What to Expect When you are an Expat

Published in Daily Times / 23 June 2014

‘Come, it is an opportunity to meet people – the kind you don’t get to see anymore.’

Mekel Waqar’s invitation leads to Côté Jardin located inside the French Cultural Centre. A week ago it had hosted a lovely little exhibition by Pakistani / French artists. The cosmopolitan heart of Karachi has been in retreat; it now thrives behind fortified walls, and eyes the changing landscape with increasing wariness. Mekel, the go to person for visiting / resident foreigners brings the twain together. His mission is to roll out the welcome wagon, arrange mixers, and help expats navigate the cultural divide with ease. He is an InterNations Ambassador tasked with overseeing the Karachi Chapter, while manning the bridge linking city dwellers with the invisible expat community.

InterNations was founded in 2007 by a trio of Germans (Malte Zeeck, Christian Leifeld, Philipp von Plato) and is a global network of expatriates with a presence in 190 countries and 390 cities. It is the first of its kind. Their monthly get-together held on the premises of Alliance Francaise de Karachi (AfK) was reminiscent of a speed networking experiment that took place at the British HC (High Commission) earlier this year, minus the gong, or the switch your partners waltz. Here the agenda goes beyond cultivating professional relationships over strong cups of coffee. Anything can happen. Like that impromptu tour of the newly inaugurated Resource Centre, showcasing artwork from the exhibit and the brief history lesson by Eric Touze (Culture, EFL Manager - AfK).

Mekel encourages those forced to keep a low profile to be a part of select gatherings where they can mingle with locals (676 Pakistani members & counting), connect with their kinsmen or partake of the cultural tableau. The Karachi forum, unlike the city is a bit listless. The Karachi Chapter, however is reportedly more active than Lahore and Islamabad. There were some Repats spotted that day – apparently moving back home can be just as daunting for those without a stable family network. The promised expat sighting over – the fellow who casually introduced himself as ‘the provider’ - a UAE based businessman who passed his cellphone around for a quick preview of his textile collection, and ‘the girl with the British Passport problem’ arrive on cue. The platform allows them to find their footing in regular meet ups, sports activities, or events. The online portal where members can swap war (travel) stories, build trust circles, and get some valuable insight is a glorified trip advisory of sorts. Xandria Aisha – former Ambassador and Albatross member believes that we are inherently expats. That she can drop in at InterNations events across the globe makes it easier to acclimatize.

The expat channel comes in multiple dimensions, and follows a set of guidelines. Meetings must be in public venues, private gatherings are discouraged. Those who provide the space are generally not supposed to charge for its use. InterNations.org is an invite only site where basic membership is free. Albatross members (paid) get priority invites, an invisibility cloak for profile visits, unlimited messages (as opposed to the 5 / month) etc. All members are vetted and the site is monitored for abuse. This does not prevent eager beavers (Arabs / South Asians) from sending silly twinkles (Facebook equivalent of pokes) but there are privacy options to turn them off.

A post seen on their social media page claims ‘0.6 per cent of the world population switches their country of residence over the course of a five-year period.’ Their best guide to surviving in a sprawling metropolis can come from individuals who have already made the move, and the ones who reside here. An Ambassador then becomes the most important link to a strange new land, and provides critical ground support after visitors are done reading dire embassy warnings that restrict movement and limit interaction. Ensuring that the locals do not mistake such events for a typical meet-cute is part of the job; scouting for opportunities to lessen the gulf is part of the design. The financial capital of Pakistan offers attractive prospects but it also comes with its share of challenges. Despite secure locations and filtered guest lists, the diplomat community cannot always venture out given the city’s uncertain political / security climate. Mekel’s quest to establish a global narrative helps define Karachi’s progressive expression.