I decided to begin the stories with adventure migrants because they are not often thought of under the umbrella term ‘migrant’ and because Michi was the first participant interviewed for the study. Adventure migrants are defined in this book as people who are largely motivated by the ‘desire to explore other cultures’ (Kennedy, 2010: 472). These migrants are also referred to in the literature as working holiday makers (WHMs) (Clarke, 2005), expatriates or expats (Gatti, 2009) and urban migrants (Reyneri, 2004). Often, adventurers are ‘young, childless, on career breaks, and thus are extensively, frequently and speedily mobile’ (Clarke, 2005: 317). In addition, they are often ‘highly skilled, well-educated, and view emigration “as an adventure,” as a personal choice, and do not plan to return’ (Reyneri, 2004: 1146). These migrants often emigrate because they wish to experience change and a new lifestyle. It is important to me that the stories of adventure migrants are told because so often people that don’t fit the traditional idea of ‘migrant’ are overlooked in the educational realm (and elsewhere), yet they have needs and experiences often similar to other migrants. The following participants and their stories fall under this category.

Michi: Germany → United States

He never intended to stay in the United States. In 1990, Michael (or Michi, as his friends call him) and his girlfriend, who were dedicated fans of Melissa Etheridge living in Köln (Cologne), Germany, were invited to follow her and the band to England to see them play. They enjoyed it so much, they decided to continue on for the US tour and ended up in New York City. Since they were also huge Bruce Springsteen fans, they could not resist the temptation to visit Springsteen’s hometown – Freehold, New Jersey. They took a Greyhound bus from New York City to Freehold, assuming that they would be able to get a hotel once they arrived. Unfortunately, because of a local convention, all of the hotels were booked, and they had nowhere to stay.