Expat Women November Home Page

Hi Everyone, We have just uploaded our Expat Women November home page and we invite you to take a look at our new features:

Success Story
Nathalie Brotchi
Net Expat
In 2000, Nathalie joined Net Expat as a partner. Today Nathalie manages a team of 300 HR consultants around the globe and ensures a smooth delivery of Net Expat services together with the Operations Team. She is also participating regularly at international conferences as an expert on Dual Career issues.
Read more…

Business Idea
RNG International Educational Consultants
Rebecca Grappo
Rebecca Grappo is a professional educator who has successfully combined her advocacy and teaching experience with her need to develop a portable career abroad. After living, working and teaching overseas, Rebecca started her business in 2006 in Oman...
Read more…

Writers & Publishers
The Wealthy Author
Debbie Jenkins
Debbie Jenkins is a British expat living in Spain, famous for publishing a book that made £30,000 in one day. Debbie talks to us about her newest book, which walks us through everything we need to know to become wealthy authors...
Read more…

Best iPod Applications?
Top 10 iPod Applications For Travelers And Expats
Sarah Novak
We all know that having the right tools is critical for success in any endeavor. Sarah shares with us how to leverage up-and-coming iPod technology to smooth out those rough points in your overseas adventures…
Read more…

Expat Confession
My Job Was A Mistake
Expat Women Girlfriend
I am a professional who is currently a trailing spouse. I finally found a job and had started doing something that I felt would be meaningful to me and beneficial for my career path. However, my job is not all that I had dreamed it would...
Read more…

Didn't Go Your Way?
How Do You Deal With Disappointment?
Margie Warrell
Life doesn't always go to plan. Sometimes things don't work out as we want. Sometimes people let us down. Sometimes our hopes, dreams and expectations crash to the ground with a thud...
Read more…

Not A Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our ExpatWomen.com monthly newsletters.

To receive our newsletters and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing's Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com.

Thank you very much and we wish you a sensational November! Andrea

10 Of The Best Social Media Tools For Entrepreneurs

Hi Everyone, We came across this good article today on Mashable that we wanted to share, that talked about 10 of the best social media tools for entrepreneurs.

In brief, their top ten were:

1. Google Apps for Domains
2. LinkedIn
3. Basecamp
4. Facebook
5. Twitter
6. Get Satisfaction
7. Mail Chimp
8. User Voice
9. You Tube
10. Monitter

If this interests you, enjoy the full article here. Best wishes.

Survey Participants Needed: Women With Life Lessons To Share

Hi Everyone, Stacie Berdan, a former expat and co-author of the award-winning book, Get Ahead By Going Abroad, and a former Success Story interviewee on our site, is working on another book about women and needs your help...

Stacie is currently conducting research designed to inform a book she is writing for women coming of age today. Stacie's objective is to collect information from women of all walks of life - professional leaders and stay-at-home mothers, single or married, kids or not, and women of all nationalities. She intends to use the information to showcase the various choices women have made - and the lessons they have learned - in the past two decades with the explicit intent of sharing it with the generation of women coming of age (18-30) in the form of colorful, insightful women's stories.

If you can help Stacie by completing her anonymous survey (which takes about 15-20 minutes, as I just completed it myself), please click here: Lessons From Wise Women.

In addition to the online survey, Stacie is also looking for women to share their stories in greater detail for the book; if you are interested, please email Stacie.

On behalf of Stacie, thanks for your support!

Finalists Announced: Stevie Awards - Women In Business

Hi Everyone, The finalists were announced recently for the 6th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, an international competition recognizing the accomplishments of outstanding women executives, business owners, and the organizations they run.

"More than 1,100 nominations were submitted this year for consideration in 54 categories by organizations in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A.

Among the leading contenders with multiple Finalists are The Bioengineering Group, Salem, Massachusetts; Eulogy! Public Relations, London, UK; PetRays Veterinary Telemedicine Consultants, The Woodlands, Texas; and Wipro Technologies, Bangalore, India and East Brunswick, New Jersey.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards. The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.

The final results of the 6th annual competition will be announced at an awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 13. Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased at www.stevieawards.com/women."

Click here to see the list of finalists. Get inspired. Maybe enter your own business next year!

Scholarships Available To The Families In Global Transition (FIGT) Conference 2010

Hi Everyone, If you are a student or a self-sponsored non-profit representative, you are invited to apply for a full or partial David C. Pollock Scholarship to the upcoming 2010 Families in Global Transition (FIGT) Conference in Houston, Texas, March 4-10.

The deadline for applications is 15 December 2009. Please click here for more information. The FIGT conference is always a wonderful chance to learn and network with others in this arena. Good luck to any Expat Women member who applies for the scholarships! Andrea

Inspiring Your Success Abroad: Talks In The Netherlands

Photo: Stephanie Ward and Andrea Martins

Hi Everyone, My apologies for not writing for so long. It's funny - sometimes you have to travel half way around the world, just to find time to do things that you have not found time to do at home. Anyway...

A big thanks to everyone who attended my Inspiring Your Success Abroad: A Presentation For Expatriate Women talk yesterday at Expatica's 'I Am Not A Tourist Fair' in Amsterdam. And a very special welcome and thank you to all of our new members that signed up at our Expat Women stand yesterday!

If you are in The Netherlands and would like to hear my Inspiring Your Success Abroad presentation, please come along this Thursday night, 29th October, to the EPWN Amsterdam meeting (click here for details) or the Connecting Women meeting in The Hague next Monday night, 2 November. Thanks for your support! Andrea

Baby Survives Fall Under Train In Pram

Hi Everyone, This is not expat-related, but I had to share it anyway. They say Oprah wants the first interview with the mother, so Oprah/her team must be fascinated by it as well...

Baby Survives Fall Under Train In Pram

Have you seen the YouTube videos (here's one of them, on a news site today in Australia) about the baby in Melbourne, Australia, whose pram accidentally rolled onto the train tracks (when the mother was doing something normal like adjusting her trousers)? The baby's pram was hit by the oncoming train (which carried the baby under the train for 30 metres), but the baby boy survived and apparently only received a small bump on the head. Astonishing!

I am sure the mother is counting her blessings. Thank goodness the baby is okay. Not sure the mother will recover for a while, but I hope she does soon, so she can enjoy every day she's been given as a second-chance with her son.

Andrea




ps. Here is another news site's version:
Baby In Tram Hit By Train, Then Goes Home
.

Congratulations Angela Draskovic & The Zoë Alliance

Hello Everyone, Recently I saw in a Silver Lining Limited newsletter that Angela Draskovic won an entrepreneurial award for the Zoë Alliance. I wrote to Angela to ask if she was an expat or had spent any significant time abroad as an expat, so we could interview her as a Success Story for our site. Unfortunately she's not nor has she ever been an expat, but I wanted to give her/the Zoë Alliance a quick congratulatory shout-out here anyway...

Zoë Alliance

"ZOË is the Greek word for abundant and flourishing LIFE. ZOË Alliance Inc. is a social enterprise established with one aim – to Empower People for Life. Specifically ZOË Alliance helps people and companies transform impoverished villages with their regular purchases.

We believe that people in developing nations are no different than we are in that they desire dignity, the opportunity to work, provide for their families, and invest in their communities. They are different in that they face significant challenges socially, economically, geographically, and politically that make it impossible for them to break the cycle of poverty without strategic and respectful support and intervention.

We stretch each dollar spent on gifts 3 ways to:

1. Purchase a gift or source a product that tells the story of hope;
2. Create jobs with dignity in villages; and
3. Donate funds toward a school or village project.

Our model harnesses the power of the over $849.7 billion dollars we spend and donate each year and turns it into a new way to approach international development. A respectful, market driven, and sustainable way to alleviate poverty that gives much more than a donation."

Congratulations Angela and the Zoë Alliance. Thanks for helping to redirect our spending power - and in turn - helping to make our world a better place.

English Language Jobs In Europe

Hi Everyone, I was reminded tonight of a website that might be useful to any of you seeking English-language jobs in Europe: EnglishLanguageJobs.com.

We already had their link on our Jobs and Careers page, but thought we would give it a quick shout-out anyway... and if anyone has used this site, please do share your experiences.

Many thanks - enjoy your day/evening! Andrea

Expat Expo, Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday November 15

Hi Everyone, The Expat Expo group, who held last weekend their expo in Geneva, are hosting their next expo in Lucerne (for the first time), at the Museum of Transport, Lidostrasse 5, on Sunday November 15, 11am-5pm.

They will have 85 exhibitors, so if you are in/near Lucerne, you might like to drop in and take a look.

Living in Belgium? Visit Expatica's 'I Am Not A Tourist Fair', Brussels, October 18

Hi Everyone, If you are in/around/moving to Belgium, you might like to rearrange this weekend's plans to be at the Espace53 (Autoworld Museum), Cinquantenaire, Brussels, this coming Sunday, October 18, between 11am and 6pm...

"The "i am not a tourist" Fair [in Brussels] will have a range of valuable resources from previous European fairs, but with extra attention given to lifestyle and community related resources for the experienced expat. Those of you who already have your bearings in Belgium can therefore enjoy as many of the features as the newcomers, including food, entertainment and networking fixtures. A number of artists and photographers, Belgian and international, will also be exhibiting their work.

So even if you have lived in Belgium for some time already, do come to our fair to discover what's going on in the rest of the expat community and learn more about your adopted country. Our fair is all about enriching your life abroad, whether you are new to the expat lifestyle or an experienced hand!"

Download your free ticket(s) here.

Reminder: I Am Not A Tourist Fair, October 25, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Hi Everyone, A reminder that if you are living in (or considering living in) The Netherlands, Expatica's sixth annual I Am Not A Tourist Fair is the place for you to be on October 25.

I am actually going to be at the Fair this year, so mark your calendars and come and say 'hi' to me at our Expat Women stand. Andrea :-)

"Don’t miss the “i am not a tourist” Fair on Sunday, 25 October. It’s all an expat needs to make the most of life in the Netherlands.Whether you have lived here for 10 days or 10 years, make sure you keep Sunday the 25 October free on your calendars for this once-a-year opportunity.

“i am not a tourist” 2009 will be an interactive extravaganza of experts and companies specialising in expatriate life, workshops, networking, and entertainment.We’ve invited 90 exhibitors to offer you a helping hand. Have a chat with a recruitment agent, get a word of advice on house hunting, compare universities for your master’s degree, join a group or club and mix with thousands of other internationals.

Get invaluable information about surviving abroad, attend seminars on meditation, landing that perfect job or pubic speaking, and enjoy superb entertainment and networking opportunities.

The programme includes workshops on whiskey tasting, salsa, improv comedy, and chocolate and sushi making as well as on-stage performances by standup comedians and salsa dancers. Bring the family along, as we have a dedicated kids corner!

Tickets are FREE when ordered online at: www.expatica.com/iamnotatourist."

Reminder: 12th Annual Talent Mgt Summit, Chicago, US, October 26-28, 2009

Hi Everyone, A reminder that if your job is HR/talent management/ recruitment, do not forget to check out the annual (US) Talent Management Summit is coming up in two weeks in Chicago.

From October 26-28, you can join in the action at the Wyndham Lisle-Chicago Hotel, Chicago, IL. Here are some official words from the organizers:

"The largest industry gathering of talent management professionals returns to exciting Chicago! Guaranteed to invigorate and improve your talent management strategy, The 12th Annual Talent Management Summit will bring together Fortune 500 leaders to share their recession-proof talent strategies.

The war for talent has completely changed. It's more important than ever to retain and develop your current employees. The 12th Annual Talent Management Summit provides strategies to:

• Assess which leadership skills matter most;
• Develop different types of people;
• Upgrade your talent pools;
• Sharpen your talent;
• Be smarter about how to approach talent issues; and
• Prepare for the turnaround.

View the final agenda here."

Other links of interest:
Confirmed conference speakers
Pricing and discounts
Workshops

Best And Worst Cell Phones For Radiation

Hi Everyone, Almost every expat I know uses a cell phone, so here's an interesting article from the Environmental Working Group which spells out which are the best and worst, in terms of radiation.

It also includes a link where you can see the full list of cell phones and their ratings, plus the ability to search for your particular phone in the search box down the right of the page. Andrea

Looking For An Expat Woman In Eastern Europe For A French TV Documentary

Hi Everyone, Marie Laure Pelosse is a French journalist and director working in Paris with the producer Murielle Levy on a documentary series (10 movies of 26 minutes each) for the French TV channel called 'Voyage'. They have already made eight of these films and they are currently searching for the last person to be part of the series...

"The series is about people who live outside their native land and particularly (but not exclusively) about people who have decided to achieve a personal project in one of these fields: ecology, sustainable development, fair trade and so on.

We follow each of these ten persons (French and foreigners) by slipping into their footsteps and focusing the camera on what they see, what they do and where they live, to discover their far-off horizons.

We would like to find a woman (ideally, other than French) living in an East-European country or in Croatia, Ukraine, Armenia... if possible a woman who has planned to stay in this country for a long time.

If you can help us, please email myself (before Sunday) or Murielle, as soon as possible. Many thanks, Marie Laure."
+33 (0) 1 43 47 30 53, +33 (0) 6 87 23 58 62."

Would Your Company Like To Participate In The Global Relocation Trends Survey?

Hi Everyone, If you are in the global mobility industry, you would probably already be aware of this very well-respected survey. If your company does not already participate, here is their chance...

"Woodridge, Ill., Oct. 7, 2009 - Brookfield Global Relocation Services today invited companies worldwide to participate in its acclaimed annual "Global Relocation Trends Survey."

Now in its 15th year, the survey has become the definitive study of companies' global employee-relocation practices, mobility policies and trends. The survey's longevity and deep reservoir of data enable Brookfield Global Relocation Services to compare each year's results with historical averages, which help gauge the relative importance of annual variations. Brookfield Global Relocation Services will release the results of the annual survey, along with its analysis, in early 2010. The questionnaire for the upcoming survey is available here. All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the survey results.

...Brookfield Global Relocation Services is a leading, full-service outsourcing partner of end-to-end employee relocation, assignment management and mobility consulting services for multinational organizations worldwide. The company serves corporations throughout the world and manages more than $2 billion in relocation-related transactions."

Research Participants Needed: International Assignment Management In Asia (Western Females)

Hi Everyone, Researcher Scott A. Wilson (GPHR, SPHR, PhD Candidate) is looking for some willing research participants please...

"Welcome to the launch point for a study into trends in the management of international assignments. This link provides access to the web page introduction to the study, delivers the informed consent process, and offers instructions for participation.

The title of the study is, International Assignment Management in Asia: A Study of the Relation between Social Support Mechanisms and Assignment Success among Western Females.

The objective of this study is to measure the affect of social support mechanisms on the success of Western females on Asian expatriate assignments. At the request of a participant upon completion of the research, a copy of the study’s executive summary will be sent forward to reveal the findings; however, participants are considered volunteers.

Your participation will involve the completion of 70 survey questions accessed through the link located at the bottom of this page. Survey completion time will take approximately 20 minutes.

...participation in the study is voluntary; you may discontinue study participation at any time for any reason should you feel uncomfortable with or fail to understand a question.

To gain access to the survey, please click on the following link:
https://survey.careermapping.com/CCAI/Wilson/2009IAM.htm [and then click "Next" at the very bottom of the page]"

Thank you!

WIN Conference kicks off in Prague, Czech Republic, October 8-10

Hi Everyone, If you are in or around Prague, you can still make it to the WIN Conference today, if you high-tail it down to the venue:

Hilton Prague Hotel
Pobrežní 1, 18600 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Tel: +420 224 841 111 +420 224 841 111

The main part of the conference starts on Thursday morning, October 8. Here is the WIN Conference agenda for this year. The WIN team are always lovely and I'm pretty sure they would love to welcome any latecomers.

Here are some of the confirmed attendees:

Alison Smale, Executive Editor, International Herald Tribune.
Lyly Rojas, Humanitarian, University Professor, Consultant, Speaker, Writer.
Umran Beba, SEE Region President, PepsiCo.
Sally Khallash Bengtsen, Futurist, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies.
George Kohlrieser, Professor, IMD.
Elin Hurvenes, Founder and Chairman, Professional Boards Forum.
Bridget van Kralingen, GM, Global Business Services Northeast Europe, IBM.
Nigel Nicholson, Professor, London Business School.
Lorella Zanardo, Founder and General Manager, Sportgate.
Susanne Heis, VP and GM Imaging & Printing Group MEMA, Hewlett-Packard.
Michael Kimmel, Sociologist and Author, State University of New York.
Amany Asfour, President, Egyptian Business Women Association.
Marguerite ’Maggy’ Barankitse, Humanitarian Worker and Founder Maison Shalom, Burundi (House of Peace).
Danica Purg, President, IEDC-Bled School of Management.
Ina Praetorius, Postpatriarchal thinker.
Silvia Badgadli – Professor, SDA Bocconi School of Business.
Jane Gilson, General Manager, Microsoft Czech Republic.
Josefine van Zanten, Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion, Shell International.
Diana Baker, pianist and composer.
Hassina Sherjan, Founder and President, Boumi Company.
Angela Nelissen, Sales Director HPC, Unilever Germany.
Rebecca Shambaugh, President and CEO, Shambaugh Leadership.
Syble Solomon, Founder, LIfeWise & Money Habitudes.
Miha Pogacnik, Violinist, Entrepreneur, Founder IDRIART, Cultural Ambassador.

Go and enjoy meeting a great bunch of wonderful women, like yourself!

5 Steps To Launching An International Job Search

Hello Everyone, Here's a quick link to Susan Musich's recent Passport Career blog post entitled 5 Steps To Launching An International Job Search. Here are her main headings (aka pieces of advice):

1. Access local resources;
2. Find out the restrictions and permissions for working in the destination country;
3. Identify organizations to research for possible job leads and make contacts there;
4. Learn the business etiquette and communication culture for your new country; and
5. Create a networking resume and organize important career-related papers that may be requested.

If you are interested, please take a look at Susan's blog to see the details under each heading. Thanks.

Military Brats Research

Hello Everyone, Following on from a recent interview we did with Donna Musil, producer of the Kris Kristofferson-narrated DVD Brats: Our Journey Home...

We wanted to share with you the news that last week, researcher Codi Schale (University of Missouri, Kansas City) released her (159-page) dissertation entitled Military Brats: Predictors of Adult Relationship Attachments and is inviting any interested parties to request a copy by emailing Codi directly here. Thanks.

Reminder: Expat Eco Expo, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 17-18

Hi Everyone, Just a reminder if you are in (or moving to KL) that if you have not registered for the upcoming Expat Eco Expo '09, you can do so here today!

The event will take place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2009, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The Expo is being run by Tri-Concepts Sdn Bhd - the group that publishes The Expat Magazine (Malaysia's leading monthly magazine for expats, that offers free subscriptions here) and numerous other publications, as well as maintains a host of websites (including ExpatKL.com, MM2H.com, and DineMalaysia.com) and memberships that cater to the needs of resident expats and promote Malaysia internationally.

If you go to the Expo, please call in and say hi at the Expat Women stand. :-)

Americans Suffering Domestic Violence Abroad: Information Sessions in Europe

Hi Everyone, If you are suffering, think you know someone who is suffering, or if you just want to volunteer to help, read on to find out more about an upcoming round of informational talks in Europe by the AODVC...

"The Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center (AODVC), an American-based nonprofit that provides services to Americans experiencing domestic violence while residing in foreign countries, in collaboration with the Ending Violence Against Women Task Force of the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO), would like to extend a warm welcome and invite you to join us for one of our 2009 informational sessions on the issues that face Americans overseas experiencing domestic violence.

These sessions will be held as the first part of a program to train volunteer outreach ambassadors; locations and dates of these meetings are as follows:
London, October 17
Amsterdam, October 20
Frankfurt, October 24
Copenhagen, October 27
Paris, October 30
Geneva, November 2

The sessions will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will end at 11:45 a.m. Networking with coffee and pastries will begin at 9am. There will be a lunch to follow until 1:00 pm, after which the volunteer ambassador training sessions will begin.

The informational session will consist of a welcome, an introduction to AODVC, a discussion of issues facing the population served, and a briefing from a representative of the local US Embassy or Consulate.

These sessions are part of our Global Campaign to Empower Americans Experiencing Domestic Violence Abroad. We are committed to giving voice to this unheard population of American overseas domestic violence survivors and are excited to embark on this informational program.
Please click here to register for the informational session. For further questions, please contact Brooke Galloway. To see this information online, click here."

**

To read our Success Story interview last year with the remarkable Paula Lucas (aka founder of the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Centre - formerly known as the American Domestic Violence Crisis Line), please click here.

Global Workforce Symposium, Chicago, October 7-9

Hi Everyone, If you are in or around Chicago and have not already registered for Worldwide ERC's Global Workforce Symposium, their main sessions start Thursday morning, October 8, so it's not too late to change your mind...

2009 Expat Youth Scholarship Winners

Hi Everyone, You may recall that one of our Expat Women Silver Sponsors, Clements International, was running a fantastic scholarship competition for expat youth. Well, for those who are curious, recently they announced the winners (my apologies for not posting this earlier)...

"Clements International's 2009 Expat Youth Scholarship awarded $10,000 to students age 12-18 of any nationality who have spent at least two years living outside their home country. The theme, Life in a Flying House, is inspired by the idea that students who spend their childhoods moving between different countries and cultures acquire unique life experiences.

The scholarship contest asked expat students to share their experiences of living in a foreign country through an essay (500 words or more) and creative media (photographs, illustrations, paintings, or video). Three winners in each of two age categories (12-15 and 16-18) were selected by a panel of judges from the expatriate community.

Scholarship Winners:
Age 12-15
First Place ($3,000): Julia Goldsby, 12, American Expat in Germany
Second Place ($1,500): Kate Telma, 14, American Expat in Kazakhstan
Third Place ($500): Athena Pierquet, 15, American Expat in France

Age 16-18
First Place ($3,000): Yichen Zhang, 18, Chinese Expat in the U.S.
Second Place ($1,500): Bethany Turley, 17, American Expat in Belgium
Third Place ($500): Natalia Aponte, 18, Peruvian Expat in the U.S.

To view the winning entries and honorable mentions, along with other information about the scholarship, visit here. Download the official (September) press release here.

Since 1947, Clements International has specialized in the insurance needs of expatriates and their families. Visit clements.com for more information."

Congratulations to all of the winners this year!

Expat Women Site Back Up Again

Hi Everyone, After being cut off for about 12 hours, ExpatWomen.com and all our email addresses are now up and running again.

I have a backlog of things from these past few weeks to update you about (here on this blog) and will do so today... or tomorrow...

Have a great day/night! Andrea

Expat Women Website Down Temporarily

Hi Everyone, Just a quick blog post to let you know that we have been the victims of spamming/phishing/whatever you call it, whereby someone has used our site and email accounts to pretend to be from PayPal and has sent emails out to people asking for their personal information. Our website host has shut down our entire site (and all of our email addresses) until the issue can be resolved. Lovely!

Hopefully the issue can be fixed as soon as possible. So sorry for any inconvenience. Andrea.