There could be another reason. Just compare the contracts that were offered to most of the expats 5 years ago and those they are offered today. Before it was quite normal to have a car and a housing allowance. New contracts are more and more based on local terms. What do you do if you cannot afford to live in an "expat enclave" or cannot buy a car?Wind In My Hair wrote:
on another note, whereas expats in the past preferred staying in expat enclaves, i'm seeing many more expats in my housing estate, on the buses, in heartland shopping centres etc these days. 5 years ago they would have gotten stares, today nobody seems to notice. quite a pleasant sign of increasing assimiliation into local society.
Having said that, I also observe that the "new" expats are more ready for assimilation. The attitude has certainly changed over the last years.