Expats

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  • Shameless self-promotion alert!

    An Expat Life in Nicaragua
    Sarah
    1 Feb 2012 | 11:54 am
    Image by Joshua Berman via Flickr At the risk of self-promoting a little…I posted a blog over at Mom’s the Word about our 4 year Nicaversary.  The highs and lows, pros and cons, etc.  I thought it might be relevant to some of you readers here, as well.  Rather than re-posting, please visit me over there and check it out.  Thanks!

  • Love Living Overseas: An interview with Michelle Garrett aka The American Resident

    The Displaced Nation
    awindram
    12 Jun 2013 | 3:45 pm
    In April’s Alice Awards we featured expat blogger Michelle Garrett (an American who has made a home for herself in Britain). She won an “Alice” for her most recent column in Expat Focus, in which she asked readers whether their experience living abroad has inspired them to write a book. Michelle’s column certainly struck a chord with us here at The Displaced Nation as well as leaving us intrigued and wanting to know more. Regular readers know that we always like to focus on expat writing and highlight it, whether it be Jack the Hack’s tips or our lists…

  • Personal Branding in the Global, Multicultural Marketplace: Using Color to Build Your Personal Brand & Color Across Cultures

    Expat Career & Business Success Tips
    Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach
    31 May 2013 | 1:53 am
    Because hiring decisions, like purchasing decisions, are based on emotions and then rationalized with logic, anything we can use to emotionally engage with our target audience can be useful in our brand building and job search efforts. As studies have shown that humans are hard-wired to respond to color on an emotional and physiological level, color can be a powerful (and often under appreciated) brand communication tool. The Use of Color Color can be used in various ways in your brand communications - in your business cards, presentations, online profiles, blog or site, email signature,...

  • 5,000 Indian expats in Saudi Arabia get new jobs

    expatriate - Yahoo! News Search Results
    19 Jun 2013 | 6:20 am
    Dubai, June 19 (IANS) Around 5,000 expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia, affected by a new labour policy in the Gulf nation, have found new jobs, the Indian consul general in Jeddah said.

  • Swiss Parliament Scuttles U.S. Deal on Bank Secrecy

    NYT > Global Home
    By DAVID JOLLY
    19 Jun 2013 | 2:54 pm
    Lawmakers said they were open to alternatives, but for now rejected a plan that would allow Swiss banks to share account data with U.S. tax officials.    
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    Expat Career & Business Success Tips

  • Personal Branding in the Global, Multicultural Marketplace: Using Color to Build Your Personal Brand & Color Across Cultures

    Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach
    31 May 2013 | 1:53 am
    Because hiring decisions, like purchasing decisions, are based on emotions and then rationalized with logic, anything we can use to emotionally engage with our target audience can be useful in our brand building and job search efforts. As studies have shown that humans are hard-wired to respond to color on an emotional and physiological level, color can be a powerful (and often under appreciated) brand communication tool. The Use of Color Color can be used in various ways in your brand communications - in your business cards, presentations, online profiles, blog or site, email signature,...

  • International Job Search: Social Media & Your Online Reputation are Critical Tools in International Job Search

    Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach
    31 May 2013 | 1:36 am
    Social media and your online reputation are critical tools in your international job search. In 2009 I blogged about the social media revolution and featured Erik Qualman's video based on his book, Socialnomics. Then in 2011 I blogged about the fact that social media media is no longer a fad and is changing the way that we manage our careers and businesses, featuring Erik Qualman's updated version of the social media revolution video. The third video in the series was published in 2012 with updated statistics on social media worldwide which I am sharing below: I have written about the... To…

  • The World Expat Population [Infographic]

    Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach
    31 May 2013 | 1:36 am
    This infographic has been provided by of the Feedbacq blog: If you found value in this post, sign up to receive updates: Enter your email address: or share with others: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan Fitzgerald and Career by Choice can help you...explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Personal Brand DNA® and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique... To…

  • Your Personal Brand DNA: The Power of Personal Branding

    Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach
    31 May 2013 | 1:35 am
    What Personal Branding Is and What It Isn't The misconceptions about what personal branding is that I have been hearing about lately and the lack of understanding of how specifically it can help you reach your professional goals prompted me to share a few minutes of my presentation at the MIT Portugal Program's E3 forum and conference. We All Do It Everyday In this video I discuss what personal branding is and what it isn't, the fact that we all do it everyday, your personal brand DNA and the impact that personal branding can have on your career success. If... To read the rest of this…
 
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    expatriate - Yahoo! News Search Results

  • 5,000 Indian expats in Saudi Arabia get new jobs

    19 Jun 2013 | 6:20 am
    Dubai, June 19 (IANS) Around 5,000 expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia, affected by a new labour policy in the Gulf nation, have found new jobs, the Indian consul general in Jeddah said.

  • Absconders hurt Oman economy

    18 Jun 2013 | 3:20 am
    HDR report cites unjustified recruitment of foreign workforce

  • British sheep farmer becomes Spanish mayor

    17 Jun 2013 | 10:42 am
    An expatriate sheep farmer has become the first elected British-born mayor in Spain, taking over the running of a village in the northwest of the country.        

  • Yellow Zone firms call for concessions

    15 Jun 2013 | 5:28 pm
    Companies in the Yellow Zone want the government to ease regulations and allow them to hire expatriate workers even though they have not achieved Green or Premium status.Companies in the yellow category face several hurdles because many are in sectors such as the construction industry that employ more foreign workers than Saudis.The current regulations mean they can only renew work visas for ...

  • An expatriate in Germany

    15 Jun 2013 | 10:05 am
    People come from all over to visit Dusseldorf, says Clare Mosley.
 
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    CanuckAbroad.com - Travel and Expat Advice

  • Tips for Relocating to Sydney

    Sam
    19 Jun 2013 | 6:00 am
    Tips for Relocating to Sydney You have made the decision, and are getting ready to make the big move to Sydney Australia. Employment negotiations are progressing well, and you are starting to explore... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • How to Relocate To Birmingham

    Sam
    18 Jun 2013 | 6:00 am
    How to Relocate To Birmingham Hot, humid, and conservative Alabama may be the exact opposite of cold and socially progressive Canada, but any Canadian wondering how to relocate to Birmingham should... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Considering Relocation to Shanghai?

    Sam
    17 Jun 2013 | 6:00 am
    Considering Relocation to Shanghai? Are you planning a relocation to Shanghai? Shanghai is a major financial center, and a cosmopolitan city with a big expat community. It is modern and clean, and it... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • How to Relocate to Hungary

    Sam
    16 Jun 2013 | 6:00 am
    How to Relocate to Hungary There are few nations in the world more exotic than Hungary, a place where dozens of cultures and ethnic groups meet together to form a country.  If you are looking for a... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • How to Relocate to Fiji

    Sam
    15 Jun 2013 | 6:00 am
    How to Relocate to Fiji Known for its scenic beaches and the hospitality of its people, the Republic of Fiji has become one of the most popular holiday destinations in the Pacific. From beautiful... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
 
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    Life with our Lads

  • Witty Retorts

    17 Jun 2013 | 9:51 pm
    Craig and I are both on several Facebook forums and his comments usually make me laugh. One of my favourites was on a crime site where someone posted that they saw a police car outside the local McDonald's and they wanted to know what was going on (I live in a somewhat sheltered, paranoid community as you can see). Anyway Craig said "Maybe it was the Hamburglar?" Ha!Tonight he posted a review of a local cafe that he ate at today and he didn't like. Someone suggested that he try a cocktail next time to make it more pleasurable. He replied "2 might of worked". Then the grammar police came out.

  • Fathers Day & A Resurrected Frog

    16 Jun 2013 | 8:32 pm
    Craig said he had a fabulous Father's Day today. I am so glad! I always seem to mess up with gifts and things and by comparison he always gets it right and makes me feel super special (many of you are nodding your heads right now and saying yes Pam, you are indeed "special").As well as wishing my husband a happy day, I called my dad and had a great chat for an hour and I called my step-dad too. I will see my mum & step-dad in FIVE DAYS!But anyway, back to the topic. Here's a few pictures from this weekend ....Feeding the ducksAfter a full English breakfast, Craig took the boys fishing. I…

  • A Ranty Question, Some Lovin' and Some Wind

    11 Jun 2013 | 9:50 pm
    Tonight I chatted with a woman at the pool as we were queuing up for 50 cent hot dogs (yes I'm a classy woman). We were discussing the economy and lack of pay raises etc. I told her I worked in Agriculture and she said: "Well I'm not surprised there's no money - it's a dying industry, nobody farms anymore". After I picked my mouth up of the floor I asked her how she planned to eat for the rest of her life.  So my question is this - how have we got to a point where we don't even know where our food comes from?Moving on. I LOVE him.Danny D, being a dudeTomorrow we have this to look forward…

  • A Few Shots from Weekend

    10 Jun 2013 | 6:57 pm
    Jack got his orange belt on Friday night. He is really doing well at Tang Soo Do. On Saturday we switched the sofas around (from basement to living room) and I decided to clean under the big 10 x 12 rug in the living room. Look what I found. The rug is destroyed - there must have been 1,000 pee spots on it. The floor is ruined in some places....So I spent 7 hours on Saturday cleaning and refinishing the wood floor. The boys played video games and watched TV all day but I'm sure it won't kill them. It looks a lot better but some spots are never going to go away.On Sunday I took a friend's…

  • Cucumbers!

    7 Jun 2013 | 9:11 am
    Craig was unpacking the groceries this week and when he took the cucumber out of the bag he looked at me and asked a funny question, which was a bit rude but I thought the kids were out of ear-shot.This morning I was making the kids packed lunches and chatting with Linda in the kitchen and Jack walked in, grabbed the cucumber, held it up and said to me "Did you buy batteries for this?"I thought I was going to die and Linda nearly choked laughing.
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    An Expat Life in Nicaragua

  • Teaching Opportunity in San Juan del Sur

    Sarah
    31 May 2013 | 1:14 pm
    Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to live abroad in paradise while working with fantastic teachers and students.   San Juan del Sur Day School, located in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua is looking for a highly trained, experienced primary school teacher from the United States or Canada to work part time in a multi-age English immersion class of 18 students ranging in age from 4-8 years old. Fluency or familiarity with the Spanish language is desirable, though not required.  A minimum of a one-year commitment is expected.  In addition to teaching, candidate will have the opportunity…

  • Rancho Chilamate’s 3rd Annual Christmas Bucket Drive

    Sarah
    12 Nov 2012 | 5:15 am
    Each year, our friends, Blue and Jamie, hold a Christmas Bucket Drive to raise money to fill buckets with supplies needed most by the local communities near their ranch in San Juan del Sur.  The cost to purchase is just $25 and provides a family with 5 gallon buckets with household items that the families would buy with what little money they have. This includes items such as: cooking oil salt sugar candles matches toilet paper laundry soap towels blankets cookies spices soup mixes coffee toothbrushes toothpaste  soap sacks for harvesting and last year we had enough donations to add new…

  • The Trooper

    Sarah
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:57 am
    I had some minor [major] car troubles yesterday, while Justin was out of town, and it reminded me of this early experience I had in Nicaragua… Shortly after Justin and I moved to San Juan, he took off for a weeklong bachelor party in Colombia.  I knew the trip was planned before we even set foot on Nicaraguan soil, but I don’t think I truly believed that Justin would actually leave me sola in Nicaragua just 5 weeks into our adventure, until he did.  Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to be the girl who stood between Justin and his best buddy’s bachelor party, even if it was 1,000 miles…

  • Shameless self-promotion alert!

    Sarah
    1 Feb 2012 | 11:54 am
    Image by Joshua Berman via Flickr At the risk of self-promoting a little…I posted a blog over at Mom’s the Word about our 4 year Nicaversary.  The highs and lows, pros and cons, etc.  I thought it might be relevant to some of you readers here, as well.  Rather than re-posting, please visit me over there and check it out.  Thanks!

  • Video Tour of San Juan del Sur

    Sarah
    21 Jan 2012 | 10:05 am
    Here is a great video tour of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, shot by the guys over at The Surf Ranch
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    .

  • spring cleaning.

    17 Jun 2013 | 12:45 pm
    every year i try to go through the house at least once and purge. i did it, kind of, a few weeks ago. but i was so busy and didn't really have enough time to do it right. so, recently i've been finding things that need to go. i had bagged up old toys for redistribution - i mean, come on, my youngest is four - what do i still need a boppy cover for? or a rattle neither of the kids ever played with? somehow, though, those toys that were in bags, mysteriously ended up back in toy boxes and i have to start over again.i struggle with giving things away... and even using things we have. for…

  • and the year is over.

    16 Jun 2013 | 12:18 pm
    it's been an amazing, intense year. we jumped from 24 students to 96 seemingly overnight.it's been a learning journey - with a huge learning curve. every single one of the problems that i was absolutely sure we'd encounter didn't even touch the radar - and every single thing i had never fathomed blew the radar up.on a daily basis.we dealt with organizational issues and cultural lack-of-understanding and just plain teaching problems. it was stressful. for real.but it was fun. and it was enriching and i think i'll do it again.this past saturday was kindergarten graduation. and by 3:59pm, i…

  • a summer-time tour of sorts.

    13 Jun 2013 | 6:05 pm
    girlinthedr - that's me! - will be in the great united states of america this summer! i was just in the states in may for a whirlwind tour of the east coast (that i've been meaning to blog about, but just haven't gotten there - sorry folks. it was short, it was sweet. it was amazing.)anyway. i will be in the US of A for about three weeks at the beginning of august and am hoping to make the mid-west tour while we're there.we have a ton of projects happening at Futuro Lleno de Esperanza and Poderosa Mujer - like traditional school, full day care, a jewelry program, prenatal classes (with…

  • training them up.

    11 Jun 2013 | 4:00 pm
    samil and amely had a parent's day celebration last weekend - it was ridiculous on many levels (it started 44 minutes late, the speakers were way too loud and it was kind of disorganized) - but my biggest pet-peeve was on full-blast.little girls in high heels.not the little square, 1/2 inch heels that you wore as a child for church with cute little, ruffly socks. no, no, friends there are full out kitten heels or "stilettos" (albeit really low). in grown up fashions. no little mary-jane strap or ruffly socks. we have some friends whose not even two year old daughter wears heels. when i asked…

  • are my pants too tight?

    9 Jun 2013 | 5:21 pm
    dominican fashion is ... interesting. it's very similar to what is popular in the united states - on tv and in magazines - but, despite the latina body-shape not being very similar to white-girl body-shape, clothes are sold only in junior sizes in cuts that are only flattering to people with little to no butts or thighs. if you know j-lo, you know that forever 21 and journey styles just don't really cut it. and. while most stores have changing rooms, i'm not sure that i've ever seen one used to try on clothes. pants are measured by wrapping the waist around your neck, if it fits your neck,…
 
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    Musings from inside, outside, and underneath

  • Two Years! And so much joy!

    Clare
    15 Jun 2013 | 1:02 am
    ​Dear Little Elephant, Two years ago today, at three am, I awoke with my water breaking. I wasn’t sure it was real, that a few hours later I would be holding you in my arms to nurse. Now, two years later, you are an independent, smart, opinionated, stubborn little person– but I still love cuddling you up close, allowing you to nurse, and holding you in my arms. Your smell has changed. How you ask to be cuddled has changed ( now you do it with words, “Mommy! Cuddle!”). The shape of your face has changed. My love for you will never change. June 2011,            …

  • Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place

    Clare
    3 Jun 2013 | 12:33 pm
    Never knew I could feel like this  Like I´ve never seen the sky before  I want to vanish inside your kiss  Every day I love more and more  Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings  Telling me to give you everything  Seasons may change, winter to spring  But I love you until the end of time  Hollywood tells us all about love.  About how it is big and bold.  How it is grand gestures.  How it fills your heart with song and your eyes with tears.  Movies. Television. Plays. Music. Commercials.  They all feed us the same dribble about how love makes you whole.  No matter what. Come…

  • Photo Wednesday: Looking Back

    Clare
    23 May 2013 | 1:57 pm
    Another one from the Gay Ride Against Homophobia. I love mirror pictures. Also, yes, I know that I am a day late and have missed my Photo Wednesday.

  • Albania’s 2nd Gay Ride Against Homophobia with Brand New Intro!

    Clare
    22 May 2013 | 12:18 pm
    (I posted this on Lesbian Family on Tuesday.  Honestly, I did not plan to cross post here.  I, in fact, rarely post here about the fact that I posted there.  I have been thinking I should do a Clare on Lesbian Family recap overhear in case anyone wants to see more of my musings.  This is particularly relevant as I have been particularly missing here lately.  This one, though, I decided to repost in full based on the responses I have received from several of the individuals pictured below.  First, one of the local Albanian blogs posted the picture of the child at the event in their…

  • May 17 is IDAHO— Do you know what that means?

    Clare
    16 May 2013 | 1:13 pm
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    Brenda's Blog

  • Friday's Favorites

    Brenda
    14 Jun 2013 | 2:00 am
    Its always so surprising when Friday rolls around again, the week's are going by so fast!  This will be a quick one, but there are always things to be thankful for: 1.  Lipstick Primer.  Why did I just now discover this wonderful product?  Smashbox is the brand I prefer.  Keeps lipstick on until at least noon. 2.  California Fruit.  We've been feasting on strawberries, peaches, apricots, cherries. . . . all sweet and delicious! 3.  Afternoon Hike and Marine and Mammal Center.  Rebecca has Friday afternoons off in the summer so we all took last…

  • Friday's Favorites

    Brenda
    7 Jun 2013 | 2:00 am
    Another action packed week at my house.  Lots of fun and work all bunched together.  Fun things like: 1.  Great Haircut from my niece who just graduated from beauty school.  Right now she only works 3 days a week, but I predict that within a year we'll be having to schedule a month ahead of time with her, she really does a great job!.  If you are ever in Vacaville and need a haircut. . .  2.  Beautiful weather, a snapshot that represents some of the beautiful scenery I see everyday as I drive around the Bay area. 3.  Giants Game with great seats!

  • Friday's Favorites

    Brenda
    31 May 2013 | 1:30 am
    It will be June next time we meet, the year is almost half over.  We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with lots of fun activities. 1.  Carnaval was celebrated in our neighborhood and our church sponsored a booth with free children's games and a diaper changing area.  San Francisco is not terribly child-friendly, so these services were appreciated by many.  We gave out almost 500 small toys to children.  SO MUCH FUN! 2.  English classes and Bibles.  We also gave out about 1000 invitations to our free English classes and some free Bibles.  New…

  • Friday's Favorites

    Brenda
    17 May 2013 | 1:00 am
    A calmer week for me after all the fun we had last week.  We celebrated Mother's Day, as did many of you. Some of my favorites were: 1.  Kittens!  My daughter went out of town so we cared for these precious babies.  A kitten has a way of always making you happy! 2.  Mother's Day brunch and the leftovers.  We had a French cook in our church kitchen on Mother's day and got to enjoy an extra delicious meal.  A turkey was involved and I got to bring the bones home which made a particularly delicious broth. 3.  Cottage cheese dip.  One of my favorites…

  • Friday's Favorites

    Brenda
    10 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    Last weekend we celebrated Mother's Day (early) and my daughter's birthday.  A fun, action packed weekend that started off with: 1.  Spa day and Cinderella.  Rebecca's work rewarded her with a gift certificate to a Spa in San Francisco which she shared with me!  We dressed at the Spa for the San Francisco Ballet premiere of Cinderella.  Being the premiere, many women were dressed in ball gowns.  It was a magical evening. 2.  Mother's Day at Tomales Bay where you can buy and cook freshly harvested oysters.  I prefer them raw but they are delicious on the…
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    Expat Chronicles

  • The Theft of My iPod by UPS Peru

    Colin
    1 Jun 2013 | 9:27 pm
    Expat ChroniclesMy iPod was stolen while in the possession of UPS Peru. After I was pseudo-deported from Colombia, I had a buddy in Bogota mail some things from my apartment. At the top of the list was an unopened iPod. When the package arrived, I saw the package had been opened. The iPod was missing. Package, instruction manual, and headphones were there, but no iPod. I shot off a polite but urgent email to my UPS contact. What transpired is a completely typical example of customer service in Latin America. A week went by with no reply. I sent a reminder email. My contact replied saying the…

  • La Punta de Callao in Pictures

    Colin
    1 May 2013 | 9:02 am
    Expat ChroniclesLa Punta de Callao is the tiny tourist district of Callao. Callao is the largest Pacific Ocean port in South America and has played a major role in the history of Lima, Peru. Callao is the largest slum of Lima, the most dangerous area. La Punta is a tiny peninusula of wealthy homes and yacht clubs. To get in or out, you have to pass through Callao proper. I found it safe to travel the main avenues during the day, and it’s worth the trip. View Larger Map My brother and I tried to go to La Punta de Callao in 2009. We had a great time but we never entered La Punta. The…

  • Contributed Story: Afrikaaner in Huaraz Prison

    Colin
    25 Apr 2013 | 12:28 pm
    Expat ChroniclesRex Broekman of The Huaraz Telegraph visited Victor Perez Liendo prison to interview Lewis Charles Cornelius, a 51-year-old  South African, about conditions in the Huaraz prison. This article was published in two parts from the July 2012 and April 2013 editions of the Huaraz Telegraph. At 9 AM I met the Tourist Police to accompany me into the penitentiary. Despite having read Marching Powder and being a fan of prison movies, I had no clue what to expect. I was excited but nervous. Could I get in with my camera? Would the guards let me have the interview and would the gringo…

  • Contributed Story: Knife Chase Bogota

    Colin
    13 Apr 2013 | 8:06 am
    Expat ChroniclesThis article was contributed by Benjy Hansen-Bundy of Colombia Reports. See his blog at pocketsounds.net. Knife Chase Bogota: 4:30 PM, October 10, 2012 I was jogging on the byway perched on the hills above the city. I passed a leafy stretch near the university into a dodgier neighborhood. Ten yards in front of me a group of young men waited to cross the street. They watched me hungrily. Their conversation – their every movement – froze at the sight of this misinformed gringo running through like he’s in Venice Beach. They made no move, no space for me to…

  • Contributed Story: Robbed by Arequipa Taxi

    Colin
    9 Apr 2013 | 1:19 pm
    Expat ChroniclesThis is a contributed story. After aimless wander through Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Ica, I found a new home in the great white city of Arequipa. I fell in love with her rich historical architecture and palate pleasing delicacies, but I fell in stupid love for her rumba, the Arequipeña nightlife. My gringo features and Spanish fluency made for daily debauchery. I walked the streets like I owned them. I knew all the clubs, bars, and their owners. Almost every night you could find me on Calle San Fransico. This particular night I received a bonus from the English institute where…
 
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    Happy Hamburgers

  • All about me...

    23 May 2013 | 8:01 pm
    I would like to dedicate the following post to my Aunt Gail who took time to write me a nice email since I've been such a slacker blog writer.  :)I'm sorry the last post I wrote was clear back at Easter.  .....sigh.Life's been busy.  :)  ...and I HATE the glorification of "being busy" that so many moms go on and on about so I won't go into details about how my days are so busy ...blah blah blah, moving children from one activity to the next, homework, bake sales, scouts, baseball, soccer, chickens, dinner, cats, volleyball, laundry, painting, dance classes ....

  • Egg Hunt

    7 Apr 2013 | 7:18 am
    Yah.  We had a great time at our egg hunt....  (really... I could get a lot of use out of a sarcasm font)It was a beautiful sunny day and Poozie and I walked hand in hand giggling about the Easter Bunny and the excitement of soon finding candy filled eggs.  We arrived a the park and stood behind the rope admiring all the pretty colors and deciding which magical egg she wanted to pick up first.  Her cute little eyes saw a sparkly purple egg off in the distance, "That one Mommy.  I just want to get one egg ...the purple sparkly one."  The countdown ends and off she…

  • I'm Egg-stra Awesome

    5 Apr 2013 | 6:41 pm
    Look.  An Eggsicle.  HA!  I amuse myself.  :)I definitely amused myself as I put up 120 eggs on the big tree at the end of our driveway.  :)  I even amused myself as I bought more for next year.  (Less amusing was the stringing, taping, and tying them with fishing line.) Our tree is known as the Hollis Egg Tree ...well ...maybe only four people called it that so far.  HA!  I have used it to explain to people where we live though... and the kids on the school bus love it.  :)  I've decided next year I'm putting up even more eggs, 440 to be…

  • Smores, Peep, Taco, and.... ?

    20 Mar 2013 | 7:24 pm
    Okay...  What about our family picture is different?  Notice anything cuter?  Fuzzier?  Chirp-ier?The cat sure noticed....Chickens!  HA!  Yep.  We have added four chickens to the family.  :)\Michaela's Chick, "Smores"Sierra's Chick, "Peep"Andrea's Chick, "Nutella or Taco"  :)Scotty's Chick, "Yet to be determined"  (maybe Feathers, maybe Easter)Now the pet to people ratio is way lopsided...  Pets: 8, People 6. ...and every evening our living room feels kinda like a barn. :)  The chickens are "playing" in the corral, guinea pigs…

  • Snowboarding KE

    11 Mar 2013 | 5:37 am
    Here she is....  Well, after a few hours of lessons from some random teenage BOY.  :)During our second ski trip Michaela decided she likes snowboarding better (yes, after we bought her skiis).... When we first arrived, all six of us were going to go up the BIG hill, but Andrea and I had to bail out at the last minute because I couldn't control her on her new leash very well.  :)  I realized this after Michaela was already on the ski lift attached to a snowboard so I couldn't help her and despite how much I love my husband, he's not a snowboarder and he couldn't offer much…
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    Simply LeAnne

  • Letters from Egypt: The Country’s Finest Brainstorm

    19 Jun 2013 | 7:52 am
    I know, it seems impossible. I mean is there another leader that could possibly make so many public blunders, more than former US president George W. Bush? Remember that time he left his microphone on at a UN meeting? Mind you there were plenty of other cringe-worthy moments from his administration. Well, if anyone is in the running, it has to be the Egyptian politicians who were recently televised discussing Ethiopia’s plans to build the Renaissance Dam (brief background of the project detailed at end of post). Take a gander at this primetime TV brought to you by no other than Morsi and…

  • Letters from Egypt: Renewed Revolution Scheduled for June 30

    17 Jun 2013 | 3:25 am
    Taken on Jan. 28, 2011 For any of you who are not aware, June 30 is scheduled to have large protests throughout Cairo (and possibly spreading to other areas). Desperation can make a situation spiral out of control, and there are plenty of reasons that anger is on the rise throughout Egypt. Basic necessities are increasing at a steady pace making it more difficult for locals to afford. Bottled water has reached LE 7 in some places. The problem originated with fires and contamination at some plants (especially Nestle) yet venders have all but refused to bring the prices back down to normal…

  • Letters from Egypt: Living in Darkness

    4 Jun 2013 | 5:45 am
    Life (or dinner) doesn't stop just because there isn't any power My Facebook newsfeed is riddled with Game of Thrones posters and spoiler comments, Share to Win posts and for those of you living in Egypt – ceaseless complaints over the chronic power outages. I understand that most of us are not used to this, but at this point, we’ve all been introduced and many of you should already have plans for the potential outage. In case you don’t, here are some things to consider: Charge all of your devices including mobiles, iPad, Androids, etc. when the power is on, but take a break from the…

  • Letters from Egypt: Walking in Someone’s Shoes

    13 May 2013 | 11:36 am
    It’s important to try and place yourself in someone else’s shoes, you never know what you may learn. I’m only a few weeks shy of my fifth year anniversary in the Land O’Sand and in that time, I’ve barely spoken to my landlord. I invited the 50-something woman over for tea on Saturday which turned into a two-hour long conversation. Prior to this, she and I had only seen each other two times for a total of two minutes. Our phone conversations have been limited with this being the longest duration: Hi, it’s LeAnne from flat XXX. How are you? I’ve been having an issue with my washer…

  • Letters from Egypt: Forget Your Surroundings

    23 Apr 2013 | 6:04 am
    Kormac's Big Band and Egyptian Percussionist show on the Nile Pharaoh It’s hard not to be depressed these days. Crime rate continues to rise as the Egyptian pound continues to fall. There is an increase in the price of food and a decrease in gas supplies. Things aren’t looking too good, but there are some things that you can still do that offer a brief moment of sanity. A friend called me a couple of weeks ago and enthusiastically told me about this Irish percussion band playing at a boat in Giza. I was not impressed, but I promised to go along and besides – it had been awhile since…
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    Ruth's Place

  • Busy

    ruthsplace
    18 Jun 2013 | 11:59 pm
    There’s been very little crafting happening here at Ruth’s Place over the last few days. Study is keeping me busy. Gorgeous Girl had a ‘sick’ day today. She has a cough and a runny nose and she really didn’t want to go to school this morning, so we kept her home for the day. We spent the morning doing some school work (her choice). She asked me to bring some workbooks back from my last visit to Australia (“because there is too much colouring in at school and the work is too easy”) and so we’ve been working through them when she is interested.

  • Bananas, parties, paper and playing along

    ruthsplace
    15 Jun 2013 | 12:25 am
    One thing we enjoy about living in Papua New Guinea is the availability of tropical fruit. Currently we are enjoying passion fruit from the vine that has scaled the side of the house. A little while ago Gorgeous Man and Gorgeous Girl went to the market and came home with red bananas. They were very small. And very delicious. They didn’t last long! This is the first time we’ve seen red ones for sale. Hopefully it won’t be another 18 months before we see them again. This week Gorgeous Girl was invited to a birthday party for one of our neighbours who was turning two. She was…

  • Platypus (softy) surgery

    ruthsplace
    9 Jun 2013 | 3:32 am
    Last week Gorgeous Girl’s platypus made an unexpected trip through the washing machine. He came out looking like this. Very lumpy and misshapen. I carefully unstitched the hand stitching and removed the stuffing. Then a quick run under the iron to smooth out the wrinkles. Then I restuffed him and sewed him shut again. As good as new and one happy Gorgeous Girl. In 2011 I bookmarked this tutorial for a gorgeous needle book case. Today I dug into the felt and embroidery stashes (these are both very small) and finally made one. I need to get ink for the printer and so couldn’t print…

  • Another scrapbook page

    ruthsplace
    8 Jun 2013 | 4:15 pm
    I made two pages in my last scrapping session, but because one was for an online challenge I didn’t want to confuse things by showing the other one as well. This is just a simple page which celebrates a very big occasion. Gorgeous Man’s graduation where he officially became Dr Gorgeous Man Excuse the scribble hiding his real name. The owls and florish were fussy cut from patterned paper (not the same one) and the text box circle is a Kaisercraft rub on. I’m discovering that rubons don’t really hold up well here in PNG. The Kaisercraft ones have held up the best and if…

  • Sketch + things with wings

    ruthsplace
    7 Jun 2013 | 11:34 pm
    I was totally stunned on Friday when I saw on the Frosted Designs blog  that I was the grand prize winner for the May blog hop! I had told Gorgeous Girl that I was entering and when she asked if I’d win I explained how we enter things just to enjoy playing along and that it was very unlikely that Mummy would win. So I’m now a liar Then later that afternoon I read on Cathi’s blog  that I was the random winner in her blog hop giveaway. You could have knocked me down with a feather. From Frosted Designs I’ve won a chipboard pack from Molossi.  Because we are not sure…
 
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    Clark Nielsen for the Win

  • Upgrading to a 10-Year Green Card

    Clark
    18 Jun 2013 | 1:21 pm
    My wife got her green card back in 2011, and while that was a major relief, it wasn’t the end of our immigration journey. The first green card is only good for two years, at which point you’re expected to file for “removal of conditions.” If this is granted, you’ll receive a ten-year green card that, until you become a US citizen, must be renewed every ten years. I feel like this is a “gotcha” step, because I don’t remember ever being officially told to do this. We were just supposed to know and remember. That’s how the whole process has…

  • The New Book, Yes Thailand!

    Clark
    10 Jun 2013 | 7:00 am
    It’s here! The long-awaited follow-up to Yes China! is now available as a Kindle e-book. I don’t yet have any plans to release a paperback version, but that may change. It makes sense as an e-book, though, because Yes Thailand! is only about half the size of Yes China! My wife and I simply weren’t in Thailand long enough to fill up 80,000 words. And you know me; I like to keep things succinct. Much like its predecessor, then, Yes Thailand! reads like a series of essays that are sometimes about Thailand and sometimes about other things. The subtitle for the book is A…

  • More Travelogue Reviews

    Clark
    2 Jun 2013 | 5:03 pm
    I’m currently working my way through a book called There’s No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled, a collection of travel essays from various authors. And it’s hilarious. Granted, not every chapter is a winner, but so far, the majority of them have left me laughing… or at least grinning like an idiot. It’s been a while since I’ve read a travelogue with a good sense of humor, so this has been a welcome change. Several months ago, I did an article on a sampling of travel books. While I have continued to post short reviews on Goodreads, as well as posting…

  • Starbucks Abroad

    Clark
    19 Mar 2013 | 4:01 pm
    I thoroughly enjoy coffee, but it does terrible things to my body. In fact, the only coffee I can drink that doesn’t leave me feeling utterly sick for the rest of the day is Starbucks. Does that make me a coffee snob? But you also have to take into consideration the atmosphere, and my wife and I both revel in the idea of hanging out at a coffee shop and using somebody else’s Wi-Fi for an hour or so. It’s no different when we’re traveling overseas. Starbucks is always a haven to us. The prices don’t change much from country to country, though. My wife’s…

  • China Hotel Chain: Home Inn

    Clark
    6 Mar 2013 | 3:26 pm
    I’ve done a lot of traveling in China and have stayed in several hostels and hotels across the country. After a few bad experiences, however, I’ve sworn off hostels completely and have become much more leery about the kind of hotels I book. True, I could just pay for a five-star pampering, but when do English teachers or unemployed travelers ever spoil themselves? While Ctrip and Agoda both have some standards with the hotels they list on their sites, you can’t always trust them. A couple of genuine stinkers have come out of Ctrip. There’s really only one name I feel…
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    From America to Australia, and back again!

  • First summer

    dsduffy
    10 Jun 2013 | 6:51 pm
    It is actually my 8th summer as a mother, but it kind of feels like the first. Summer with non-school aged kids isn’t the same as it is with 6 and 8 year olds. With toddlers, everyday was the same – summer didn’t mean “no school.”  In Australia, summer holidays were 6 weeks off with Christmas and New Year’s mixed in. There weren’t sleep away camps (although there were other types of camps) it just felt different. Today is the first day of our official summer, since I was still working last week. We created a “Summer Bucket List” together…

  • My mind travels to Melbourne

    dsduffy
    7 May 2013 | 3:42 pm
    Sitting at the front reception desk, in between answering phones, visions of South Melbourne Market pop into my mind. I’m walking down the deli/meat aisle and see so many friendly familiar faces. That lady who runs the chocolate shop, my “chicken guy” and the pizza guys who are so nice to my boys. I shake my head and get back to work. What made me think of that place? In the shower while rinsing out the shampoo, I see the familiar sights of the CBD. One second I see Bourke Street, lined with tourists and shoppers, the next I am along the river in Southbank, people watching…

  • Where do all the blankies go?

    dsduffy
    5 May 2013 | 6:51 pm
    I was tidying up Cameron’s room today and noticed that his beloved blankies were folded neatly at the end of his bed. I fold them and put them there all the time, but it dawned on me that they hadn’t been touched by him in a few days. Yes, he is 8 years old and shouldn’t really be attached to his blankie, but I still figured he  slept with it on top of his comforter. Anyway, it got me thinking, what happens to it when he is really not into it anymore? What will we do with it? This thought led to: what happens to all children’s lovies? Do their parents throw them away?

  • Where do we go from here?

    dsduffy
    2 Apr 2013 | 6:03 pm
    That title could mean many things in my life currently, but in this case I am referring to this little ol’ blog of mine. If I change the website address, what would I change it to? Starting over is scary, and I’m tired of starting over. At the same time, I am no longer Melbourne Bound. Which is also sad. It feels like a dream, like something only I know about – something that is impossible to explain – kind of like when you have a dream and you try to explain it and you can’t do it justice and then you realize that nobody really cares to hear about your dreams in…

  • Little reminders

    dsduffy
    18 Mar 2013 | 7:50 pm
    We received our shipment from Australia. All 136 items (boxes, furniture, bikes, surprisingly there was no kitchen sink) arrived safe and sound from the other side of the planet. It was bittersweet seeing the same shipping container that I said good-bye to just a little over 3 months ago on a hot summer day in Middle Park. I remember that moment so clearly: seeing our belongings packed up on a truck knowing they were going on a cargo ship. And I know it is just STUFF. I am aware of that. My husband, sons and kitties are what matter much more, but it was a poignant moment to see it all going…
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    Expat Life in Belgium, Travel and Photography | CheeseWeb

  • Kinabalu Park UNESCO Site in Malaysian Borneo

    Alison
    17 Jun 2013 | 10:13 pm
    This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series CheeseWeb's Asian Adventure 2013.Plunging into Borneo’s Jungle I faced two of my biggest fears (mostly) without tears. I witnessed a once in a lifetime event. And I spent the day in one of the most beautiful places on earth. All in all, it wasn’t a bad last day in Borneo. As you can tell from our previous posts about Malaysia’s Sabah province, Andrew and I weren’t having the relaxing beach vacation we originally planned. We were having so much fun exploring the jungles and discovering wildlife, we didn’t miss the beach a bit. In fact, as…

  • Getting Belgian Nationality – the Continuing Saga

    Alison
    13 Jun 2013 | 10:21 pm
    This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Belgian Citizenship.Will we be rejected by Belgium forever? You may remember, late last year, Andrew and I applied for Belgian citizenship. It has been a Kafkaesque saga. Today we update you on where we stand, seven months after we submitted our paperwork. When last we left our paperwork saga, we had just been informed our birth certificates, which we had newly notarized when we first arrived in Belgium, were “too old,” and we would need new notarized copies. Rather than debating how the information on even an “old” birth certificate could…

  • Leaving Your Rental Property in Belgium – a Checklist

    Alison
    10 Jun 2013 | 10:16 pm
    Packing up and moving on The annual expat migration season has arrived in Belgium. If you are one of the many expats relocating this spring, check out this handy checklist for leaving your rental property in Belgium, supplied by the folks at Map Relocations. Make a plan and prioritise tasks in order of time criticality. Gather all your important documents into one folder (lease contract, utility contracts/bills, insurances, guarantee/deposits, maintenance contracts for alarm, heating system etc.) Check your lease contract to see what your notice period is. The penalties for breaking a lease…

  • Win Tickets to the Brussels Film Festival

    Alison
    6 Jun 2013 | 10:12 pm
    The Brussels Film Festival Film buffs, mark your calendars. The 11th annual Brussels Film Festival will be hitting Place Flagey from June 19th-26th and you’re all invited. We even have 5 pairs of tickets to give away, so read on for a chance to win. The Brussels Film Festival (BRFF) is a celebration of films, including documentaries, shorts and feature-length movies, from around the world. The emphasis is on new work, with a few old favourites thrown in for good measure. The festival takes place in the iconic Flagey building and, good weather permitting, outside in the square itself. La…

  • Cruising Sabah’s Klias River in Photos

    Alison
    3 Jun 2013 | 10:11 pm
    This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series CheeseWeb's Asian Adventure 2013.Sabah’s famous long-nosed proboscis monkey. Our trip to Sandakan to see the orang-utans inspired us to discover more of Sabah’s wildlife. From our base in Kota Kinabalu, we arranged another primate-themed day-trip, through an eco-tour company, based in the Horizon Hotel. We would cruise down the Klias River searching for Malaysian Borneo’s other famous inhabitant, the proboscis monkey. Rather than tell you about our river cruise, we decided to show you what we saw. So come along on a photo tour of the Klias…
 
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    Blogitse

  • Málaga blue

    BLOGitse
    13 Jun 2013 | 2:46 am
      weekend #24/2013 photos     Hi everyone!   I’m back in Helsinki, Finland but photos are still from Málaga! The renovation is almost done but a LOT of cleaning and organizing still to do… for weeks! sigh!   On Sunday my son with his family arrive from Australia for a couple of weeks holiday, can’t wait!     How are you? busy, busy, busy or sunbathing?                  let’s go to the other side of the hill…    ooh, what a tunnel shadow    a cloudy day but not rainy  …

  • paseo maritimo Málaga, España

    BLOGitse
    25 May 2013 | 12:45 am
        Finally we got beautiful weather here!   It was cool and cloudy in Málaga but now it feels like – SUMMER   So, it’s time to have a holiday break - I’ll be back at the weekend #24/2013.     All these pics I took at the harbor, paseo maritimo de Málaga….                       Shadow Shot Sunday2     Sundays In My City     See you again in mid-June!    

  • greetings from Málaga

    BLOGitse
    17 May 2013 | 5:06 am
      weekend #20/2013 photos     I’ve been here in Málaga almost one week.   I still like this city a lot, so much to see and feel…   Haven’t had my camera with me all the time so only two pics this weekend   - more pictures will come later       On Monday there were 4000 cruiser visitors in Málaga!           Shadow Shot Sunday2     Sundays In My City     Have a relaxing weekend!        

  • bye Helsinki, hola Málaga…

    BLOGitse
    9 May 2013 | 11:47 pm
      On Sunday 12th I’ll fly to Málaga again.   This time I’m trying to learn to speak Spanish -   last time it was mainly grammar…   Here are a couple of shots I took 2.5.2013   I’m sure it’s going to be greener when I come back in June                   I’ll pack my VAIO and….         on Sunday this view is waiting for me!   (not this early in the morning though)     Let see if I have time to blog during my four week ‘holiday’ but…

  • white

    BLOGitse
    9 May 2013 | 11:46 pm
      Photo challenge’s this week’s theme is   white       white plastic bag    
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    gweipo 鬼婆

  • true tales from expat land

    18 Jun 2013 | 6:51 pm
    A friend of mine went to bootcamp.  She's not one of those fashion conscious fastidious type of gals, but she couldn't help noticing that one of the ladies always had sports shoes matching her work out outfit.  After a while she plucked up the courage to comment on this."oh no, I don't have so many pairs of shoes - I just get my maid to change the shoelaces every day when she puts out my outfit so the shoelaces match the outfit"

  • HK Harbourfront for Military use?

    10 Jun 2013 | 9:37 pm
    I guess the HK locals all know about this and have signed the petition and are all going to the meeting - but in case you don't, aren't, won't - PLEASE GO, I won't be able to go on my behalf?Public Forum on Central Harbourfront: Military zoning and Participatory planningThank you for signing the petition against the military zoning of the PLA Pier at Central. You are of the 19,000 people who made inputs to the Town Planning Board.There is a forum this Saturday, co-organised by The Professional Commons and Centre for Social Policy Studies of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. See details…

  • speaking

    10 Jun 2013 | 9:31 pm
    I found this start of a post that I'd written in 2010 = I don't know where I was going or why,  or even if I finished it under another heading, but I did find the findings a little startling.In the UK, the charity I CAN has found a significant minority of children unable to speak by the age 3. While American researcher have found (surprise, surprise) that 3 year olds spending 2 hours a day on average watching even 'educational' TV are not learning to talk from it!And mother's have to do the talking about feelings as well it appears.And just in case parents want to use the Einstein…

  • things I like

    10 Jun 2013 | 9:26 pm
    I'm trying to be positive.  My husband spent a weekend in HK and I was terribly jealous.  Another friend was there and she put on her facebook page "I'm home, no it's not home so why am I putting that" Another ex-HK friend rang me yesterday, she's here briefly en-route to HK on a cruise and as we couldn't match schedules to meet up, she rang.  How was it here? Was I happy?  I said it was swings and roundabouts.  Things I really like about here, things I really miss about HK.  As I've been re-posting old posts I've been reading through them - wow, we did have a…

  • is violence the new sex?

    9 Jun 2013 | 10:02 pm
    A few weeks ago, Mimi was invited to a birthday party of 10 year olds.  They were going to have pizza and a swim at the boys house, followed by an early evening trip to see Ironman 3.   I approached him with the invite.  Did he want to go? "no way" he says - he's not good with movies. It's all too real for him. I asked why.  He told me that the film was super violent and that he just knew that he'd have nightmares for weeks afterwards, so he didn't want to go.  I googled the movie and discovered it was PG13.  Which apparently doesn't mean anything.  Just…
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    Everyone's Expat Blog Posts - Expatacular! - Global Expat Community

  • Expat Health Insurance choices

    Dwayne & Samantha
    3 Jun 2013 | 5:32 am
    I see post in many groups about insurance personally I feel it depends on the individuals situation in some cases unless there is a major issue needing evacuation back to your home country, or you have kids prone to accidents it may be cheaper to pay out of pocket for healthcare as you go, depending on the country you're in but this article I came across may be of help to some people http://www.expatexchange.com/lib.cfm?networkID=159&articleID=4210&clk=ok  not a spam or me promoting any insurance etc. but it did have additional FYI that some people may or may not benefit from…

  • Phones and communications between China, Hong Kong and North America

    Dwayne & Samantha
    28 May 2013 | 2:30 pm
    if I don't get much response here I will post it to a few of the groups I am in Want input from those of you that already find what you think is the best solution and feel free to send me a message I already have Skype, Google Voice, and Vonage, and an American Cell each has their own phone number based in the USA when I return to China again I will a mainland cell sim again to add to this want to make the best use for being able to offer a number or other way / best way for someone in any of the 3 areas listed in the subject to be able to communicate back and forth so when I am traveling…

  • New expat bar opened in Houjie Dongguan

    Blue Orlean's Jazz and Blues Bar
    18 May 2013 | 8:20 am
    Hi, we just now opened our new bar in Houjie, dongguan. Our Blue Orleans jazz and blues bar is western owned , fully English speaking staff, a good selection of Asian and continental beers, with new world and old country wines, plus a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. You can find us on local bar street (康乐风情街东盛楼1号2楼） . We are open daily from 6 pm till 2 am. Come stop by and say hi, mention this site and I'm sure we can offer you a complimentary free beer!

  • Routine Expat Artistry

    Amanda Wilby
    22 Apr 2013 | 12:20 pm
    Part Six of the Expat ‘From Struggle To Success’ Series considers that when no one else is setting the rules, we pretty much have to set our own.  Your new life abroad stretches out in front of you like a glorious blank canvas – deliciously blank and full of possibility.  Well, not always.   Waking up to a blank canvas every day can be quite daunting – overwhelming even.   Too many choices, new experiences and ideas to process leads to fatigue even for the smallest of activities (is this why we always sleep so much more on holiday I wonder?).  The chaos life in a new country…

  • How To 'Land' Like An Expert Expat

    Amanda Wilby
    15 Apr 2013 | 6:17 am
    Part Five of the Expat ‘From Struggle To Success’ Series looks at ‘landing’ like an expert.  Today is World Art Day, so I encourage you to celebrate the work of art that is YOU. Check YOU out, you sexy expat thing you – meeeooooowww!  Yes you, with the eyes….reading this, looking at my letters, words, spaces and all, you are beautiful…I mean it, really really beautiful.  Just look at you…you fabulous human being. Are you cringing?  Are you embarrassed by that?  Does this make you feel shy or maybe think I’ve gone a little crazy this week?  Has the little voice inside…
 
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    Expatify

  • The new “Most expensive expat cites” list is out, with the usual misleading data

    Tom
    10 Jun 2013 | 4:19 am
    The fine folks at ECA International, which is evidently a global human resources consultancy firm, has released its 2013 list of the most expensive cities for expats, and most outlets seem to reprint it without evaluation. I’ve actually mentioned this in the past, but this year the list is even more skewed than before, so [...]

  • As an American living abroad, I actually miss the tipping culture

    Tom
    3 Jun 2013 | 4:08 am
    I can name dozens of things that I prefer in other cultures to the equivalents in my native USA, including the Metric system, having the final price displayed instead of the pre-tax price, and a greater emphasis on local markets and seasonal foods. That’s just the beginning, but among the American things I prefer is [...]

  • The people were so friendly! – Where isn’t this true?

    Tom
    27 May 2013 | 3:36 am
    Most of us like to avoid using cliches like the plague, but one cliche that people never seem to acknowledge is the automatic answer people give to the question, “what did you like about the place?” With only a few exceptions, people say, “Oh, the people were so friendly!” The weird thing for me about [...]

  • To find new expat friends, look for a pub quiz

    Tom
    20 May 2013 | 3:22 am
    I’m not proud of it of course but I have to admit that I’m normally no good at making new friends as an expat adult. It’s challenging enough when I’m in my home town or at least a town where everyone speaks the same language I do, and it’s even more difficult when I’m living [...]

  • For cheap foreign dental care, look beyond the flashy large clinics

    Tom
    13 May 2013 | 3:41 am
    So-called Dental Tourism (along with Medical Tourism) is a hot topic these days as more people realize they might be able to get dental work AND a holiday for less than the price of the dental work alone back home. Of course this mainly applies to those living in the US, Canada, and some parts [...]
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    Sovereign Man: Internationalization, Offshore Business, Global Opportunities, Self-Sufficiency and Freedom

  • A small, easy, no-brainer investment

    Simon Black
    19 Jun 2013 | 7:41 am
    June 19, 2013 Bio Bio Region, Chile There are few investments out there that seem as obvious as freshwater. Think about it: generally speaking, there’s a fixed amount of the stuff based on current technology. Yet each day, demand from our rapidly increasing population, farming, and industrial use grows. And because it’s very expensive to transport, water is highly localized. So despite the abundant supply in Greenland, it doesn’t really help anyone in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, water is an inherently politicized commodity. Countries bicker over it. States within nations…

  • Chile farmland is some of the most undervalued in the world

    Simon Black
    18 Jun 2013 | 9:37 am
    June 18, 2013 Bio Bio Region, Chile In the world of investing, there’s a lot to be said for buying undervalued assets. Occasionally the market provides some incredible opportunities to pick up high quality assets so cheap that, to paraphrase acclaimed investor Jim Rogers, all you have to do is walk over and pick up the money lying in the corner. One of the benefits of traveling the world so extensively is that I’m constantly exposed to these sorts of opportunities. And occasionally surprised when I’m not. When visiting Bangladesh a few weeks ago, for example, I was surprised…

  • US Treasury denies it is trying to torpedo Bitcoin

    Simon Black
    17 Jun 2013 | 9:08 am
    June 17, 2013 Santiago, Chile In remarks given late last week to the curiously named United States Institute for Peace, the head of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) vociferously denied any attempts at regulating digital currency… specifically Bitcoin. The speech, entitled “The virtual economy: potential, perplexities and promises”, can be downloaded here for your reading pleasure. But here’s the gist: http://www.fincen.gov/news_room/speech/pdf/20130613.pdf - The government views virtual currencies as a “financial service”,…

  • The wisest thing ever said by a Socialist…

    Simon Black
    14 Jun 2013 | 10:42 am
    June 14, 2013 Santiago, Chile In 1919, a prominent socialist named Nicholas Klein addressed the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America Convention. And in describing their struggle, he told the crowd: “First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you.” (A version of this quote is frequently mis-attributed to Gandhi, though there is no evidence that Gandhi ever said this…) Though Klein was a staunch socialist, he really hit the nail on the head. Right now there’s an obvious trend in the…

  • Why the fundamental rationale for holding gold is as robust as ever

    Tim Price
    13 Jun 2013 | 7:30 am
    June 13, 2013 London, England [Editor's note: Tim Price, Director of Investment at PFP Wealth Management in the UK and frequent Sovereign Man contributor, is filling in for Simon this morning.] As Ben Graham, the father of value investing, observed, an investment operation “is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative.” Challenged to distil the secret of sound investing into just three words, he advocated: “Margin of safety”. Unfortunately for all investors today,…
 
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    Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland

  • Giveaway at Clogs and Tulips – Two Tickets to the Amsterdam Dungeon

    Tiffany
    11 Jun 2013 | 7:10 am
    I am very excited to announce the first ever giveaway here on Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland! The folks over at Amsterdam Dungeon have generously donated two tickets to their attraction. What is the Amsterdam Dungeon? A fun-filled 500-year Amsterdam history lesson + a two-minute indoor roller coaster ride + cool special effects + eleven live theater shows + the opportunity to be a part of the action. What’s not to love? AND you’ll get it all for free! But…. I’ve only got two tickets to give away. So I’m gonna make you work for ‘em. Here’s how it works: The contest will…

  • Bringing up bilingual baby: when one language is stronger than the other

    Tiffany
    15 Jan 2013 | 6:57 am
    Kleine Munchkin passed the one-year marker last month (it's amazing how the time flies!), and she's hitting all those milestones that come with it. She started walking in November, she recognizes people and objects, she's more independent than ever, and, yes, she's started talking. So far - in addition to baby babbling - we've got Mommom, Papa, MoMo (aka Elmo), and caaaaaaa (cat). To clarify, that last one is cat, spoken with that nasal, flat, piercing 'a' we Americans are so (in)famous for. She sees the four-legged, whiskered animal outside and we hear "caaaaaaaa!" She spies one on TV and we…

  • What I think about Zwarte Piet

    Tiffany
    4 Dec 2012 | 9:47 am
    Ordinarily, I try to stay as far away from the Great Zwarte Piet Debate as possible. I figure if I keep my nose out of it and others follow suit, it'll eventually disappear. How naive is that?!? The debate - nay, argument - only seems to gain momentum and get blown to more gargantuan proportions with each passing year. So, why not slip my own opinions into the mix? Readers, beware: this is gonna be a long one... Yes, the first time I saw Zwarte Piet, the shock was so great, you could've knocked me over with a feather. Not because I found it racist, but because I come from a country where…

  • Leave some love for Clogs and Tulips

    Tiffany
    8 Nov 2012 | 2:41 pm
    Been rather lonely here on the blog, hasn't it? I guess an almost-eleven-month-old, a dog, a career change, a presidential election, and, well, just life in general will do that to you. It's my sincere hope to get on the blog more, though I can't make any promises in regards to regularity. Believe you me, there is so much I need to share, so there's certainly no shortage of possible blog posts. It's just finding the time to make them a regularity. What I can say is that, while the blog will still contain informational posts, guest posts, Q&As, and all that other stuff you've been coming…

  • Tulip Mania

    Tiffany
    27 Oct 2012 | 2:06 pm
    This is a guest post by Ella Andrews. If there is one universal symbol the Netherlands it is the tulip. These flowers became a focal point for an entire culture at the time of the Tulip mania or Tulpenmanie as the Dutch call it around 1637 AD. The Dutch Republic as the Netherlands were known then had received a present in the face of the first bulbs and seeds of tulips by the Flemish writer and diplomat Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq. He reputedly brought them all the way from the Ottoman Empire where he was once an ambassador of Austria. The flowers took root so to speak, and the botanist Carolus…
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    Monkeys and Mountains | Adventure Travel Blog

  • Rekindling Family Ties in Nyungwe Forest Rwanda

    Laurel
    18 Jun 2013 | 4:25 am
    Have you ever had an overenthusiastic uninvited relative show up out of the blue? Well that was me, when I visited the chimps in Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda. To say I was excited to meet my closest non-human relatives in the flesh would be like saying that meeting the Mountain Gorillas was good when it was EPIC! It turns out my relatives are early risers.  By the time we arrived at just after 8:30am they had left their nests and most of the family had even finished their breakfast.  The trackers said they had been up since 6:30am – clearly I did not inherit their early rising gene.

  • The Canals of Amsterdam: 8 Reasons to Celebrate their 400th Birthday

    Laurel
    13 Jun 2013 | 12:37 pm
    The canals of Amsterdam are celebrating a birthday in 2013 and it’s rather a big one. One that you and I will likely not reach – 400 years! I’m just aiming for an even happy and healthy 100 years! But the canals are aging rather well and 400 years later remain an exemplary example of city planning done right. This is one birthday party you don’t want to miss and fortunately it’s going on for an entire year.  If you got to me 400 years old, wouldn’t you want a long celebration too? You can see a list of all the events here, including concerts and…

  • Music and Mountains in Mostviertel, Austria

    Laurel
    11 Jun 2013 | 6:19 am
    Monkeys and mountains is a common (and one of my favorite themes) on this blog, but music and mountains?  This would be a first! This past weekend I attended the Wanderbare Gipfelklaenge which translate roughly to Hiking to the Sounds of the Mountains in Mostviertel, Austria.  It’s a creative and unique event that’s now in its third year running. There were seven different musical groups playing at different venues, mostly mountain huts of which you had to hike to.  If you need motivation to go hiking this is seriously it! The event kicked off Friday evening with Catch-Pop…

  • 9 Reasons to Love the Alpenresort Schwarz in Tyrol

    Laurel
    1 Jun 2013 | 5:22 am
    I loved, and I mean LOVED my recent stay at the Alpenresort Schwarz in Tyrol. It’s located just 2 hours from Munich in a lush green valley lined with snow-capped peaks.  Here’s why I loved it so much: 1) The Scenery:  I already mentioned the “lush green valley and snow-capped peaks”.  Let me tell you that it’s a tough view to beat while soaking in the scenery from the hotel’s lake pool: Inside Travel Tip:   Visit the Stöttlalm, a nice easy walk with views over the valley.  Be sure to try a shot of Zirbenschnaps, a local speciality made from pine…

  • Meeting Mountain Gorillas: My Most EPIC Experience Ever!

    Laurel
    31 May 2013 | 7:27 am
    Like most travellers I have a mental bucket list that I am constantly updating. As a travel blogger I have been very fortunate to regularly check off items from that list.  Take a look at my Top Travel Adventures of 2012 and my #1 travel adventure of 2012  and you’ll see what I mean. But the #1 thing on my bucket list, remained, chewing away at me….until recently. It will probably come as no surprise to those of you that know me and even those of you who don’t – my blog is named Monkeys and Mountains after all, that the #1 thing on my bucket list was to observe…
 
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    The Expat Coach Association

  • Coach of the Month – Bonnie Wims

    Margie
    1 Jun 2013 | 12:01 am
    Name:  Dr. Bonnie Wims Title:  Cultural Transition Coach and UK Chartered Counseling Psychologist Business Name:  Wims & Associates Niche/Specialties: - Identity in Transition - Cultural Confrontation - Quality of Life - Attachment to ‘Home’ - Isolation Expat Experience:  I have just recently returned back to the US after living in London for 8 years Languages Spoken:  English Life Experience:  I have been a wife and a mother for 26 years and lived in several different cities both in and out of the US. After 20 years in the corporate world, I returned to school and…

  • Type and Culture

    Doris Fuellgrabe
    23 May 2013 | 4:26 pm
    I didn’t learn about cultural differences until after arriving to live and work in my fifth country. Sure, Riding the Waves of Culture* was mandatory reading during my HR studies, and while the words resonated and sounded fascinating at the time, they didn’t actually make sense until I actually lived them. People from different countries behave in different ways according to their cultural “programming”. Culture is “the software of the mind”. Geert Hofstede Our attitude to uncertainty, rules, relationships, and time are often informed by socially acceptable…

  • Coach of the Month – Kimberli Lewis

    Margie
    1 May 2013 | 12:01 am
    Name: Kimberli Lewis Title: Founder/CEO Global Business Therapy and Ponytale Talk Business Name:  I have two businesses: One is Global Business Therapy and the second is Ponytale Talk. To be honest, Ponytale Talk is my love.  I am passionate about women in business.  After serving 22 years in executive management and having been the only female CEO on many boards, I understand how difficult it is for women to be recognized. I fully understand the road blocks, both real and perceived, that women face every day in the workplace. I want to help women be able to get over the roadblocks they…

  • Coach of the Month – Belinda MJ. Brown

    Margie
    1 Apr 2013 | 12:01 am
    Name:  Belinda MJ.Brown Title:  Founder, Executive, Expat and Life Coach Business Name:  Equanimity Executive, LLC In 2013, Belinda, Global Leadership & Expat Coach, has already delivered multiple conferences and workshops dedicated to the expatriates, their families and Human Resources. Among the most renowned hosts the Global Mobility Conference Mondissimo and AILA (the American Immigration Lawyer Associations). Expatriate herself, Belinda has had a remarkable success in assisting others. This accomplished and successful expatriate began her Cross Cultural coaching business in 2011…

  • Top Ways to De-Stress After an International Move

    arjun
    13 Mar 2013 | 5:09 pm
    Moving is a stressful process and one that is even more challenging when you make an international move. This can cause issues due to the length of the move, the time change and even a change in the geography and climate. You can help yourself to get settled in and acclimated to your new home by using a few top ways to de-stress so that you can begin to feel refreshed, renewed and ready to take on your new life.   Explore the Area You may have a lot of unpacking and organizing to do, however, you want to take a break so that you can relax a little bit. The fact that you have made an…
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    You're Not From Around Here, Are You?

  • Trouble with tour guides – Mexico City

    steve
    17 Jun 2013 | 5:30 am
    Basilica de Guadalupe – note the slight lean at the front after the earthquake The two main sites that we wanted to see outside of Mexico City were Teotihuacan and Xochimilco. Both could have been done by public transport, but I was keen to get someone to show us around as well. Our hotel arranged for us to take two tours with one of the larger companies in Mexico. We had an early flight on the third day, so we booked a harder day climbing around Teotihuacan with a late finish for the first day, followed by the easy Xochimilo boating tour the second day. Day Tour 1 Our guide arrived on…

  • In Photos: Teotihuacan and the Pyramid of the Sun

    steve
    11 Jun 2013 | 3:22 am
    Panorama from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan – the Pyramid of the Moon can be seen to the right Teotihuacan is one of those huge sites that ranks alongside natural wonders like Iguassu Falls or the White Desert of Egypt that allows you to stand in any spot, look in any direction and be completely immersed in the spectacle. Looking down from the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan – there are very few restrictions as to where you can climb, despite the sites UNESCO World Heritage status Looking up at the climb to the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan – those…

  • Pyramids of the Sun and Moon – Teotihuacan, Mexico

    steve
    11 Jun 2013 | 3:00 am
    Looking towards the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan Last time I was in Mexico I stayed in and around the Yucatan peninsula before heading south to Central America. This time we were coming from Texas so started in Mexico City, so could visit the surrounding sites, including one that I’d been keen to see for years. A lot of people ask what my most disappointing tourist moment was, and I stick with the Egyptian Pyramids as they’re so much smaller than I’d imagined as a child. They’re not that small, but I’d always imagined mountain sized constructions. This combined…

  • The Venice of Mexico – Xochimilco floating city

    steve
    6 Jun 2013 | 11:25 pm
    Kids taking a break from the party at Xochimilco floating city Mexico City was founded by the Aztecs in 1325. At that time they were known as the Mexica people. After the fall of the Toltec Empire they migrated to a Valley of Mexico where, after some resistance from the natives, they managed to build a home on a small island on the side of Lake Texcoco. That village quickly grew and by 1500 was a city four times the size of London. To meet the needs of the population more land was reclaimed by building canals and islands and now the city has spilled over into the surrounding countryside and…

  • Chiles en Nogada – Hosteria Santa Domingo in Mexico City

    steve
    3 Jun 2013 | 6:55 pm
    Hosteria Santa Domingo Having just driven down through the West Coast of the US, and eaten our fair share of places offering supposedly ‘Authentic Mexican cooking’, I wanted our first meal in Mexico to be something authentic and truly Mexican. We had Cuban sandwiches. We arrived later than expected and it was the only restaurant nearby, still open that late at night. For the second meal, I actually did some research and found a very traditional restaurant along our route towards the centre of town, so ideal for lunch. Hosteria Santo Domingo Hosteria Santo Domingo has a reputation…
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    The Displaced Nation

  • LOCATION, LOCUTION: Expat author JJ Marsh on bringing a location to life through writing

    The Displaced Nation Team
    18 Jun 2013 | 7:59 pm
    Today we welcome expat crime writer JJ Marsh to the Displaced Nation. JJ grew up in Wales, Africa and the Middle East, where her curiosity for culture took root and triggered an urge to write. Having at this point lived in Hong Kong, Nigeria, Dubai, Portugal and France—she finally settled in Switzerland—JJ certainly belongs in our midst! But what makes her even more special is that she has offered to impart her knowledge to other international creatives about the portrayal of “place” in one’s works. Currently halfway through her European crime series, set in compelling…

  • LIBBY’S LIFE #79 – Gladiator games

    Kate Allison
    14 Jun 2013 | 3:07 pm
    June. Summertime. Crickets, cicadas. Long evenings, hot days. Or, back on Planet Earth in 2013: June. Thunderstorms. Hailstones, lightning. Flood warnings, incessant rain. Central heating returning for another encore, and cabin fever causing small children to ricochet off walls and demand opportunities to test the effectiveness of recently purchased wellington boots. Rain or no rain, after several days cooped up inside, we are going for a walk this afternoon. It’s a slow process, though, I’m discovering. It’s taken nearly five minutes to get Jack, plus the twins in their…

  • Love Living Overseas: An interview with Michelle Garrett aka The American Resident

    awindram
    12 Jun 2013 | 3:45 pm
    In April’s Alice Awards we featured expat blogger Michelle Garrett (an American who has made a home for herself in Britain). She won an “Alice” for her most recent column in Expat Focus, in which she asked readers whether their experience living abroad has inspired them to write a book. Michelle’s column certainly struck a chord with us here at The Displaced Nation as well as leaving us intrigued and wanting to know more. Regular readers know that we always like to focus on expat writing and highlight it, whether it be Jack the Hack’s tips or our lists…

  • GLOBAL FOOD GOSSIP: Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.

    The Displaced Nation Team
    11 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    Joanna Masters-Maggs, our resident Food Gossip, is back with her monthly column for like-minded food gossips. This month, Joanna addresses the issues facing a wine-loving girl who finds herself living in a dry country for two years. “I don’t think I can do this,” I whined to my husband casting my eyes around the restaurant in something close to desperation.  “I think it must be time for repatriation, don’t you?” My husband had taken me to a smart restaurant in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, on our first night in The Kingdom.  It was such an attractive place: lovely china and glasses,…

  • NEW VS OLDE WORLDS: British husband and Brazilian wife swap cultural allegiances

    andy martin
    6 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    Thanks to Kate Allison, regular readers of the Displaced Nation are treated every other week to a new episode in the life of fictional expat Libby Patrick, a 30-something British woman who has relocated with her spouse to a town outside Boston. Her diary, Libby’s Life, is replete with rich observations about life in New England vs. England. In the weeks when Libby isn’t published, we are featuring posts by writers who are sensitive to the often subtle, yet powerful, differences between new and “olde” worlds. Today we hear from one of our regular contributors, Andy…
 
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    Expat Ukraine Forum

  • Re: Syria and Russia against the West

    18 Jun 2013 | 2:44 pm
    You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginObama's allies: Egyptian jihadists:[url=http://www.france24.com/en/20130614-thousands-egypt-islamists-rall...

  • Obama and Morsi: Islamic Jihadist Bedfellows?

    18 Jun 2013 | 11:52 am
    Egyptian President Morsi's (Obama lapdog...or, is it vice-versa?) latest Jihadist governmental action:You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

  • Re: Maintaining Ukraine Permanent Resident Status

    18 Jun 2013 | 10:37 am
    You lose it if divorece? thats weird. I  know Americans spouses on Green card never lose it when they divorce lol .What if spouse dies anf d you own a residence in UA?

  • Re: Syria and Russia against the West

    18 Jun 2013 | 10:30 am
    Putin knows Obama is spineless. I'm hoping he tells Obama to perform an impossible sex act.

  • Re: Driving From UK to Odessa

    18 Jun 2013 | 9:04 am
    You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginI tried to buy insurance from a Ukrainian company before I drove to Ukraine but they need the original registration document to insure the car which at the time was in the UK...
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    Muscat Mutterings

  • Elevation burger to open next week in Muscat

    Sythe
    18 Jun 2013 | 10:00 pm
    The newest restaurant at the Muscat Grand Mall is due to open next week on the 24th of June - Elevation Burger. The place was ready in February but staffing proved a bit of a challenge but now that's been overcome too. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a secret tweetup at Elevation Burger earlier this week and I got to see and sample the wares - it was very good. The burgers are all made from Halal Australian grass-fed organic cows, and the burgers are made on site - they have a big grinder in the back. The fries are made from fresh potatoes and are cut right in the front and freshly…

  • Happy fathers day!

    Sythe
    15 Jun 2013 | 10:00 pm
    To all the dads out there.... Happy Fathers Day! le fin.

  • Time Out Muscat new Summer 2013 issue out now

    Sythe
    13 Jun 2013 | 1:00 am
    The latest issue of Time Out has been released, its RO 2.000 and has a couple of articles written in it by me, so why not go and read it? :) Enjoy the weekend everyone. I wonder if it's going to rain? le fin.

  • Dance for a cause: Hand to Hand Oman - 15 June

    Sythe
    12 Jun 2013 | 12:41 am
    This Saturday 15th June at the Al Noor hall (thats the one above Costa Coffee / Subway / Mackenzies Deli in MQ) is hosting a charity event: Dance for a cause. The cause being, Hand to Hand Oman  - an initiative for raise funds for the Oman Cancer association. Tickets cost RO 5, it is an all-ages event (no alcohol) and runs from 5pm until 11pm. The money from the tickets will go to renovate the department which takes care of young cancer cases. le fin.

  • A free concert in tribute to Sarah White

    Sythe
    11 Jun 2013 | 2:00 am
    This coming Saturday 15 June at 7:30pm at the Bosch Centre for the Performing Arts (TAISM) there is a free concert of music, entrance is free but there will be a collection for a childrens cancer charity, Dar Al-Hanan, which is an initiative of the National Association for Cancer Awareness (NACA). le fin.
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    ExpatriateLife

  • These are the good old days

    Judy
    10 Jun 2013 | 4:45 am
    When we lived in Baku, on days when life proved particularly challenging, such as the water or power being off for longer than usual, when loneliness and culture shock overwhelmed us or we pined for foods from home (broccoli, lettuce, Kraft Dinner), we would end our moaning with a wry smile and say “One day, these will be the good old days.” We laughed then, but over time memory is kind, and sooner than expected we looked back fondly at our life there, even the things we struggled with the most. By the time we got to Egypt I was getting wise to this, particularly as I had realized that…

  • 4 Things I’ve learned about repatriating well

    Judy
    27 May 2013 | 5:38 am
    Courtesy Stock Xchng Maybe Steve Jobs was right and we can only connect the dots looking backwards.  At one point I would have said that I had no advice for anyone repatriating other than to simply hang on and get through it.  But now, looking back, I can see that there were at least 4 things that I probably did right, even though it didn’t necessarily feel like that at the time. Leave well We had more notice of this last repatriation than we’d ever had before, several months in fact.  This meant there was time both to say our farewells to people and places and start thinking about…

  • One more thing I would do differently …

    Judy
    13 May 2013 | 5:11 am
    I need to add one more thing to my list of things I would have done differently and that is to read (and re-read regularly) A Career in Your Suitcase which has just been republished by it’s original author, Jo Parfitt, and her new collaborator, Colleen Reichrath-Smith. If you read an earlier version of Jo’s book, as I did, then don’t think you can skip this new edition.  It has been completely reworked and updated, and Colleen’s contribution as a professional career consultant is considerable.. This book should be mandatory reading for any accompanying partner and I hope HR…

  • Families in Global Transition Conference 2013: Day 2

    Judy
    15 Apr 2013 | 4:58 am
    Day 2 of the conference I decided on a slower start which unfortunately meant missing out on that day’s Early Bird discussions over breakfast.  I arrived just in time to grab a coffee and something to eat during the announcements before heading off to my first session. As I chose Eva Lazslo-Herbert’s presentation entitled “Living Whilst Surviving.”  I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, but I’d heard rave reviews of her keynote speech at the 2012 conference.  Born in Transylvania she has lived and worked her way across Europe acquiring languages, in the way most of us gather…

  • Families in Global Transition Conference 2013: Day 1

    Judy
    1 Apr 2013 | 5:30 am
    As always the Families in Global Transition conference sparked a lot of ideas in me, including ideas for future blog posts, but to start with, here is some straight reporting on the conference itself. One thing everyone comments on about FIGT is the friendly atmosphere.  Those of us who arrived the night before met up in the hotel lounge and it was impossible to tell who was a newcomer and who was an old-timer as the small group quickly fell into animated conversations over drinks and snacks. You will never be short of something to do at an FIGT conference.  Even discussions over breakfast…
 
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    In Search of a Life Less Ordinary

  • Return to Wild Rose Country

    Russell Ward
    16 Jun 2013 | 4:56 am
    When I was younger, the world was as big as my backyard. As I grew, the world grew with me. It became as big as my street, then as big as my neighbourhood, and soon as big as my home town. But it was never big enough. I needed more. I wanted to travel. At this time, I began to learn about Canada from my mother and grandmother. My grandfather is a Canadian, or was, because he died before I was born, and I credit him with much of my love of the country. I grew up learning stories of his life in the great outdoors - the farm he lived on in northern Ontario, his exploits as a driver and…

  • The Romance of Train Travel: Crossing Canada by Rail

    Russell Ward
    6 Jun 2013 | 2:04 am
    At 10.31pm on a typically grey and moody evening in Vancouver, the Canadian pulls slowly away from the Pacific Union station. It's a low key affair, another passenger train departing for Canada's east. Champagne is served in the last of the train's 24 carriages, the Park car, as the windows darken with the onset of night.  The Canadian is one of VIA Rail's flagship transcontinental passenger trains and a train so iconic that, in 2013, it will be featured on Canada’s new 10-dollar bill. The Canadian is a refurbished stainless steel return to the 1950s when voyaging by train sat firmly…

  • Vancouver, The Best Place On Earth

    Russell Ward
    27 May 2013 | 2:59 pm
    I always knew this was going to be emotional. Returning to Vancouver, that is. Although we last visited the city two years ago, it was a short trip, a couple of days, a momentary blip in time. That vacation has haunted me since - there was much I wanted to see but didn't - and I hoped this five-day Vancouver experience on the Journey to TBEX: #ExploreCanada Blogger Train would lay to rest some of the ghosts of that visit. If I had to pick a favourite city, Vancouver would win out again and again. I have a personal connection to this city - it was our first point of entry when we emigrated to…

  • Have Baby, Will Travel

    Russell Ward
    21 May 2013 | 3:12 pm
    Flying with babies. Those three words scare me. Or at least they did. Because having a baby should never stop you from travelling - the only thing that may stop you is a fear of the unknown. And the tears. And the public tantrums. Before flying to Canada on Friday for the TBEX Travel Blogger Train, I desperately wanted to put out a post asking for any advice for travelling with infants. I suffered the odd cold sweat and a little anxiety about the long distance. My wife, meanwhile, sat in a corner chewing her nails down to the nub. Predictably we ran out of time, hurtling around the house…

  • 'Britain Basks in Glorious Sunshine!'

    Russell Ward
    11 May 2013 | 8:26 pm
    It's a headline my fellow countrymen back in the UK could only dream of a few weeks ago. After what seemed like 22 months of unending cold winter weather, Britain is finally emerging from its annual deep freeze. With a brutally determined cold snap lasting until late April and records tumbling as the country shivered its way through one frigid month after the other, the Brits can finally breathe a sigh of relief. For winter is over. And the weather isn't the only tell-tale sign. There is one other sign those dark days are behind the British. People are coming out of hibernation. Facebook is…
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    Expat Explorer

  • Country in Review: Thailand

    17 Jun 2013 | 4:13 am
    Picture source: Flickr Thailand has become synonymous with desert island holidays, which have been helped by popular Hollywood films. With its pleasant surroundings and laidback lifestyle, it is easy to see why Thailand is consistently ranked as one of the top expat destinations, according to our Expat Explorer survey. However Thailand is more than just sun and beach and we scratch beneath the surface to explore what this charming South East Asian gem has to offer. Picture source: Wikicommons With evidence of humans living in Thailand for over 40,000 years, the cultural heritage in the…

  • Guest Blogger Series: Introducing…Helen McClure (part 1)

    14 Jun 2013 | 3:22 am
    We have the pleasure of introducing Helen  McClure tweeting @expatexplorers as our guest blogger this week. Here, Helen talks about driving etiquette in the UAE. Forever going in circles – how do you drive in the UAE? Camel sign – take care with other road users Over a glass of wine, Dubai expats enjoy discussing the finer points of driving etiquette, as much as the Brits enjoy discussing the weather. Traffic jams, poor road layouts, accidents and pile-ups. It is little wonder that the habits of some can leave a lot to be desired. In general, there are two main issues: the road…

  • Country in Review: New Zealand

    12 Jun 2013 | 3:49 am
    Image source: Flickr When people think of New Zealand the first thing that springs to mind tends to be  a certain film series about a quest to save the world (no prizes for guessing which). But there’s much more to the islands than a mere film franchise. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting things that New Zealand has to offer any expat who chooses to live there. Image source: Flickr One of the best things about New Zealand is its unique culture. It was one of the last places in the world to be settled, with Maori settlers arriving in the late thirteenth century. New…

  • Dealing with Failure

    10 Jun 2013 | 3:41 am
    Being an expat can be a great experience and is one of the biggest opportunities life has to offer. However, as with anything, there are times when things may not work out quite as you’d planned. We’ve compiled a few tips for those times when the expat dream feels a little more like a nightmare. If at first you don’t succeed… …then try, and try again. It’s important to keep a positive mental attitude when you fail to and to make sure you keep on going and push past all barriers to your success. So, why don’t you take inspiration from the below photo: you can’t make an omelette…

  • Guest Blogger Series: Introducing…Alena Hadley

    7 Jun 2013 | 3:39 am
    We have the pleasure of introducing Alena Hadley tweeting @AlenasAdventure as our guest blogger today. Here, Alena tells us all about… Trading in Supermarkets for Bazaars: Life in Egypt in the 1970s On the morning of my first grade class’s show-and-tell day, my mom stuffed my backpack with memories from her and my dad’s life abroad. At school, my classmates and I sat in a circle on the carpet, eagerly watching each other show off various treasures usually reserved for home. My friends talked about their princess dolls, matchbox cars, and stuffed animals. When my turn came, I excitedly…
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    Expatify

  • The new “Most expensive expat cites” list is out, with the usual misleading data

    Tom
    10 Jun 2013 | 4:19 am
    The fine folks at ECA International, which is evidently a global human resources consultancy firm, has released its 2013 list of the most expensive cities for expats, and most outlets seem to reprint it without evaluation. I’ve actually mentioned this in the past, but this year the list is even more skewed than before, so [...]

  • As an American living abroad, I actually miss the tipping culture

    Tom
    3 Jun 2013 | 4:08 am
    I can name dozens of things that I prefer in other cultures to the equivalents in my native USA, including the Metric system, having the final price displayed instead of the pre-tax price, and a greater emphasis on local markets and seasonal foods. That’s just the beginning, but among the American things I prefer is [...]

  • The people were so friendly! – Where isn’t this true?

    Tom
    27 May 2013 | 3:36 am
    Most of us like to avoid using cliches like the plague, but one cliche that people never seem to acknowledge is the automatic answer people give to the question, “what did you like about the place?” With only a few exceptions, people say, “Oh, the people were so friendly!” The weird thing for me about [...]

  • To find new expat friends, look for a pub quiz

    Tom
    20 May 2013 | 3:22 am
    I’m not proud of it of course but I have to admit that I’m normally no good at making new friends as an expat adult. It’s challenging enough when I’m in my home town or at least a town where everyone speaks the same language I do, and it’s even more difficult when I’m living [...]

  • For cheap foreign dental care, look beyond the flashy large clinics

    Tom
    13 May 2013 | 3:41 am
    So-called Dental Tourism (along with Medical Tourism) is a hot topic these days as more people realize they might be able to get dental work AND a holiday for less than the price of the dental work alone back home. Of course this mainly applies to those living in the US, Canada, and some parts [...]
 
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    The Zieglers Blog

  • Entering Canada as a Temporary Foreign Worker

    Guest
    10 Jun 2013 | 2:25 pm
    Unless you are a foreign diplomat, star athlete, top investigator, clergyperson, performing artist, high profile news reporter, convention organizer or an expert witness whose services are required in court, (or a handful of similar exceptions) you will require a temporary work permit if you want to work in Canada, but are not a citizen or permanent resident. Canada accepts almost 100,000 foreign temporary workers a year under its Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). These foreign workers are intended to help Canadian employers address skill shortages, and therefore are…

  • I want to live in Canada, what should I do to start?

    Mr.G
    21 May 2013 | 9:40 am
    Believe me, the first step has nothing to do with knowing what forms to fill or what papers to submit. It has to do with you and your decision. There are a few questions I think you should ask to yourself right away. I advice you to use your best judgment and be honest. You are not fooling anyone but yourself. Ask yourself Who you are Do you really know who you are? What do you have that can be useful in Canada for others? What is your experience? Are you really experienced enough? Are you wealth enough? Are you young enough? Ask yourself “Why” Why do you want to leave your…

  • Manitoba goes to Southern Europe on recruitment mission: Spain and Greece on target!

    Mr.G
    4 May 2013 | 10:45 am
    A reader from Spain passed me the link to this information. From the Choose Manitoba web site, it reads: Southern Europe Recruitment Mission Representatives of the Manitoba government’s immigration program (the MPNP) will be in southern European in June to interview skilled workers for temporary and long-term employment opportunities in Canada. MPNP officials and Manitoba employers will be in Spain, Italy and Greece in early June to interview nationals of those countries for pre-arranged jobs in industry, business, service, trades and other skilled occupations. (Portuguese passport holders…

  • List of eligible occupations for Canada immigration 2013: Is yours one of them?

    Mr.G
    28 Apr 2013 | 2:00 pm
    As you may already know, there is a list of eligible occupations that Canada determined as the ones to have in the new Federal Skilled Worker program. Each one of these 24 occupations has a “NOC Code”, which is a number that identifies it in a big list Canada has to describe all the occupations in this country. Each code has an entry in the database where you will find a description (what is the person doing that job suppose to do and know), the names of the jobs related to the occupation and some other information. If you want to immigrate to Canada through the Federal Skilled…

  • Federal Skilled Worker Program: Can I apply or not?

    Mr.G
    21 Apr 2013 | 5:00 pm
    If you are still confused about the changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program announced last week, hopefully this diagram will help you clarify… Remember, if you have questions always ask a certified professional! The post Federal Skilled Worker Program: Can I apply or not? appeared first on The Zieglers Blog.
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    usexpatcostarica.com

  • Photos: Creatures That Creep Through My Treehouse

    Erin Morris
    17 Jun 2013 | 9:52 pm
    There is nothing quite like a week away from my Costa Rican treehouse in the jungle to remind me how close to nature I really live. I saw a few bugs inside my parent’s condo in the States, but that’s only because I opened the doors to let fresh air in when no one was looking. I was busted as soon as my folks felt the humidity dampen their carefully conditioned inside air.

  • Going to the Dogs!

    Kat Sunlove
    14 Jun 2013 | 4:28 pm
    The big news around here today is named Winston, or Winnie for short, and he's a Chocolate Lab mix puppy with amazing golden eyes. I saw him at the feria today, offered for adoption by the Animales Abandonadas, a local foundation that works with p...

  • Two Types of Bars, Wood Walls and Natural Supports

    Kimberly Beck
    13 Jun 2013 | 7:07 am
    Our cottage in the woods – Building a two-story house on our farm in Limon Costa Rica. We have pictures that show how we hid electrical wires in a single panel wall, how we added decorative, natural supports and our

  • Cows are cute

    lavaeha
    10 Jun 2013 | 8:41 am
    Costa Rican cows are just so darn cute. And ubiquitous.  You’ll find them standing in the middle of the road. Or on the beach. Their white hides dot the hillsides. An important part of the local culture, they’re recorded in Cach’s art. There’s a rumor that George Lucas has a home in Costa Rica and I …Read More

  • Banded Calico Snake (Oxyrhopus petola)

    Kimberly Beck
    8 Jun 2013 | 4:43 pm
    Photographing the Banded Calico Snake The Banded Calico Snake or Gargantilla falsa as it is known in Costa Rica was a very interesting snake to photograph. She didn’t strike at us or give us trouble but she was a lot
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    The American Resident

  • Where I Live: Books

    Michelle Garrett
    18 Jun 2013 | 2:48 am
    The American ResidentThis one is straight out of Lord of the Rings. One of my favourite moments in life is that space between opening a novel and discovering yourself in another country, sliding from your comfortable sofa with your feet tucked up underneath you, to a new place, the landscape forming around you as you walk along with your protagonist. Anticipation at the book’s threshold: The place where you stand on the edge and gaze in, assessing. The waiting breath and the question, will this be a good book? Will I make excuses to stop for lunch half an hour early? Books Where I Live. I…

  • Where I Live: Junk Food

    Michelle Garrett
    11 Jun 2013 | 3:01 am
    The American ResidentA perfect pairing. I am a foodie. I love all kinds of food: I love slimline salads that look Pinterest perfect. I love Michelin starred fancy food with flavour combos that if your four year old suggested them you would laugh till you cried and put it on Facebook for everyone else to ‘Like’ and say ‘awww, kids!‘ but when in the £££££ restaurant you sit primly eating as if it’s nectar of the Gods. I love cereal for dinner if my husband is away. I love cereal for lunch if I am working from home. I love I love artery-thickening, free-radical…

  • Talliston Writers’ Circle

    Michelle Garrett
    6 Jun 2013 | 2:17 am
    The American Resident The very room where I discuss word organisation. Photo credit: GilesG Photography   What benefit does being a member of a writing group give me?. . . Running along the uneven road Melissa watched the heavy clouds roll overhead and then their darkness fell to Earth, pouring rain across the landscape, the road immediately turning black. Her feet quickly wet, the rain reached through her hair down her neck as she ran on. A gate swung open next to her, startling her. How had she not noticed it? Where was she? Disorientated she looked through the gate, up the crooked…

  • Where I Live: Indoors

    Michelle Garrett
    4 Jun 2013 | 5:22 am
    The American ResidentI work from home so I spend a lot of time within my doors. I try to get out for walks and gardening, but most of my time is inside. Our homes are our sanctuaries from the world, the place where we have a bit more control (in varying degrees depending on the age of your children), an island of ours, a creation of blended personalities. I would have more plants, more weird wall hangings, more rugs and quirky (read: interesting, of course) objects on bookshelves if I lived alone. My husband would have polished concrete surfaces and nothing else if he lived alone. Together we…

  • How British Expats in the USA Can Protect Their Pensions

    Michelle Garrett
    29 May 2013 | 11:51 pm
    The American Resident This helpful post was written and paid for by Which Offshore. Read on for useful information on pension transfer… It is the allure of the American dream that persuades many to seek a better life in the USA. Although immigration rules for British expats are relatively strict, those who make the move can expect lower property prices in many states, lower costs of living and a warmer climate. However, British expats are often leaving the social safety net of the welfare system in the UK, and that means careful financial planning is absolutely essential. Only be making…
 
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    Culture Every Day

  • Raising Culture-Savvy Kids: An Interview on Wandering Educators

    Justine Ickes
    13 Jun 2013 | 9:48 pm
    This week I’m over on Wandering Educators waxing philosophical about kids, culture and my new e-book The Culture Genie’s Guide to the Movies! Want to get your own copy? Sign up here. Then hop on over to Wandering Educators and read my interview. The post Raising Culture-Savvy Kids: An Interview on Wandering Educators appeared first on Culture Every Day.

  • Indulge Your Cultural Cravings at the Bazaar

    Justine Ickes
    29 May 2013 | 9:30 pm
    Welcome to The Bazaar The Bazaar is a quarterly compendium of culture finds that I’ve discovered on my travels around the web. Think of them as mental popcorn to inspire new insights, confirm the tried and true, and feed your cultural cravings. TRAVEL: Photographer and writer Eric Gauger takes you to the heart of some of the most riveting places on earth with his breathtaking images and evocative stories, all “written merely for the joy of curious explorers and travelers.” Notes from the Road PONDER : Imagine if you were forced to abandon your home and leave your worldly possessions…
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    Pass the Ham

  • Celebrating San Antonio

    Hamatha
    13 Jun 2013 | 6:44 am
    Pass the HamI know it appears as if I’m developing a very strong addiction to chulapos and I really can’t argue that I’m not. Any traditional Madrid festival or celebration and I’m there. It’s as if I’m turning into one of those … Continue reading →Pass the Ham

  • Madrid’s Royal Palace and the Changing of the Guard

    Hamatha
    6 Jun 2013 | 11:30 pm
    Pass the HamSo, am I the only one who didn’t know that Madrid’s Royal Palace has a formal changing of the guard ceremony? All these years living in Madrid and I had no idea this event even existed, so I was more … Continue reading →Pass the Ham

  • Day Trips from Jerusalem

    Hamatha
    4 Jun 2013 | 2:18 am
    Pass the HamWhat was that? Yeah, yeah, I know it seems like forever since I went to Israel. But that doesn’t mean I can’t continue to drone on and on and on and… While Jerusalem is a city I could explore for … Continue reading →Pass the Ham

  • Bus Touries : A Spotlight on Group Travel

    Hamatha
    27 May 2013 | 6:33 am
    Pass the HamPaul “My friend, Paul. He travels a lot, you know, and when I told him I was going to Europe he told me to not advertise that I’m American. Like, he said that I shouldn’t eat like an American. You … Continue reading →Pass the Ham

  • Jerusalem, Part Twosalem

    Hamatha
    15 May 2013 | 8:59 am
    Pass the HamSo, this spring has just been crazy busy so far, hasn’t it? Isn’t it time to be sipping cold beer and claras on terraces or something? Because no one has informed me. I’ve been here and there and guiri running … Continue reading →Pass the Ham
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    Le Franco Phoney

  • More baby goats in the Aravis

    Wendy
    14 Jun 2013 | 5:22 am
    I recently wrote about the lovely baby goats I got to feed and pat at the refuge near Thônes called Le Ferme des Vônezins. The ones pictured here are different goats in a very accessible place, and I’m surprised that I haven’t written about this before, given the photo on my ‘About me‘ page features goats from the same farm. The goat farm at the very end of the Les Confins area of La Clusaz is open all year ’round. In winter, the goats are kept in a big shed with barn doors that are only closed at night and during the coldest weather. Most days, you can stand…

  • Looking up in Annecy #3

    Wendy
    10 Jun 2013 | 2:55 pm
    After looking up in a street in Annecy and seeing a sign that shows the pedestrianised area used to be a main highway, I’ve started looking up more frequently. My efforts were rewarded pretty quickly when I saw this cow on top of a bus stop! Annecy has never hosted the Cow Parade, so seeing a random cow on top of a bus stop shelter does seem a bit unusual. However, the area is known for its local cheeses, especially Reblochon and Tomme Blanche, so maybe a cow on a bus stop shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. I’ve no idea why it’s there or how long it’s been…

  • It’s fly swatting season in the French Alps!

    Wendy
    5 Jun 2013 | 2:55 am
    You might remember my rant a few years ago about the lack of fly wire screens in rural France despite the high number of flies due to the cows. This year, the late spring has kept fly numbers down. This would be fantastic if it were warm enough to leave the windows open and sit outside. On the rare sunny day this spring, the flies have come out in force, and when summer finally arrives in St Jean de Sixt, the flies will be owning those mounds of cow poo in the fields. Pictured are just a few of the fly eradication instruments I’ve tried using over the years. Let me give you the low-down…

  • Looking up in Annecy #2

    Wendy
    31 May 2013 | 12:00 am
    One of the great things about Annecy is how quickly it sprouts from a wintery, quiet town into a lively hive of activity. By May, vibrant flower pots line the gushing canals, and the ice cream shops already have queues of people shuffling sideways to see what flavours are on offer. You might remember that I wrote about the old highway signpost in the pedestrianised zone of Annecy. This has prompted me to look up around town more, and I’ve already seen a few interesting things. I snapped this photo a week later on one of the rare blue-sky days in May. The weather was so agreeable that…

  • Attempting French theatre

    Wendy
    27 May 2013 | 12:05 am
    One of the most challenging things about living in a foreign country is learning their language and culture. I’m not sure out of those two which is the most difficult in France: the language takes time to learn, with exceptions to every rule (and exceptions to some of those exceptions), but the culture really has to be observed rather than taught. It’s a time-thirsty task, and a very enjoyable one, although at times it can be just as confusing as all those language exceptions. Some aspects of French culture, such as song lyrics and plays, are impossible to understand until you…
 
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    Expatlog

  • That Laugh

    Aisha Ashraf
    19 Jun 2013 | 2:37 pm
    As I waited for the punchline that never came I was suddenly, brutally aware I was sitting next to a man I didn’t know...The post That Laugh appeared first on Expatlog.

  • A-Z of Canada: E is for Emerge

    Aisha Ashraf
    17 Jun 2013 | 4:21 pm
    Appropriating a vividly descriptive verb, robbing it of its meaning and demoting it to a banal noun to save yourself uttering two extra syllables grates on me like fingernails on a blackboard... yes, it's a rant!The post A-Z of Canada: E is for Emerge appeared first on Expatlog.

  • BPD LIKE A BOSS! Don’t let your diagnosis define you

    Aisha Ashraf
    13 Jun 2013 | 11:17 am
    Knowledge is power. The more you know about your adversary the greater your chances of defeating them, UNLESS you mistake knowledge for a hook to hang personal responsibility on...The post BPD LIKE A BOSS! Don’t let your diagnosis define you appeared first on Expatlog.

  • Traitor to my Culture

    Aisha Ashraf
    10 Jun 2013 | 2:50 pm
    Culture can be captivating and deadly – like a Venus Fly-Trap. You may be screaming to break free of it or banging on the door to be admitted. I’ve been both.The post Traitor to my Culture appeared first on Expatlog.

  • A-Z of Canada: D is for dandelion, Dollarstore and ‘due diligence’

    Aisha Ashraf
    29 May 2013 | 10:01 am
    I’ve neglected my A-Z of Canada for long enough so here’s D, delivered with a renewed commitment to make it to the end of the alphabet… eventually.The post A-Z of Canada: D is for dandelion, Dollarstore and ‘due diligence’ appeared first on Expatlog.
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    iExpats

  • World looks to China for economic leadership

    Lisa Smith
    18 Jun 2013 | 8:19 pm
    iExpats Article by Lisa SmithWith the US economy struggling to grow and help lead the world out of global recession, investors and analysts are increasingly looking to China but even there many believe the desperately needed growth will not come. Growth will not be driven by Europe’s poorly performing economies and the raft of policies introduced in Japan, known as ‘Abenomics after the new prime minister, have yet to make themselves felt outside of the country. This leaves everyone looking to China, a country that has posted impressive double-digit GDP growth figures for two decades but…

  • Millionaires make knowing about money a priority

    Lisa Smith
    18 Jun 2013 | 8:13 pm
    iExpats Article by Lisa SmithProof that understanding finances can help people get richer has been revealed in new research. This financial literacy also leads to positive behaviours such as saving for a rainy day, the survey reveals. The research shows that the most knowledgeable investors about finances tend also to be the richest with 40% of people worth between £3.2 million and £16.2 million describing themselves as being ‘very knowledgeable’ when it comes to investing. That response falls to just 11% for non-millionaires who have up to £650,000 to invest. Rich people say that…

  • Don’t Consider All Volatile Investments As Too Risky

    Lisa Smith
    18 Jun 2013 | 7:57 pm
    iExpats Article by Lisa SmithInvestors and financial advisors should revisit what they mean by risk because they could miss out on long term profits. Most investors consider volatility in the markets a risk, but for one man, investing in volatile assets is sometimes distressing, but the returns make the price worth paying. Greg Davies, of Barclays Bank, argues volatile assets are not always a risk in the hunt for profits. Most investment firms use a similar methodology risk assessing an investment, he explains, called standard deviation. He says that a portfolio harnessing low yielding assets…

  • You Need Cash When You’re Older, Not On Retirement

    Jim Atkins
    18 Jun 2013 | 7:47 pm
    iExpats Article by Jim AtkinsMost retirement savers have worked out their cash needs on quitting work in reverse, according to new research. The traditional way to work out how much income needed in retirement is to look at replacing around 75% of pre-retirement income from savings and pensions. However, a new study from insurance and pensions giant Standard Life suggests financial advisers have got it wrong – and the reverse is true. The research results show that most people need more money later in retirement rather than when they give up work. Standard Life explains this is because…

  • Make Arranging An Expat Mortgage Less Of A Nightmare

    Jim Atkins
    17 Jun 2013 | 10:45 pm
    iExpats Article by Jim AtkinsArranging a mortgage against somewhere to live in Britain is proving a huge problem for expats who want to keep a toehold on home. Finding a lender willing to take a mortgage application from an expat is the first issue as more and more international banks and building societies shut up shop. The latest to go is Lloyds Banking Group. The firm pulled out of the expat mortgage market a few months ago, and has now given up flying the flag overseas for personal banking by selling most offshore interests to a private bank in Switzerland. The market has a gaping hole,…
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    expatsblog.com

  • Government to investigate UK expat benefit fraudsters in Spain

    Steph MacDonald
    19 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    Official from the UK government have announced a crackdown on UK expats living in Spain involved in benefit fraud. Investigators from the UK’s Work and Pensions Department are claiming that British expats living in Spain are the worst for benefit fraud of any country in which British expats are residing. The British Embassy in Madrid... Expats Blog -

  • Saudi construction projects stymied by expat exodus

    Louise Baldwin
    19 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    Saudi Arabia’s controversial government immigration amnesty is having its expected result as thousands of workers leave, affecting a majority of the kingdom’s construction projects. According to industry experts, as many as 80 per cent of present projects could be seriously delayed as a result of the government decree, believed to be... Expats Blog -

  • Expats lose billions due to weak pound and currency fluctuations

    Steph MacDonald
    18 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    Expat pensioners living all over the world have lost billions of pounds sterling due to the weakness of sterling and fluctuations in currency exchanges. According to a leading currency exchange company, British pensioners living overseas have been hard hit since 2007 when the £ sterling was hit by the financial crisis. Currency... Expats Blog -

  • Trash turns to cash for UAE expat workers

    Louise Baldwin
    18 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    The transient expat community in the United Arab Emirates is learning that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure as yard sales and classified ads become respectable. Prior to the 2008 financial crash, UAE expat society was obsessed by the new, shiny and sparkly, with cruising flea markets for bargains considered as uncool as it gets.... Expats Blog -

  • Innocent tourist family arrested due to airline drugs record

    Steph MacDonald
    17 Jun 2013 | 10:00 am
    The arrest and punishment of an innocent French family by immigration officers at Thailand’s Phuket Airport is being explained away as a mistake by Phuket’s governor. French holidaymakers Damien Della Libera, his partner Eloide Triche and their daughter Oxanna were arrested when they were honest enough to realise they and several other... Expats Blog -
 
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    impressions of an expat

  • three years

    17 Jun 2013 | 3:51 am
    There have always been fortresses, steep walls that protect jewels and royal blood, important papers and swords. I used to think the world  or Kremlin meant "wall", red brick upon red brick and nothing more. In the same breath, the Kremlin means power and ultimate rule, decisions handed down for everyone to follow without question. There is something completely closed, absolutely epic about this. It allows for no messy surprises, no air to sweep through windows that blows papers from desks, no random accomplishments. Behind these walls everything is known and nothing changes. To…

  • tiny epic

    10 Jun 2013 | 3:58 am
    They float upwards, drifting past the windows in splotches of afternoon sunlight. For a moment, it can make you feel like everything outside is upside-down, or that a snow globe has replaced the sky. I feel a half-dizzy vertigo if I watch them too long as they drift to the gutter, seeping in the kitchen windows to paint the bottoms of frying pans, the corners of cabinets. These poplar seeds will fly for about three weeks, the result of an ill-conceived attempt to make Moscow greener when Stalin made the country's decisions.  The romantics and the newcomers think they are magical…

  • no smoking (quiet exceptions)

    3 Jun 2013 | 4:16 am
    Walking across the glass-encased bridge looking down at the muddy river water, N's hand in mine we make our way down the stairs her heels wobbling as she leans against me. There is dust in the street, white puffy seeds in the air, the roar of passing traffic.  "It is still better to walk than to drive." I say at one point. "You aren't in heels." She answers, as we navigate around some abandoned construction barriers and a gaping hole in the sidewalk. The restaurant is quiet until the live music returns, blaring Sade covers so loud we cannot speak across the table. The fish is good. The…

  • nobody can laugh as loud (tiny earthquakes)

    27 May 2013 | 3:42 am
    It is already 9:15 and I am rushing down the sidewalk past the construction crews that have ripped up the road in giant black chunks, already stripped to the waist sunburned and filthy. E is texting me to bring flowers and I tell her I did not forget the chocolates for her teacher. No, flowers too she writes, but there is no time and the stores open at ten. Ok just come quickly she answers. There are giant puddles to navigate, with her guitar slung across my shoulder, the bag to carry gym clothes, my camera. Upstairs the room is already crammed full of children and parents, people standing in…

  • waiting

    20 May 2013 | 2:46 am
    I hear honking from the balcony. The sound is weak, like one of those little toy cans that you turn on their side that makes the sound of a cow. A trolley bus stands in the middle of the street, blocked by a sedan. No one is in the car. Now a second trolley bus waits behind the first one. They are connected to a web of wires that run along the traffic lights above the streets, and spark sometimes when it rains.  The black sedan is more than double-parked in an active street. It was left in the only lane the trolleys can use. A woman in a fluorescent orange vest and flip flops comes out…
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    Lost In The Leaf City

  • Vegetarian Food In Calgary: My First Quest

    admin
    18 Jun 2013 | 8:35 pm
    When I received the free vegetarian/vegan starter kit from PETA I knew then that I have to start my plan of becoming a vegetarian. It’s one of the plans stocked in the “maybe someday” zone of my...

  • [Flickr]

    PunRun
    17 Jun 2013 | 1:54 pm
    PunRun posted a photo:

  • [Flickr]

    PunRun
    17 Jun 2013 | 1:54 pm
    PunRun posted a photo:

  • [Flickr]

    PunRun
    17 Jun 2013 | 1:53 pm
    PunRun posted a photo:

  • [Flickr]

    PunRun
    17 Jun 2013 | 1:53 pm
    PunRun posted a photo:
 
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    Cartus Blog

  • BULLETIN: Massive protests in Brazil cause delays

    Pawel Wojnowski
    19 Jun 2013 | 11:53 am
    Protests over increased bus fares that started about two weeks ago in Sao Paulo developed this week into a nationwide movement, with tens of thousands of people countrywide taking to the streets in major cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, and Brasilia. Latest messages on social networking sites state that tomorrow, Thursday, June 20, the demonstrations may reach record-high numbers, with websites asking citizens to gather at downtown locations in major cities at 6 p.m. Brazil time.  The protesters are calling for more efficient government, less…

  • Moving with Pets | Sassy’s Incredible Adventure

    Meredith Obreiter
    18 Jun 2013 | 1:00 pm
    Monday: We’re Relocating? My people are being relocated. I don’t know what that means exactly, but I do know it means we have to leave our home and go to a new place. I don’t like change — I’m a creature of habit. The dog is excited about the new adventure, but I don’t care that much. The dog’s a wimp. As long as I have a soft, warm bed in the new home, and lots of attention from my people (when I want it), I’ll be fine. Tuesday: Dealing with Stress Before the big move, there is so much activity in the house, all I want to do is escape and hide out in the yard where it’s…

  • Cartus Brings Home 15 “Connecticut Quality Improvement Award” Innovation Prizes

    Patricia Small
    14 Jun 2013 | 1:00 pm
    On June 12, Luis Amaral and Srini Rao of Customer Finance and Molly O’Byrne of Marketing accompanied me to the 26th Annual Conference on Quality and Innovation in beautiful Portland, CT. Sponsored by The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) Partnership, the CQIAs, as they are known, annually honor the finest examples of problem solving and process improvement in the state of Connecticut. For 2013, Cartus submitted 15 prize-winning innovations. CQIA is America’s first state-level quality awards program to use the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence…

  • Summer at Cartus: Picnics, Relaxed Dress Code, and Interns!

    Laura Kavanaugh
    12 Jun 2013 | 1:00 pm
    How many of you remember your first “real” job … you know, the one where you got up early every day, showed up on time, and actually got paid?  The one that was perhaps a springboard for your grown-up career? The one that meant the end of staying out until 3 a.m. on a Wednesday night and sleeping until noon the next day? (We all did that, right? OK, maybe that was just me.) Cartus’ Danbury office has a fresh new batch of 42 interns for the summer, all eager to launch their adult lives and get a taste of their first corporate job. The interns were welcomed at a breakfast at the…

  • Cartus On The Ground | Relocating to Qatar

    Cristina Evans
    10 Jun 2013 | 1:00 pm
    The State of Qatar on the Persian Gulf has become a more frequent international assignment destination in recent years. With large reserves of oil and natural gas, the country and its capital Doha are expanding at a rapid rate, with significant new construction and infrastructure projects under way as the country prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.  In my role as Cartus’ Emerging Markets specialist in the EMEA region, I visited Qatar last week and found that the increased volume of assignees moving into Doha has put pressure on the housing market,  limiting choice and availability.
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