering Politician (
Questions, etc: mrjonathanlott@gmail.com. 
There’s a weird dynamic I feel as an expat in China. I feel like we Americans have a right to criticize the United States, but when a non-American, non-Chinese starts trashing the US, I feel an instinctive reflex to defend the US to the end, even when we’re in the wrong.
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Loving something isn't defending it when it's wrong. I also have always wondered about the 'expat' distinction. Why is immigrant a dirty word?
An immigrant usually intends to live permanently in a host country. Expats are temporary. You wouldn’t call a Korean student at an American university an immigrant; you’d say expat.