Last year we lived in one of the richest countries in the world (Qatar) and this year in one of the poorest. Without any doubt we can state living in Burma is much more fun. Which factors determinate if living in another place for a while, is enjoyable or not?

Worldwide about 40% of expats fail upon working in a new country. Not due to incompetence in skills, but rather to be unable to adapt to the foreign culture. An expatriate must understand, appreciate and accept values, beliefs and behavioral patterns of the host culture. Intercultural communication is always difficult, but also crucial to simply get somewhere, get things done and to feel a bit at home far away from home.

Much depends on the preparation and willingness of the expatriate to accept and adept to another culture. But it also depends on if the culture welcomes foreigners.

In Qatar we did not feel very welcome. The oil salary was sweet of course, but we also felt we were only there to work, nothing else. In a years time, we never got invited to a Qatari home. It is definitely a closed culture.

In Burma foreigners are generally considered weird, but welcome. People smile and wave, give a helping hand and often offer food. Burma was known for being a closed country, due to paranoid generals, not because of its people.

I believe how well strangers are being treated reveals how civilized a culture is. Post-modern philosopher Jacques Derrida even states that ‘hospitality is the foundation of ethics, the readiness and the inclination to welcome the Other into one’s home’.

Despite the daily discomfort of power cuts, rotten roads and dirt everywhere, it feels so good to live here. It is not the economy, it's the culture!