Hi Everyone, We have just uploaded our Expat Women March home page and encourage you to take a look, tweet it and share it with your friends...
Success Story
Deanne de Vries
VP Africa Strategic Initiatives, Agility (Kuwait)
Deanne De Vries is a career woman, a traveler and an adventurer. Born and raised in San Jose, California to Dutch parents, she has lived in Belgium, the Netherlands, Kenya, South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Iraq and now Kuwait...
Read more…
Business Idea
Stylemakers
Renée Coppinger
Fashion-lover Renée is a shining example of an expat entrepreneur who is both following her true passion and very successfully reinventing herself, over and over. From electronics, to fashion, to care giving, to study, to art and then back to fashion, she has set up businesses...
Read more…
Travel Tips
10 Travel Tips For The Seasoned Traveler
Susanna Zaraysky
If you consider yourself a master at the travel game, but you are still looking for some new ideas to save money and better navigate everything travel, read on to learn from Susanna Zaraysky who has lived in nine countries, traveled to over fifty, speaks seven languages and is the author of Travel Happy, Budget Low...
Read more…
Culture Shock: It’s A Good Thing
Ines Hofmann
Cathy was a lawyer in the United States, but when she accompanied her husband to Frankfurt she suffered from culture shock and every small step outside of her apartment seemed to be a great effort. Strange, this might seem to some, given that Cathy had just been working as a competent lawyer in the US...
Read more…
Reinventing Yourself
5 Steps To Creating A Better You
Kim Seeling Smith
As expats we are forced to reinvent almost every aspect of our lives when we choose to pick up, pack up and pluck ourselves down in another country. We have to negotiate a new country, a new culture, a new house, start new jobs (or life without a job), enrol our children in new schools...
Read more…
Expat Confession
Death Abroad
Expat Women Girlfriend
My friend’s husband collapsed and died suddenly at work this week from a brain tumour. It was terrible. Like any best friend would do, I have been doing my best to console and offer support in her time of need and help as best as I can with her two young children. But I really feel out of my depth: first with grief counselling and now with helping her...
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 newsletter this week 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, and receive your free e-book of our Winning Stories!
Thanks
Thank you sincerely for your support and best wishes for March! Andrea
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Expat Women March 2010 Home Page
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Various Expat Women News Tidbits
Hi once more Everyone, Following on from my earlier post today about how easy it is to put tidbits of information on Twitter, here are some of the tidbits I have posted on Twitter recently that might interest you...
Seeking: American and British Expats in Singapore for a Research Project
"For Third Culture Kids Seeking: American and British Expats currently in Singapore to participate in a research project. Single recording session approx 2 hrs, reading English sentences. Monetary Token of appreciation will be given at the end of the session. Contact Nicole at dataproj.sg@gmail.com if interested."
Which Airport has been Voted Best in the World for the 5th Year in a Row?
You'd be surprised!
Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010
Over 19,000 votes.
13 Mistakes For Americans to Avoid When Filing Taxes This Year
If you are American and needing to lodge a tax return in the United States this year, read on...
American Council on International Personnel's 36th Annual Symposium
June 7-10
Washington DC
Main topic: Immigration
Totally Expat Show for Global Mobility Industry Professionals
London 24 May 2010
Families in Global Transition Conference
March 4-6
Houston, Texas, United States
It's not too late!
I really wish I was going...
7 Reasons Not to Put All Your Eggs in the Twitter Basket
Interesting blog post on Social Examiner by Jay Baer, a social media strategist and coach.
Managing Home Leave
Recent article by Paragon Relocations:
"Is there a connection between Home Leave and employee attrition/retention? Home Leave was intended to help minimise the effects of the culture shock of an international assignment. It allows assignees to maintain family ties and stay current with home business contacts and associates; and keep connected with their community and culture. Still, attrition rates upon completion of assignments remain high. Is there a disconnect between the philosophy of the home leave provision and its actual impact to assignment satisfaction?"
Looking for Expat Experts to Contribute to Our ExpatArrivals Guides
If you are interested, read the short message.
Expat Coach Megan Fitzgerald in Top 10
Congratulations to previous Expat Women Business Idea interviewee and long-time ExpatWomen.com supporter, Megan Fitzgerald, who was recently named by The Undercover Recruiter in their top ten Facebook fan pages for job seekers and career-minded folk.
Authors Needed for Culture Smart Books
If you are interested, please contact Jo Parfitt, who will then link you to Culture Smart. Thanks.
To catch all of these updates as soon as I make them, I invite you to follow me on Twitter.
Thanks, Andrea.
Expat Infidelity Abroad: The Story of Alexandra Shakespeare
Hi Everyone, I read today Alexandra Shakespeare's story From Excess to Exes - How My Dubai Dream Turned into a Nightmare.
With a name like Shakespeare, I am sure Alexandra would have been preferred to have become famous for her works of literary art (yes, she is actually a professional writer and was once the editor of the glossy Harper's Bazaar in Dubai). So it's sad that her marriage confession might actually catapult her into more fame than her high-flying job did before.
Doubly sad is it that Alexandra's story of her ex-husband's infidelity abroad is not unique: unfortunately stories like Alexandra's are common... albeit granted, not everyone was an editor of Harper's Bazaar.
Full marks to Alexandra for sharing her story once she found happiness with her new partner in the UK and sending my best wishes out there to every woman going through right now what Alexandra went through in Dubai.
Andrea
What Have I Learnt About Twitter In Just One Month?
Hi Everyone, For those of you still sitting on the fence about Twitter, I thought I would share a little about what I have learnt so far...
1. It's Super Easy
Once you have your account, and you take a minute to learn how to shorten URLs/website addresses (try TinyURL or bit.ly), it is incredibly easy to type a 140-character message and tell the world your latest discovery.
2. It's Great For Keeping Up
Given that the messages are so short, it is very easy to keep up with what your friends are saying, or what others in your industry or interest groups are saying, just by following those people that might have 'news' for you.
Then every time you scan the 'news' from people who you follow, from their tweets which come to your Twitter account, you can retweet anything newsworthy in just a few seconds. It's brilliant: you can boost your own reputation for being 'in the know' and sharing valuable information just by retweeting. I pinch myself at how easy it is to do that.
3. It's Personal
Much to my surprise, Twitter can actually be quite personal. Instead of seeing just an email address on your blog subscription list, you get to not only see a photo (usually) of the person following you, but you can also click immediately on their profile to read their tweets, send a message to them, see who is following them and even follow them if you choose to (so they can message you directly and/or so you can just keep up with their tweets in the future). Again, you are learning who else is 'out there' and it's only taking you a few minutes.
Expat Michelle Fabio @michellefabio concurs:
"Twitter has deepened my relationships that previously had been conducted only through blog comments. Twitter really gives you an opportunity to nurture relationships built throughout the Internet and also find new ones based on similar interests. Plus it's so much fun!"
4. It's Fun
Twitter is much more fun than I expected. As soon as you learn something, you can share it within a minute or two. Once you are following friends or peers that do the same, there are lots of interesting 'learnings' being shared in 140 characters or less. It's fabulous.
Expat Jennifer @louloufrance wrote to me:
"[Twitter is] an excellent way of exchanging information about the subjects I'm interested in (cooking, cheese, France, wine, travel) as well as keeping up to date on news stories.... I love it!"
"A friend of mine started with Twitter and was about to give up on it [but] asked me for my thoughts on the media and after telling her how I used it to glean information she ended up finding a whole group of people in her field (TESL) and now says that it has renewed her interest in her career and has introduced her to new avenues that she would never discovered without Twitter."
5. It Saves You Time
Sure, you need to put aside time to read and write tweets. But, we are only talking about 140-character tweets. Super small. Super easy to scan, read and write, compared to researching all of those people's blogs/newsletters/websites that you would like to keep up with and then deciding if anything they say is 'newsworthy'.
Again, the more people you follow, the more 'news' that will come direct to your Twitter inbox, rather than you searching for it - saving your precious time and energy.
6. It Can Slow Your Blogging
On the negative side... unfortunately, I am finding that it is just so quick to tweet information out to the world, that that's where I am typing my/our news first. Then, if I don't have time to explain it all via a blog post when I tweet it, the blog post (usually, but not always) follows, but maybe the next day or the next week even. For everyone subscribed to this blog, I apologise and promise to try harder in that respect, so that I am not too far behind on the blog, compared to Twitter (smile).
On the positive side... in the past, if I had not had time to blog I simply would not share anything that I had learned until I did have time to blog. At least now, me and others like me, can share on Twitter straight away. So that has to be a good thing, right?
My Prediction: I predict that because of the ease of Twittering, blog owners who twitter will slow down with less regular blog posts. Whilst blog news might then fall a few days behind, for many of us who subscribe to various blog and newsletter feeds, perhaps a few less (but more consolidated) blog updates might not necessarily be a bad thing, as blog owners might focus their blog posts on truly valuable topics and post anything less newsworthy in just a 140-character Twitter update. Then anyone wanting news when it's super-hot and fresh, can read it on Twitter in the interim.
Maybe it's much like the tortoise and the hare... they'll both get to the finish line in the end, it just depends who wants to get there faster. ;-)
Andrea
Follow me on Twitter @andreaexpat
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
HSBC International: Free Amazon Kindle or Airport Membership Promotion
Hi Everyone, Just a quick shout-out for our Gold Sponsor, HSBC International.
They are running a promotion whereby if you sign up to a Premier account before 31 March 2010 and deposit at least £60,000 (or currency equivalent) within 90 days of your account opening, you get to choose your free gift of either 12 month's Airport Angel membership or, for the avid readers among us, a free Amazon Kindle™.
"With a busy expat life, you have enough to think about without worrying about your offshore banking. That's why we've designed our products and services to be easy and convenient. Bank offshore with HSBC Premier and enjoy:
- 24/7 phone access to a Relationship Management team;
- Internet Banking that provides access to your HSBC accounts in over 34 countries from a single log on and the ability to make transfers immediately, without charge and with a preferential rate of exchange;
- The ability to manage your money in a large range of emerging market currencies, use our global reach and knowledge of international business and get the best help and guidance; and
- An International Wealth Management service to help you make the most of your money."
Expat Women February Newsletter
Hi Everyone, We just completed sending our Expat Women member newsletter for February 2010. In addition to our February Expat Women home page features, our newsletter includes:
- The name of our Explorer Publishing mini-guide pack winner;
- Our winning story by Expat Women member Miriam Mannak in South Africa, entitled Confessions of an Ex-Expat Child;
- Details of how to follow me on Twitter; and
- Sarah Merron's advert for her Fire Dragon Coaching's NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) course in the Maldives in May.
If you are an Expat Women member and you did not receive our newsletter for February 2010, please check your spam box and if it is not there, please email us and we will investigate. Meanwhile, we invite you to view our newsletter online here.
Best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea
PS. If you are reading this blog post only online and you are not an Expat Women member yet, please sign up today to support us. As a thank you, you will then receive details about how to download your free copy of our e-book: Winning Stories - Feb 2007 to Feb 2010!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Expat Women's Happy 3rd Birthday Blog Shout-Out Competition Winner
Hello and big congratulations to Shanie Matthews for winning our Expat Women Happy 3rd Birthday Blog Shout-Out Competition!
Last month, we wrote to the 1,100+ women who have listed their blog on our Expat Women Blog Directory and invited them to give us a shout-out for our 3rd birthday (16 January 2010) to enter our Amazon voucher competition.
Well, this week, the entries were collated and our friend Expat Expert Robin Pascoe randomly chose the winning number. So, congratulations Shanie, you will receive a US$100 Amazon.com voucher... plus we'll give you a big, unexpected shout-out for your blog(s) here:
The Era of Collaboration: A Blog Celebrating A New Era In Global Cooperation
"Shanie Matthews is a United States-born and raised freelance wordsmith, photographer and professional snow skier. After living in multiple countries, she now considers herself a citizen of the world. From a childhood in Bellingham, Washington to adolescence in Bavaria, Germany to over a decade of young adulthood in Lake Tahoe, California, her experiences led her to wanting to explore outside the box.
She relocated to Mendoza, Argentina in 2005 with her husband, Jamie, first owning a wine vineyard. They currently live in awe-inspiring Bariloche, Patagonia where they appreciate the impressive views, soaring condors and undiscovered outdoor paradise. She and Jamie share their daily craziness of living abroad in their blog, LivingInPatagonia.com. She also writes a blog on her personal journey with consciously practicing happiness.
Despite the occasional group exercise in high school and college growing up, the power of collaboration didn’t truly occur to Shanie until her research into creating a ski area cooperative. As hours of research accumulated, she discovered over and over again how communities are moving forward in what experts are calling the “Era of Collaboration”. This blog is to share what she has learned, interview experts and to be a real-time information source about the era of collaboration."
Honorary mention must also go to Tiffany Jansen of Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland for the most comprehensive shout-out. Thanks Tiffany!
Thanks go to everyone who supported us for this competition and we hope to run the same again next year! Andrea
New BMW Award For Intercultural Commitment: Total prize money €25,000
Hi Everyone, If you have an idea for an intercultural project that will really 'make a difference', BMW have just launched an exciting new competition and I encourage you to apply.
"The BMW Group is looking for innovative projects and dedicated, visionary individuals worldwide – to establish a lasting connection between people of different cultural, religious, and language backgrounds. Read on to find out all you need to know about the goal, submission requirements and the schedule as well as background information on the selection process, the individual awards and the central idea of partnership the award represents."
Total prize money is €25,000 and the whole process and concept sounds like a great thing to be involved in. Spread the word... and good luck if you enter! Andrea
Global Summit Of Women, May 20-22: Beijing, China
Hi Everyone, It's only three months now until the annual Global Summit of Women (conference): May 20-22. Each year they hold the Summit in a different part of the world, with a different theme:
2010: Beijing, China: Women at the Forefront of Change
2009: Santiago, Chile: Setting New Paradigms for Business and Political Leadership
2008: Hanoi, Vietnam: Women and Asia: Driving the Global Economy
2007: Berlin, Germany: The Global Marketplace: Opportunities and Challenges
2006: Cairo, Egypt: Redefining Global Leadership
2005: Mexico City, Mexico: Leading the 21st Century Economy
2004: Seoul, South Korea: Leadership, Technology, Growth
2003: Marrakech, Morocco: Preventing Conflict Through Women's Economic Development
...and the list goes on.
It's a great gathering of women and if you would like to join their 20th anniversary celebration Summit this year, click here for details.
Survey for Expat Trailing Partners
Hi Everyone, expat coach Louise Wiles is looking for participants for her survey asking trailing partners about the challenges and issues they face when moving abroad and the types of support they would find most helpful.
"My aim is to achieve over 100 responses as this will help to make the survey results more representative and therefore valid. The survey builds on a piece of research I conducted in 2002 for a dissertation as part of a Masters in Occupational Psychology. This investigated the expectations trailing partners had regarding organisational support and the impact its provision had on their adaptation to their lives in Portugal (where I was living at the time)."
Click here to email Louise to ask her questions and/or to request a copy of her 2002 results.
Click here to complete her survey.
Thanks on her behalf!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Conferences, Awards, Scholarships, Competitions & More...
Hi Everyone, If you have missed my Twitter shout-outs, here are some upcoming conferences, scholarships/awards/competition deadlines that might interest you:
Clements International Offers US$10,000 In Expat Youth Scholarships
Our Expat Women Silver Sponsor Clements International is again offering Expat Youth Scholarships to expatriate students. US$10,000 will be shared between six winning students, aged 12-18, of any nationality, who have spent the last two consecutive years living outside of their home country. The scholarship contest offers expat students a chance to share their experiences of living in a foreign country through a 500-750 word essay and a creative image answering the question “Where would you go in your flying house?”
The Great Giveaway: The Women's Conference 2010
"For the first time ever, The Women’s Conference® is presenting The Great Giveaway. Each month, from February through September, we’re giving you the opportunity to win two complimentary Special Guest Passes to attend the nation’s premier forum for women, interview one of our top speakers and meet California First Lady Maria Shriver. The Women’s Conference 2010, to be held on October 25 and 26 in Long Beach, California, includes a stellar lineup of leaders, journalists, experts, authors and artists to inform and inspire you to become an Architect of Change."
FIGT Conference Reminder & Early-Bird Discount Deadline
Families in Global Transition Conference
4-6 March 2010, Houston, Texas, United States
Early-bird discount ends midnight February 2.
Use code SPECFRD2010.
Transitions Abroad 2010 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest
Closes 15 February 2010.
1st prize US$500. 2nd prize US$150. 3rd prize US$100.
Seeking original and unpublished essays, up to 1,500 words.
"TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2010 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad. Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well..."
Awards for Foreign Service Youth
"Every year, the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) organizes a series of contests for Foreign Service youth. The contests offer U.S. Foreign Service kids and teens the opportunity to showcase their talents, accomplishments and unique perspectives on the world. Two winners will each receive a US$1,500 U.S. savings bond and recognition at the annual youth awards ceremony at the Department of State in July 2010."
Our Expat Women Silver Sponsor Clements International sponsors the Community Service Award, which honors U.S. Foreign Service youth who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts at home or abroad while facing the challenges of living an internationally mobile lifestyle. Deadline for entries is 15 April 2010.
FAWCO Conference
The FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) is holding its next conference in Boston, United States, 11-14 March 2010... which is only next month, so hurry, if you/your club is interested in sending representatives.
Re:locate Awards
And finally, entries for the UK's Re:locate Magazine's annual Re:locate awards close 15 February 2010. So if you are in the relocation arena and would like to enter, be sure to get your entry in this week or next.
The Seven Award Categories are:
1. Best Relocation Strategy/Policy;
2. Technological Innovation in Relocation;
3. Inspirational HR Team of the Year;
4. Relocation Service Provider or Team of the Year;
5. Best Property Provider or Solution;
6. Rising Star in Relocations; and/or
7. Relocation Personality of the Year.
Good luck to all who enter! Andrea
Expat Women February 2010 Home Page
Hi Everyone, Please take a look at our new Expat Women February home page, featuring a famous expat TV Star/Producer, a Nairobi bomb survivor and more...
Success Story
Debbie Travis
Television Star, Producer and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire
Once upon a time, Brit Debbie Travis modeled with celebrity supermodel Gail Elliott. Today, long-term expat Debbie Travis is a household name in Canada, famous for producing and hosting three successful lifestyle television series (Debbie Travis' Facelift, Debbie Travis' Painted House and From The Ground Up with Debbie Travis) that now show worldwide. Debbie has also written nine books, she writes a syndicated newspaper column and she executive produces a variety of other television shows on real estate, cooking, renovations and more. She owns two television production companies and a self-named branding studio that produces a line of over 1,500 products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire, the biggest retailer in Canada...
Read more…
Business Idea
The French Paper
Nicola Wade
Five years ago Nicki and her family left London for rural France. A self-confessed magazine addict, Nicki now runs a publishing company in France with a glossy regional lifestyle magazine and a monthly English-language newspaper, with a combined readership of 45,000+...
Read more…
New Memoir
The Unofficial Diplomat
Joanne Grady Huskey
From being inside the US Embassy with her children in Nairobi when it was bombed, to being on the ground in Beijing during the sad events at Tiananmen Square in 1989, to acting in Bollywood, to co-founding a relocation company and an international school in India... Joanne has seemingly done it all...
Read more…
Expat Confession
Homesick New Mother Abroad
Expat Women Girlfriend
I am a trailing spouse and mother of one, who has been living in Japan for seven months. When I first arrived, I loved the thrill of it all. But now I hate Japan. I miss my mum for the emotional support and I wish she could help more with my son...
Read more…
Tweet, Tweet
How Twitter Can Rock Your Business
Stephanie Ward
Marketing Coach Stephanie Ward, an American expat in The Netherlands, shares with us ten reasons (and three testimonials) why you should be using Twitter as a new marketing strategy to boost your business profile and profits, wherever you live in the world...
Read more…
Learning A Language
Top 6 Fun Ways To Learn A Foreign Language: Using Music, Radio, TV and Movies
Susanna Zaraysky
Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you have not heard in years and you surprise yourself by singing all the lyrics? Music and catchy jingles can stick in our minds for years, while verb conjugation charts and memorized data disappear. So if you are trying to learn a new language, put down the verb conjugation charts for now and turn on your radio!
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 newsletter this week 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, and receive your free e-book of our Winning Stories!
Thanks
Thanks Everyone for your support and enjoy your first day of February! Andrea
