Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying a lovely week! Please take a few minutes to read, enjoy, share and tweet about our new February home page features below. Thanks so much and I wish you a wonderful week! Andrea
Success Story
Irmgard Lafrentz
President, Globalpress Connection
Germany's Irmgard Lafrentz moved to Silicon Valley with stars in her eyes, hoping for a job with Cisco, Sun or Intel. With no job offer forthcoming, Irmgard started her own business as a global matchmaker between U.S. high technology companies and the international trade and business media. Now, her business turns over six (and sometimes seven) figures...
Read More
Business Idea
Beaded Lily
Lily Mordà
In 2001, Americans Lily Mordà and her husband Timothy James took a two-month trip to Italy, and never left. Since then, Lily and Tim have built a thriving bead business in the Oltrarno – Italy's artisan area in Florence. Students travel from all over the world to learn in their studio, and their beads are bought by the likes of Chanel, Ferragamo and Escada...
Read More
Mothers
Moving Your Children Overseas After A Divorce
Ewan Cambell MacDougall
If you have started a family (or moved your family) overseas but your marriage did not turn out to be the happily ever after you hoped for, you might be feeling like it is time to go back home, or maybe start afresh in a new country. But beware: taking children overseas without the consent of their other parent can be considered child abduction...
Read More
Money Matters
U.S. Expat Taxes in 2012 – What's New?
IJ Zemelman, EA, Taxes for Expats LLP
If you are an American who needs to pay U.S. taxes, this article lets you know about about recent requirements for Foreign Investment Account Reporting (FATCA), gives information for securities and business owners, touches on gift tax dodging and IRS investigations, and highlights increases to IRS auditing measures...
Read More
Expat Confession
Intercultural Couple
Extract from Expat Women: Confessions
Recently I moved to my partner's home country, Japan. I myself am from Denmark, which is where we met. However, ever since we moved to Japan four and half months ago, our relationship has been having problems. It seems that the man I fell in love with has transformed into a different person...
Read More
Meet the Author
No Chopsticks Required: My Family's Unexpected Year In Shanghai
Katrina Beikoff
In 2008, Katrina Beikoff and her partner Gary Smart accepted one-year expat assignments with the Shanghai Daily. What followed was a very busy year involving major events such as China's massive snow storm, the devastating Sichuan earthquake, the Tibetan uprising, the Beijing Olympics, and the melamine-tainted milk scandal...
Read More
Not a Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are reading this blog post online or you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our Expat Women monthly newsletters.
To receive our monthly newsletters and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com. When you join, you will also receive a link to download our free e-book of Winning Stories. Thanks for your support!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Expat Women February 2012 Features
Should You Start A Franchise Business in 2012?
Hi Everyone, We recently asked MyDestination.com (one of our valued ExpatWomen.com sponsors) about why 2012 might be a great year for franchise businesses. If you have ever thought about becoming a franchisee, you might be interested in their response...
Neil Waller:
"The beginning of every year sees many different types of resolutions being made, from quitting smoking, to taking up the gym. Starting your own business is one resolution that is frequently heard, but all too often not followed through. The planning required, financial considerations and the likely success of a new venture, all tend to put people off. However, investing in a franchise business can negate many of these considerations; you can be your own boss and have all the benefits of having your own business, without many of the stresses and strains. Here is why 2012 might be your year for investing in a franchise...
When considering starting a business, the fear of failure leads most people to stay safe and plod along in their current jobs, even though they have a burning entrepreneurial desire. Investing into an already successful and prosperous franchise business will hopefully reduce your stress that the business might fail. If you are already joining a business that is profitable and proven, your franchise should benefit from the authority and reputation of the business you are buying into, significantly reducing the risk of failure.
Entrepreneurs will undoubtedly need much assistance when starting a business, as it is impossible to have adequate experience in all areas of business. When you join a franchise business, you are able to access this experience and expertise needed to grow your franchise, through a centralised support structure that will be in place. As a new franchisee you should be provided with assistance and advice on all areas required to succeed in becoming a successful franchisee (including marketing, advertising, sales and so on).
After all, it is in the interest of the franchise company that as a franchisee you develop your franchise as much as possible. This reduces the risk of making mistakes in developing your franchise, as you will always have a support structure to guide you through the many challenges you will face.
Purchasing a franchise is also significantly cheaper than starting your own business, where overheads often become extortionate very quickly. The main outlay will be the fee you pay for your franchise; this will depend on the size of the franchise that you are buying and what destination it is in. However, for this you should receive all that is necessary to start your franchise, such as a website if it is an online franchise, a restaurant, a shop or maybe some office space. The access to the already mentioned support structure is also invaluable.
In economically uncertain times, franchising does represent a fantastic opportunity to run your own business. The fact that banks and venture capitalists are highly reluctant to invest in start-up businesses, means that you will need to raise most of your business capital yourself these days. So, investing in a franchise could reduce your initial costs, and help to bring benefits to you faster.
Whether you franchise or start solo, I wish you all the very best with whatever you start in 2012! May it be a fabulous year for you.
Warmest regards, Neil Waller, Co-Founder, MyDestination.com."
MyDestination.com is a franchise based network of travel sites, powered by a diverse community of local experts on the ground, providing local knowledge and local deals.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (January 25-26 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope your week has been fantastic! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently that might interest you...
Self-Published (Former Expat) Author Gets Movie Deal After Being Discovered On Twitter
http://bit.ly/AqIunA
Invent Your Future Job: Be Unique, Be Social, Be Global - by Expat Coach Anne Egros
http://bit.ly/wdglBS
5 Most Common Expat Injuries in China
http://bit.ly/yiXRLA
Is America Shutting The Door On Expats?
http://tgr.ph/Az9u4X
Delhi Journal: The Expat Experience (Wall Street Journal)
http://on.wsj.com/AbnBkU
Expat Selena's Observations On Her New Life In the UK
http://bit.ly/zuDviJ
Britons Rush For Australian Visas
http://tgr.ph/ynU41x
Interview: Expat Writing Mentor Jo Parfitt talks to Expat Author Matt Krause About His Turkish Love Story 'A Tight Wide Open Space'
http://bit.ly/yDewJp
Middle East, Africa & Eastern Europe: Best For Expat Pay & Packages
http://tgr.ph/zNu4MB
American Expats: 10 Year IRS Statute of Limitations: How Long Can The IRS Collect From You?
http://bit.ly/zHt2uS
U.S. Military Kids Now Have Their Own (Official) Social Media Playground To Help Deal With Challenges Of Deployment
http://ht.ly/8F4Oz
6th Annual Overseas & Military Voting Summit (Washington & Online) 27 January 2012
http://bit.ly/zD7fIZ
And one from us...
Like Freebies? Here's A (Generous) Sample from our Expat Women Motivational Book. Enjoy! http://bit.ly/mZmTXP
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Expat Entrepreneur Success Story in Russia
Hi Everyone, Here is a wonderful expat success story from Russia. A premium bakery chain that turns over $2 million each month. Incredible!
Hint: If you cannot see the video in your email feed, try clicking on the Russia Today page: http://rt.com/news/prime-time/story-success-pain-quotidien-605/
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Insights from Robin Pascoe, who Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Her First Book for Expats
Hi Everyone, Our wonderful friend Robin Pascoe, well known for her books about expat living, recently celebrated her 20th anniversary of the publication of her first book for expats (congrats Robin!). She reflected on this milestone on Facebook recently, and kindly gave us permission to republish her insights here for your easy reading...
From Robin Pascoe on 12 January 2012:
"I’m always telling people not to ignore important milestones in their lives, but did I mention I rarely take my own advice?
It’s the 20th anniversary of the publication of my first book for expats, indeed an anniversary of the first expat book that told wives it was OK to be angry and resentful of their husbands and to wonder, who the hell am I anyway?
Originally published in 1992 as “The Wife’s Guide to Successful Living Abroad”, in 1993 as “Culture Shock: A Wife’s Guide" but finally, under my own Expatriate Press, re-issued and updated in 2009 and given the title I wanted for it all along, “A Broad Abroad”, it was so much fun to put into words and print what so many women were feeling but no one was saying!
So today, in acknowledging this important milestone in my life (you always remember your first!) here are five great memories I associate with this book:
Of the many rejections I received when sending out the manuscript, my favourite that made me laugh out loud was from a Hong Kong publisher who wrote to me and said: “Expat wives have servants. Why do they need a book?”
The night the publisher in Singapore called me. We were living in Beijing and it had been months since I had sent them the manuscript. The managing editor apologized for just finding it, but she wanted it. I cheekily suggested there should be a follow up book for parents and the editor said, “start writing that now.”
My Chinese cook (yes, ok, I had a cook) came to where I was sitting at the phone, completely unravelled with joy, carrying a tray with a double shot of scotch and a cigarette for me. (No cook, no smoking and actually, no drinking anymore since I lost my fear of flying and no longer need to be fuelled by vodka).
The day the books arrived in Beijing I had a choice: I could go to the airport and be the first to open the boxes containing my new baby. Or I could attend a piano recital of my first baby (an 8-year-old Lilly). I chose my daughter and never regretted it.
My first speaking tour: Husband Rodney said, “You should go to promote the book in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore since you have friends in all three places who would be sure to help you.”
Me? “You mean: alone???”
Never mind that he pushed me out of the nest and my comfort zone, it was in Tokyo that I attended a lecture given by Dave Pollock whose Third Culture Kid bible was still years away from publication. I gave Dave a copy of my new book (since he’s quoted in it) and when he got up to speak to the school audience, the first words out of his mouth were: “I have just been given a book that I know everyone in this room will want to read.” A great friendship and mentorship was born. Like so many people, I still miss him.
Weeks after that first tour: I was sitting at the dining room table in Beijing with my then 3-year-old-son Jay reading a three week old Hong Kong paper, the South China Morning Post. Scanning the book page, I was, as the Brits say, gobsmacked.
“Mommy has the #1 bestseller in Hong Kong, Jay. Eat your carrots.” It was the beginning of leading a life I didn’t participate in (or know about) most of the time.
I realize I could probably write a hundred great stories associated with this book but won’t bore everyone to death. However, I have saved one last great memory that I cherish the most: The countless women who came up to me during my years on the road and said, “Thank you for writing this, Robin.”
Remarkably, the book (and all of the ones which followed) are still selling after all these years!
Find yourself in my books, as I used to say..."
Note: Robin retired from expat writing last year, but her books and videos are still available on her website, ExpatExpert.com.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Happy Birthday Expat Women!
Hi Everyone, Just a quick but sincere post to thank you for your support, feedback and testimonials over the past five years that ExpatWomen.com has been online.
I was just about to log out for the night (it's nearly midnight here) when I realized that today is the birthday of our site's launch five years ago, on 16 January 2007!
Thank you for 'being there' and for 'spreading the word' for us. Incredible to think that we now have more than 2,000 self-submitted Expat Women blogs on our directory, more than 1,000 quality content pages (country and expat club information, motivational articles and more), 300+ readers' stories, 5 years' worth of high quality newsletters, and much more.
I hope ExpatWomen.com has helped you and I appreciate in advance that you please keep spreading news of it to your friends and networks. Thanks so much, and enjoy January 16! Andrea x
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (January 16 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you are having a fabulous start to 2012! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently that might interest you...
The World's Most Walkable Cities
http://bit.ly/ypO4Po
The Highs and Lows of Expatriation
http://fb.me/sECmUFGY
Expat Liz Visits a South Korean Cat Cafe
http://bit.ly/A3VcJz
Registration Now Open for FIGT (Families in Global Transition) Conference, 29-31 March, Washington DC
http://bit.ly/xJnS7k
Is Hong Kong's Pollution Driving Expats Away?
http://tgr.ph/A17DiR
It's Easy to Break the Law in Dubai Without Realising It
http://tgr.ph/wghGT5
Note: After I tweeted this, someone wrote to tell me that a poppy seed on bread could lead to arrest! And another person advised that vanilla essence could do the same! Wow. Be careful, Everyone.
US Migration Study Results Released by United Van Lines
http://bit.ly/xaTo3E
Top 15 Girlfriend Getaways (includes a water slide in a shark tank!)
http://bit.ly/wtYF7a
Expat Author Interview: Russell Ward Talks to Jack Scott about His New Book, Perking The Pansies http://bit.ly/wS0bkk
Expat in Israel? Dr. Dani Kranz in Germany Needs Your Help for A Research Project
http://linkd.in/xkTeeL
How To Work From Home Like You Mean It
http://bit.ly/w0RkjQ
Anyone Interested in The Casting Team Contacting Them for House Hunters International (U.S. version) is Invited to Contact @BlondeinAround via Twitter
Before you clear out your old expat paperwork, send it to the Expat Archive Centre
http://www.xpatarchive.com/
And one from us...
Here is where you can see the latest self-submitted blogs on our Expat Women Blog Directory - Enjoy!
http://bit.ly/igeWXc
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
New Expat Book This Week: At Home In Dubai
Hello Everyone, We do not normally give shout-outs to books that are specific to any one location (given that our members are based in 190 countries), but given that around 25-30% (true!) of our members are based in the United Arab Emirates, we thought you (or your friends in the UAE) might like to know about this new book...
"@ Home in Dubai: Getting Connected - Online and On the Ground"
Author: Anne O'Connell (Released 12 December 2011)
Publisher: Summertime Publishing
Anne kindly sent us an e-review copy and after a quick scan of the rich content, it seems she has done a great job at putting together some very useful information about moving to Dubai - well done!
If you are interested, I invite you to take a look on Amazon.com here (affiliate link) or on Amazon.co.uk here (affiliate link).
Thanks Everyone - and have a great day/night! Andrea
Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (December 14-15 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying a great week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
New: Results From 2011 HSBC Expat Explorer (Expat) Survey
http://bit.ly/sRfJKs
BBC Video: The Life Of The Trailing Spouse Who Wants To Work Abroad, But Cannot
http://bbc.in/uDfvnC
Top 10 Global Topics Most Discussed On Facebook In 2011
http://bit.ly/rYnNr1
Which U.S. Companies Import The Most Talent From Abroad?
http://read.bi/vHIT0s
Best of 2011: Books For, By & About Expats
http://bit.ly/t89EfP
25 Australian Travel Blogs & Bloggers To Watch In 2012
http://bit.ly/rt7sih
How To Live Safely Abroad
http://bit.ly/sycBbR
I Miss The Food & The Massages, But There's Life After China
http://tgr.ph/vMfPB5
More Americans Go Abroad For Economic Opportunities
http://bit.ly/uasXI7
The True Cost Of Expat Living In Australia
http://fb.me/tsv7DedJ
And finally... my personal news of the week via Twitter...
"It's official... Our family's moving again! Kuala Lumpur-to-Sydney-to-Sunshine Coast (Australia) in 4 months... Can't keep up? Neither can I sometimes..." Andrea :)
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Barclays Wealth International: Press Release from an Expat Women Sponsor
Hi Everyone, One of our Expat Women Gold Sponsors, Barclays Wealth International, recently issued a press release about how new clients could save on international payments. If you need to make payments across borders, you might be interested...
Barclays Wealth International: Press Release (Extract Only)
International payments savings for new clients of Barclays Wealth International
* New clients save a minimum of £25 on each international payment1
* Savings also available on a range of other online payments
Barclays Wealth International has introduced an exclusive offer for new clients, which provides significant savings on a range of online payments. Clients who apply for an international bank account with Barclays Wealth International before 6 January 2012 will enjoy the following savings until 14 January 2013:
* Reduced fees on international payments – standard payment charge is waived
* No fees on cross-currency transfers between Barclays accounts
* No fees on euro payments within Europe2
* Free same-day sterling payments (CHAPS payments)
The potential savings for new clients are significant. International clients make on average three international payments each month. By taking advantage of this exclusive offer, an international client making 3 international payments a month could save £900 in one year. For full details of the offer and conditions can be found here: www.barclayswealth.com/paymentsoffer. Thanks.
About Barclays Wealth
Barclays Wealth is a leading global wealth manager, and the UK’s largest, with total client assets of £170bn, as at 30 June 2011. Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 145,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (December 11-12 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you just enjoyed a fabulous weekend! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
How To Be An Expat Inspiration: Diana Baur Interviews Michelle Fabio
http://bit.ly/ttW44l
Companies Unhappy With Expat Strategies: A Survey Of 140+ Companies Has Found Many Not Satisfied
http://tgr.ph/vTQnfH
A Look At The Difference Between The TIME Magazine Cover In The U.S. Versus Abroad
http://ti.me/v8if27
Beware: The Love Trap [Video] on 60 Minutes
(Andrea's Note: I know an expat in Malaysia who fell for this - Don't be a victim...)
http://bit.ly/rGtezt
An Expat’s Guide To Surviving A Tax Audit
http://bit.ly/tahheT
Volvo Executive Elisabet Wenzlaff Tells Of How studying Abroad Helped Her Career
http://on.ft.com/vqVNNk
Is The Grass Really Always Greener On The Other Side?
by Expat Anne Egros (who moved from Belgium to the United States)
http://bit.ly/tDjRjL
Understanding & Overcoming The Challenges Of Pursuing An Expat Career, By Megan Fitzgerald
http://bit.ly/vzMYZQ
Wondering If Traveling Abroad Is For You?
http://bit.ly/sNWsVF
Adventurous Expat Lawyer Cycles 17,000km home from China to Norfolk
http://tgr.ph/sYWzHz
Uncertainty in Expat Life
http://ow.ly/7G67K
Expats: Starting a Franchise Career Abroad? Learn from Fay Jones & Fiona Butler
http://bit.ly/ugS8b8
Expats: Interested In Starting A Business Abroad In France?
http://bit.ly/s8BjaN
American Expats: Can You Still Get Tax Benefits If You Live In A Foreign Restricted Country
http://bit.ly/w0lmoE
...And finally, this one is not expat-related, but I loved it, so am including it just for fun...
[Video]
"100 years of style in 100 seconds."
http://bit.ly/uSKqJQ
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Expat Partners: Do You Really Want To Work, Or Are You Just Paying Lip-Service To Your Lack Of A Career Abroad? (Survey)
Hi Everyone, Evelyn Simpson and her colleague Louise Wiles have put together a survey with regards to how relocation abroad has affected the career choices of accompanying expat partners.
If you can help by completing the survey, please do so here. They estimate it to take about 15 minutes.
Here are some words from Evelyn Simpson...
"When I contemplate the dynamic and successful careers that my husband and I had when our expat days were just beginning, I wonder how, after nearly 12 years of moving over three continents and with two children, our lives would be if we were still trying to maintain both of those careers. Here are just some of the problems for which I could not envision solutions:
* How would we manage to engineer moves with different companies to the same countries without one or other of us stepping back?
* Would we both be able to get working visas if one of us had to look for a new job with a move?
* Would we both be able to progress our careers with multiple moves or would disruption, language issues, salary issues, recognition of qualifications and experience have derailed one or both careers?
* How would we have managed childcare issues - day to day, days when kids were sick, holidays - without all our familiar systems in place?
* How would we have managed the practicalities of our six moves if both of us had to start work straight away?
For us, it was a moot point. I wanted to be able to see my daughter in the mornings and the evenings but the intensity and unpredictability of investment banking would make that a rare occurrence. So I resigned. But for other couples, these are just some of the dilemmas they face when one is offered the opportunity to move internationally and both want to continue with their careers.
Unfortunately the numbers show that few couples manage to pull it off successfully. The Permits Foundation's 2008 International Survey of Expatriate Spouses and Partners showed that while 90% of spouses and partners were either in paid employment or self employed prior to relocation, only 28% remained so after relocation.
In my own case, the decision was carefully thought out and driven by my desire for a change as well as the needs of our family. However, after two more international moves and another baby, a return to work in a new country, and with limited support seemed like a long shot. And that’s before I considered that, before long, we would be on the move again. Luckily for me, in coaching I found my vocation, which I can conveniently practice from wherever I find myself and which gives me the flexibility to accommodate our family logistics. However, you can see that although my initial decision was purposeful, the unintended consequence of our choices was that my options to return to a traditional workplace were limited, regardless of my legal entitlement.
Earlier this summer, Louise Wiles, founder of Success Abroad Coaching and I responded to a question on LinkedIn which asked if accompanying partners really want to work or whether we just pay lip service to the idea of working, safe in the knowledge that legally, most of us are prevented from doing so. Inspired by the question and our interest in the lives of accompanying partners, we decided to launch a survey, which explores this topic and also considers the factors which influence the choice to work or not and how that choice affects life satisfaction.
If you would like to support our work, please complete the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/partnerscareerchoices
Many, many thanks! Evelyn."
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (November 24-25 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you have been enjoying a great week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Hotels Around The World With Amazing Views
http://tgr.ph/rEHj1a
My Father, the Expat Codebreaker, by Alison Ripley
http://tgr.ph/rT4I9L
43 Reasons An Expat Might Love Living In Sweden
http://bit.ly/uvN3sp
6 Tips To Save On International Currency Transfers
http://bit.ly/rQgLv0
Another Work-From-Home Scam - Expat Women Freelancing Abroad Should Beware
http://bit.ly/vlc0oh
Goodbye to Singapore's Mr Chips - 32-year Expat Honored on His Retirement
http://tgr.ph/tDJV20
Interesting Websites If You Are Raising Kids Abroad
http://bit.ly/vsu4zq
2011 Expat of the Year in the Philippines - Named at Asia CEO Awards
http://bit.ly/vaHYZ1
Expats in the Netherlands? Expatica's Expat Education Fair is on 1 December in Amsterdam
http://bit.ly/tu2o7A
Man Watches Home Being Robbed Through His iPad While On Holidays 8,000km Away
http://bit.ly/tErErE
Repatriate Blogger for The Telegraph UK, Ex-Expat Chelsea Girl Says She's Looking At The UK Through Chinese Eyes Now
http://tgr.ph/ufTSvx
Black Women in Europe - PowerList 2011
http://bit.ly/w5a4ww
And the quote for the week...
"You only have one privacy setting: public... use social media wisely." from @coolcatteacher
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (November 15-16 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying a fabulous week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Is Your Accent Ruining Your Career?
bit.ly/rq3nav
10 Tips for Landing a PR Job Abroad
bit.ly/sVGxOk
3 Traps Facing New Global Leaders (Harvard Biz)
bit.ly/tkWzso
UK Expats and Wills: Why, Where, How and Other FAQs
bit.ly/tqKkKh
Life's a Beach: Living as an Expat on Sydney's Northern Beaches & Sharing My Life Less Ordinary, (Russell Ward)
http://bit.ly/v1dDXm
3 Ways To Raise Bilingual Children
tinyurl.com/cfwmvzu
17 Adventure Trips To Take Right Now
bit.ly/rKDGe9
20 of the World's Weirdest Natural Sights
bit.ly/ta1wh5
13 Insanely Cool Resumes That Landed Interviews At Google and Other Top Jobs
read.bi/tPg8Ci
Feature: 3 Inventive Businesses Set Up To Make Expat Life Easier (Telegraph Expat)
fb.me/1iLOAUlUh
The True Cost of Commuting: You Could Buy a House $15k More for Each Mile You Move Closer to Work
lifehac.kr/uoP7mj
And finally... a big congrats to the Gold Coast (QLD, Australia) for securing the 2018 Commonwealth Games!
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (November 8-9 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope your week has started with some nice surprises! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Top 10 Best Value Destinations for 2012 (Lonely Planet)
ow.ly/7iCkn
iPad2s Up For Grabs! Simply Vote For Your Favourite British Place Abroad (Telegraph Expat)
bit.ly/p54uCE
Expat in the Netherlands? Win 2 @CRAVEcompany The Hague copies - Featuring Women Entrepreneurs
bit.ly/shkpcs
Experts Discount Expat Fears About Recent Landmark Ruling On UK Tax Affairs
tgr.ph/tyS8Tc
20 Most Recent Blogs In Our Expat Women Blog Directory
bit.ly/igeWXc
Strategies For A UN Job Search (Part 3): Review Recruitment Options
bit.ly/s51nJA
Shanghai Launches Expat Recruitment Drive
tgr.ph/rrU1yX
Should Travel And Living Abroad Be All About You? What About Helping Others?"
bit.ly/sanuu5
Expat Josephine McDermott Tells The Story Of Her Unforgettable 4 years in China (Telegraph Expat)
tgr.ph/sf0ZzX
Locations Are Like Lovers... New Blog Post by Expat @shamozal
bit.ly/tnpbFs
New "Gutsy Living" Interview With Karen Van Der Zee - About Life Abroad & Her Gutsy Decision To Go Marry A Foreigner In Africa
bit.ly/sJIbwK
...ps. If You Missed Our Expat Women Interview With Karen About Her Success As A Writer Abroad, With 35 Novels Published by Harlequin, Here It Is Again...
bit.ly/rBfYk5
My Favourite Quote This Week:
"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." - Erin Majors
(found via @GreatestQuotes)
And Finally, A Warning...
80% of Burglars Use Social Networks To Find Their Next Target [Infographic]
bit.ly/tBxxUQ
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (October 30-31 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful fun-filled weekend! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Registration Now Open For FIGT (Families in Global Transition) Conference, March 2012, Washington
http://www.figt.org/
Expat Entrepreneur Interview:
Expat Life Coach John Falchetto talks to Mara Vaughan (Egypt)
http://bit.ly/slgfUc
Expat Life: What’s a Nice Protestant Girl Doing in this Place?
http://bit.ly/vEYSUL
How Air Pollution Impacts Expat Kids
http://bit.ly/tTLl9i
Feeling Negative Abroad?
Read Our Expat Women October Confession
http://bit.ly/ohAty9
British Expats Refusing To Go Home:
15% Call Off Repatriation Plans
http://bit.ly/t0AUwp
Strategies for a UN Job Search (Part 2):
Research the Duty Stations (Passport Career Blog)
http://bit.ly/rVKunE
Luxury Clinic Sued After Australian Expat Left Blinded in One Eye (Moscow Times)
http://bit.ly/se8VTM
Can You Relate To This 1955 Philip Larkin Poem Title?
"The Importance of Being Elsewhere"
http://bit.ly/uim9nw
British Expat Sets Up A Theater Studio In Moscow (Video)
http://bit.ly/u8ZjfR
Plus, a quote that I liked this past week:
"If you're OK out of your comfort zone... you're not out of your comfort zone." by @lesmckeown (thanks @JohnFalchetto for sharing)
And finally, news from @LonelyPlanet's Twitter feed:
"Iceland is the top country destination as voted by Lonely Planet travellers for 2012!"
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (October 25-26 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you are having a wonderful week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Excellent Article About Moving Abroad and/or Moving Back Home - on Matador Network
http://bit.ly/ods96E
"Hired in Shanghai: How I Did It"
Great Post For Expats (or Anyone) Looking for Work
http://bit.ly/noRP7P
Challenges Faced By Expat Women - via Escape From America Magazine
http://bit.ly/nYBlzu
Expat Divorce A Tricky Affair
http://bit.ly/qeIspv
Career Break Travel Myths - via Lonely Planet
http://bit.ly/qwNeZQ
Expat Coach Directory
http://bit.ly/oBXwGS
Expats: Want To Win an IPAD2? Tell The UK Telegraph Expat Your Favourite British Place Abroad
http://bit.ly/p54uCE
Digging Deep: 'Earthscraper' Building To Plunge 300m Underground In Mexico City
http://bit.ly/uyDBq9
Strategies For a UN Job Search - on Passport Career
http://bit.ly/qXsb3Y
Reminder: David Pollock Scholarship Applications for Families in Global Transition (FIGT) Conference (March 2012) Due December
http://bit.ly/pWB3N3
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (October 12-13 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope you are having a sensational week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Love it! Expat Creative Solution For When Locals Stare At Foreigners
"'You Lookin' At Me? Fake Book"
http://bit.ly/o10wZn
Expat Entrepreneurs Sowing Seeds of Success Abroad
bit.ly/raazI2
27 Tips For First Time Expats
http://bit.ly/oEqfqb
Thailand Overtakes Bahrain As "Best Expat Destination" In HSBC Explorer Survey Results
http://bit.ly/r3L7YX
Want To See A Preview Of HSBC 2011 Expat Explorer Survey Results?
(Full Report Available November)
http://bit.ly/mRDqWG
10 Tips for Successful Expat Living: Flashback
http://bit.ly/n4g6Vo
"Why Aren’t Gulf Expats Saving Any Money?"
http://tgr.ph/rcuWxR
Hats Off To Becky! “From Career Breaker to Expat”
http://bit.ly/qL0zkG
5 Expat Types You May Meet When Living Overseas
http://bit.ly/pvZiY3
"Julia Child's Curiosity About French Cuisine Led To A Displaced Life"
http://bit.ly/r0ylvp
7 Deadly Sins of Expats and Social Media
http://bit.ly/mToamS
…And finally, a great reminder for repatriates! "Never let your memories be greater than your dreams." Doug Ivester (quoted on Twitter by @GreatestQuotes)
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Domestic Violence in Expat Communities
Hi Everyone, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we wanted to make sure you are aware of an important resource, should you find yourself in need of help. While leaving an abusive relationship is challenging for any woman, for women living abroad, the challenges may seem insurmountable.
The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center works with abused American women and their children in foreign countries to provide domestic violence and child abuse advocacy, resources and tools so that they can navigate the complicated jurisdictional, legal and social international landscapes, to be able to live their lives free of abuse either in the foreign country or back in the United States. Both civilian and military populations are served. (Unfortunately they are only resourced to serve Americans, but non-American expats are being abused can refer to this website and/or call to ask the AODVCC if there are any other possible resources in their current local area.)
Advocates and case managers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week internationally toll free. First dial the AT&T USADirect access number for the country you are in. You can find the access number for the country you are in here. After dialing the access code please enter our phone number: 866-USWOMEN (879-6636) after the prompt. For more information please visit www.866uswomen.org.
Warning: Please remember that your emails and website searches can be tracked from your computer. If you fear for your safety, you might prefer to use a computer other than your own to visit sites like this.
By the way, if you missed our Expat Women interview with the founder of the AODVCC, Paula Lucas, you can read about this inspirational woman, and she escaped domestic violence, here.
Stay safe, and thanks in advance for spreading the word, Andrea.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The 11ElevenProject - Creating a Snapshot of Life Around the World on 11/11/11
Hi Everyone, I heard today about a very interesting project planned for 11 November 2011. It is called the 11 Eleven Project and it is an international not-for-profit film project that aims to use the arts to create global good. The email came from the Women's Partnership Diversity Coordinator for the project, because she wants to ensure that the story of womanhood, motherhood and sisterhood is captured in the global narrative. To find out more, and to leave a snapshot of your life on 11/11/11, please visit the official website here. If you like, you can follow them on Twitter at @11elevenproject.
All proceeds from the 2 hour documentary feature film, photographic book and world music album produced by Grammy Award Winner Imogen Heap will be donated to charities supporting the 8 UN developmental Goals including WWF, The Hunger Project, Save The Children and Hamlin Fistula.
Many thanks for your support, and good luck to the 11ElevenProject team! Andrea
Worldwide ERC's October 2011 Mobility Magazine
Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the October edition of Worldwide ERC®'s Mobility Magazine, which features the following:
The Road Less Traveled: Employee Assignments in Emerging Economies
By Ali Kursun and Steven P. Nurney
International Assignments: Leader-Led Action Learning
By Ernest Gundling, Ph.D., and Terry Hogan
The Challenge of International Pensions
By Nino Nelissen, SGMS
Destination Profile: Denver, Colorado
By Jessica Petzel, GMS
Stress and Mental Health: Expatriates at Risk
By Sean D. Truman, Ph.D., LP, David A. Sharar, Ph.D., and John C. Pompe, Psy.D., LP, SPHR
Putting Down Roots: How Localization Can Help Reduce Expatriate Program Costs
By Julian Yates
Blue Cards and the Employer Sanctions Directive: ‘Desirable’ and ‘Undesirable’ Migrants to the EU
By Sophy King
In the Spotlight: Managing Foreign Employees at U.S. Client Sites
By Diana Bauerle and Lynden Melmed
Emerging Trends: ‘Best and Brightest’ Schemes Impact Recruitment and Immigration Compliance
By Glenn Faulk and Katherine Salem, GMS
Cultural Challenges of Working in Africa
By Geremie Sawadogo, Ph.D., GMS
Human Capital Development: Best Practices for a Winning Team
By Robert F. Burch, SCRP
Expatriate Parents: Localization With Children?
By Elizabeth Perelstein
The Realities of Global Relocation: The Business Value of Transition Assistance
By Lauren Herring, CRP, SGMS
L-1s: Destination Services Support Assignment Success
By Phillip A. Kosanovich, SCRP
A Day in the Life of a Household Goods Driver
By Eric Reed, CRP, GMS
Happy reading! Andrea
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Expats: Do You Struggle With Your Global Identity?
Hi Everyone, If you ever struggle with your global and/or creative identity, today's post about Anastasia Ashman and Tara Agacayak's new website, Global Niche, might interest you. Anastasia's name might already be familiar to some/many of you, as we interviewed Anastasia back in 2007 about her book Expat Harem, and many of you might also see her regularly tweeting expat links as @AnastasiaAshman. Anastasia tells us more...
Get Creative About Your Place in the World:
How To Operate On A Micro-Yet-Global Level With A Global Niche
"Do you ever feel suspended between multiple worlds – challenged in your pursuits and interests by culture, geography, language or time zone?
Welcome to the club. The Global Niche club, that is. Here we take advantage of our situation mismatches.
In fact, after fourteen years of expatriatism and through my cultural identity work as a writer/producer I’ve come to see this psychic limbo state about who we are and where we belong – familiar to people with trans global lives and culturally hybrid lifestyles – as our secret weapon.
To start at the beginning, we’re all born global citizens even if that knowledge gets trained out of us. As we mature, a global identity seems nebulous, and ungrounded. Better to bond with the more concrete: family, culture, nation. Our schoolmates, colleagues, neighbors.
There’s a problem with concrete, though. It cracks over time and in quickly changing conditions, and sometimes even under its own weight.
I’d even venture to say that ‘our people’ today are not who they used to be. We’re unbounded by the communities in our physical midst. Now we can find inspiring new kinship in interest and outlook.
Expats and international types have more reasons than most to find a way to operate independently of where we happen to be physically. But with today's economic uncertainties no matter who or where we are, we all have to embrace an enterprising view of ourselves – a way to operate unlimited by the options around us. With recent advances in virtual technologies like mobile devices and the social web, we have tools at our disposal to help us live a globally unbounded life.
Now we don’t have to be a tech expert or social media guru to build a micro-yet-global base of operations with a professional web platform and virtual network for continuing education, professional development, and a close-knit but world-flung set of friends. We can be digital world citizens and achieve a cutting-edge state of being – that is, what I call ‘psychic location independence’.
I coined the concept of a global niche – defined as a ‘psychic solution to your global identity crisis’-- at expat+HAREM, the online community of global citizens, identity adventurers and intentional travelers I founded in 2009. The group blog was inspired by the global community that gathered around Tales from the Expat Harem, an anthology by foreign women about their lives in modern Turkey that I co-edited in 2005 with fellow Istanbul resident Jennifer Gokmen.
Expatharem.com was also informed by the idea of an ‘expat harem’ itself, where all the writers in the book and the readers drawn to them are cultural peers in a virtual realm.
Along with my partner Tara Agacayak, a creative enterprise consultant from Silicon Valley in America who’s spent the past 10 years in Turkey, this fall I launched a new work-life initiative at GlobalNiche.net.
In this hands-on venture we'll be practicing creative self enterprise for the global soul, based on the philosophies evolved from 175 incisive neoculture discussions and 2,800 comments at the expat+HAREM site.
Besides the expat+HAREM revelations, we’re also applying life-work innovations Tara and I have been exploring in the past few years in our professional communities of creative entrepreneurs and social media proponents. Combining our expat and entrepreneurship experiences has led us to the conclusion that networked reality is the most important independent survival skill of international people.
If you are interested to receive email about the life-work journeys of mobile progressives and cultural creatives in situation mismatches, please sign up at GlobalNiche.net. Thank you!"
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (October 4 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope your weekend was fantastic! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Clearing Up Common Myths About What It Means to Be Bilingual
owl.li/6ISNx
New Site For Expats (And Others) Who Love To Travel!
Trippy: It Lets Your Friends Help You Plan Your Trips.
Watch the Video to Understand How Cool This New Site Will Be.
on.mash.to/pA6L9a
Looking For A Job? Think Globally: New Post and Book by Stacie Nevadomski Berdan
huff.to/qV64Js
Writers Abroad Radio Show 19 – Suzanne Kamata – A Prolific Expat Author in Japan
bit.ly/osJcit
5 Lessons Expats Can Learn From Modern Day Vikings
http://bit.ly/oCfEU5
Expat Spouses and Partners: Can You Help Regula With Her Masters Thesis By Completing This Survey?
bit.ly/qx2l0B
Expat Entrepreneurs Enjoying Success Overseas
bit.ly/nM8JYO
Can You Teach Cultural Intelligence Or Is It Acquired Through International Assignments (Forbes)
onforb.es/nAd18K
My Heart Goes Out To Julie: Here Is Her Marriage Visa Disaster Story
http://bit.ly/nlVkdW
26 Things You Can Learn By Living Abroad For A Year
slidesha.re/np9bOK
Busting the Location Independent and Designer Lifestyle Myth
bit.ly/otIB2n
Free Corporate VIP Passes: European Global Mobility Summit, London, 4 November
bit.ly/oA50XW
The Beatles George Harrison Kept as Time Capsules Fully Packed Suitcases From Trips Abroad
nyti.ms/nQPg5J
Response by Kirsty Rice to... "In my next life I'm coming back as an expat wife!"
bit.ly/o2dmEi
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Expat Women Home Page October 2011
Hi Everyone, Please take a few minutes to read, enjoy, share and tweet about our new October home page features below. Thanks so very much – and I wish you a sensational weekend! Andrea.
Success Story
Kerry Bannigan
Co-Founder and CEO, Nolcha
Inspired by the buzz of NYC, British born Kerry Bannigan left her corporate job to establish a business in the independent fashion industry. She applied her business know-how to co-found Nolcha, a company that helps designers market and expand their brands. She also developed Nolcha Fashion Week, The Ethical Fashion Preview, and more...
Read More
Business Idea
Lilac Lingerie
Emilia Kutrovska
In 2001, Bulgarian Emilia Kutrovska and her husband moved to Ottawa, Canada, to pursue more opportunities for education and success. They planned to stay only a few years, but fate stepped in when Emilia decided to complete a communications degree and her husband later landed his ideal job. In August 2010, Emilia became an entrepreneur by opening Lilac Lingerie in trendy Westboro. We talked to Emilia about her new and satisfying career abroad...
Read More
Meet the Author
One White Face
Hilary Corna
Ohio-born Hilary Corna had always dreamt of living in Asia. So after graduating from college, and against everyone’s advice, Hilary sold her prized Jeep and purchased a one-way ticket to Singapore, with no job to go to, and just one suitcase to start her new life. What could have ended in failure turned into her greatest adventure yet. We talked to Hilary about her new memoir One White Face – which has been described as the Generation Y version of "Eat, Pray, Love!...
Read more
Expat Confession
Overcoming Negativity
Extract from Expat Women: Confessions
This is my second posting overseas with my husband, and I know I am becoming more and more impossible to be around. I find myself uncontrollably ranting negatively about everything here in Israel. I used to be such a relaxed and pleasant person to be around, but now I am spiraling out of control and I have no idea how to return to my usual self...
Read More
Surviving Repatriation
Adapting Back Home
Andrea Martins
In our first week back in Australia, it hit me: repatriation for me was probably going to be more like switching hats – back to what I had known before, but life in Australia was going to be a whole new learning experience for our Australian-born children who had never known what it was like to really live in Australia. How wrong I was...
Read More
Not a Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are reading this blog post online or you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our Expat Women monthly newsletters.
To receive our monthly newsletters and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com. When you join, you will also receive a link to download our free e-book of Winning Stories. Thanks for your support!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (September 27-28 edition)
Hi Everyone, I hope your week has started fabulously! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you...
Beautiful Video: Brazilian Expat in Australia: "Would you give 30 gifts to 30 strangers on your birthday?"
http://bit.ly/phOnsQ
How to Find the Right International School for Your Expat Children
bit.ly/oCiEpA
Interesting Expat News from Singapore... More Expatriates Opting for Local Schools Over International Ones
http://bit.ly/qJIfqX
Expat Executive Dilemma: Multiple Bosses from Different Cultures
nblo.gs/nfCKo
Teenage Trauma on Repatriation
bit.ly/p6nKuP
Bizarre Items Confiscated by Customs (14 pictures)
tgr.ph/ofW6Q5
Expat Twitter Round-Up by EasyExpat.com.
bit.ly/pqQPRf
Why Are Some Expats So Unhappy?
http://tgr.ph/oy1Hw6
Made Some Bumbling Social Mistakes in Your New Expat Posting, Like These Expats Have
bit.ly/oZoEww
Coming Soon: Live Call-In Talk Shows From Your Favorite Countries, Focusing on All Areas of Interest, from the Expat Broadcasting Group.
http://www.overseasradio.com
***
To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Heard About The New Cross Cultural Symposium? Oct 13-14 - Indianapolis, Indiana
Cross Cultural Symposium:
Growing Up Cross-Culturally:
Broadening Horizons for Academic Research
October 13 – 14, 2011
Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
We invite all interested people to come, particularly academicians and practitioners in the fields of sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, child and adolescent development, and intercultural studies. Also those involved with immigrants, refugees, minorities, ethnicities, expatriates, international adoptees and other related areas, are welcome. Only $75.00 per person (includes two breakfasts, two lunches, registration)
Facilitators: Ruth E. Van Reken, co-founder of Families in Global Transition, co-author, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds; Fran Colley, Education Chair – Association of International Women (Indianapolis), Research Co-chair – Indiana Multiethnic Committee; and Christine Dowdeswell – Co-founder, Association of International Women (Indianapolis), co-founder FIGT, Alumni Board IU School of Liberal Arts, Indiana University, Purdue University, Indianapolis."
Potential participants are invited to click here for more details.
Congrats to the organizers! Enjoy! Andrea
Women's International Networking (W.I.N) Conference - Oct 5 - 7 (8) - Rome, Italy
Hi Everyone, It's W.I.N Conference time again, and this year the "Creating History" themed event for 800-1,000 participants will be held in Rome, Italy. If you have not registered yet, but you have time to attend, I highly recommend it. I attended in 2007 in Oslo and only have great things to say about the event, the humble founder Kristin Engvig, and the wonderful women that attend.
The speakers this year include:
- Mikael Ohlsson, Swedish, President and CEO, IKEA Group
- Jeanette Horan, British, VP and CIO, IBM
- Dr. Debra Clary Gmelin, American, Corporate Director, The Leadership Institute, Humana, Inc.
- Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, French/Canadian, CEO, 20-first
- Alison Smale, British, Executive Editor, International Herald Tribune
- Nuria Chinchilla, Spanish, Professor, IESE Business School
- Zoë A. Yujnovich, Australian, President and CEO, The Iron Ore Company of Canada
- Dr Yolanda Nokuri Hegngi, American/Cameroonian, Founder, Stimulus, LLC
- Gabi Zedlmayer, German, Vice President Global Social Innovation, HP
- Poonam Ahluwalia, American, President, Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
- Fabrizio Castlelucci, Italian, Professor, SDABocconi
- Binna Kandola OBE, British, Senior Partner, Pearn Kandola
- Dominique Turcq, French, Founder/ President, Boostzone Institute
- Marguerite Barankitse, Burundian, Founder, Maison Shalom
- Nancy Fina, American, Fashion/Advertising photographer
- Umran Beba, Turkish, President Asia Pacific Region, PepsiCo
- Lorella Zanardo, Italian, Author and Director, Il Corpo delle Donne (Women’s Bodies)
- Karen Tse, American, Founder and CEO, International Bridges to Justice
- Dr Kumkum Pareek Malik, American, Founder, Dr Malik and Associates
- Dr Amany Asfour, Egyptian, President, Egyptian Business Women Association
- Dr Jemilah Mahmood, Malaysian, Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Humanitarian Futures Programme Kings College London
- Barbara Shipka, American, Owner, Barbara Shipka Designs
- Dr Graeme Codrington, South African/British, Founder and Senior Partner, TomorrowToday
- Emma Bonino, Italian, Vice President, Senate of the Italian Republic
- Melody Biringer, American, Founder, The CRAVE Company
- Jo Parfitt, British, Publisher, Summertime Publishing
- Mary Farmer, Canadian/Dutch, Lecturer, Les Roches Gruyere University/Glion
- Tracy Ann Curtis, American, Founder, TAC Global Organizational and Talent Development Consulting
- Dana Frost, American, Master Certified Life Coach, Dana Frost Life Coaching Services
- Jeanne A. Heinzer, German/Swiss, Director, Heinzer Consulting
- Heidi Forbes Oste, Swedish/American, Global Social Strategist
Everyone going to W.I.N. this year, enjoy! Andrea
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Expat Women: Confessions - What Do Men Think?
Hi Everyone, Two weeks ago we gave a big shout-out to the (forty or so) fantastic women who had written blog posts about our new book Expat Women: Confessions - 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad. Today, we want to thank the men. There may only be four (not forty), but that just makes these four men extra special. Here are excerpts from their blog posts...
5 Lessons Expat Women Confessions Will Teach You About Life Abroad by John Falchetto
***
Things an Expat Man Should Hear by Norman Viss
"Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. Never more so than when living abroad. During the pre-publication publicity for this book someone tweeted with the question whether husbands would purchase this book. I immediately replied that I believed they should. Which got me a free copy from Andrea. Thanks, Andrea!
Norman Viss spent 10 years as an expat in Nigeria, West Africa, before moving to the Netherlands, 21 years ago. You can read more about Norman on his blog Isolated Internationals. Thanks Norman!
Reading 'Expat Women: Confessions' and Making Some of My Own by Russell Ward
"I have a confession to make. In fact, I have several. I didn't realise that large numbers of expat women struggle when assigned overseas. I didn't realise expat women made confessions about these struggles. And I didn't realise they made them at Expat Women, an online resource for helping expatriate women living overseas."
"...As I started to make my way through the book, I felt a sense of deja vu as I learned about the daily struggles suffered by everyday women in adjusting to a home away from home. From concerns about transitioning into a foreign environment to struggles with unhealthy work-life balances, from suffering regular bouts of homesickness and wanting to go home to experiencing visa difficulties, Expat Women: Confessions covers it all. The range and depth of issues raised, and advice given in return, is staggering yet always approached in a sensitive and honest way.
"...The strength of Expat Women: Confessions is not just the provision of sensible answers and practical advice for any international mover, past or present, but for bringing to light the many issues, frustrations and questions that arise when embarking on a life lived abroad..."
"...If you're an expat-to-be or a current expat, you really should be reading this book. It is a significant support tool for your journey ahead."
Russell Ward is a British expat who has lived in Canada (Vancouver and Ottawa), and now lives in Australia (Sydney - his wife's home city). You can read more about Russell on his blog, In Search Of A Life Less Ordinary. Thanks Russell!
***
Expat Women: Confessions - 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad by Eric Anders
"I met Andrea in 2010 when I asked if I could republish a timely article she wrote for the August edition of the Worldwide ERC's issue of MOBILITY Magazine entitled 10 Ways to Boost Your (Relocation) Brand Online."
"...Expat Women: Confessions is an easy read. It's quite evident both ladies have walked the talk! They're able to express their ideas in a clear, concise, meaningful manner... Although the primary focus of 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad is geared toward women, most of the 'answers' and advice really applies to anyone living the expat life or relocating anywhere. That includes men, gay and straight trailing partners; school kids, young adults, and fun-loving seniors!"
"...It's a pleasant distraction to enjoy over a morning cup of coffee or après-dinner glass of wine. It's like having a conversation with a very close friend – female or male – about personal concerns and adjustment problems you never knew they had."
[And I swear I did not ask Eric to write this next promo part in his blog's post... but if you are reading this blog and you work in corporate HR or for a relocation company, by all means, read on!]
"Expat Women is now offering their loyal readers, members, corporate clients, mobility service companies and relocating employees the opportunity to purchase bulk orders of their motivational book that features a customized front-cover logo. Those making volume purchases can include a personalized messages or their own unique promotions inside. Be [one of] the first to take advantage of this helpful new offer! Just be sure to tell 'em that a guy recommended their book."
Eric Anders is a relocation industry professional who created his blog RELO Roundtable as an online gathering place for consumers and the moving professionals that help them. Thanks Eric!
***
If you like freebies and you have not already downloaded a free sample from our book, you are invited to please do so here.
Thanks for your support Everyone - and I wish you a sensational weekend! Andrea
