Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Expat Women December 2010 Home Page

Hi Everyone, We have now uploaded the new features for our December Expat Women home page.  We invite you to read them, share them and tweet them.  Thanks so much!

Success Story
Romance Novelist
Long-time Dutch expat Karen van der Zee is without doubt, a writer's success story.  She has had 35 romance novels published by Harlequin Books, as well as many stories from her globetrotting life in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the US...

Business Idea
Janet Dorey
Janet Dorey is a wonderful example of a woman who has reinvented herself abroad. Janet, who double-majored in music and biology, is now running a business in cartonnage – the art of making decorative boxes out of cardboard and paper...

Pyramid of Expat Needs
Elizabeth Abbot
Living and working in different cultural or multicultural environments adds layers of complexity to your life and work – a curious twist that can unsettle your sense of who you are, affect your confidence in how you operate, and empower you to grow...

Campus Visits
Rebecca Grappo
For families that live abroad, unless they have a magic carpet, or unlimited time and funds, it is very difficult to visit all of the boarding schools or colleges/universities that a student might be interested in offshore, or back "home"...

Expat Confession
Expat Women Girlfriend
We are first-time expats living in India for my husband’s job. We have a good expat package, we live in a lovely neighborhood… but the one thing that really disturbs me here is the begging...  

BlogWorld 2010
Andrea Martins
In October, I was privileged to attend BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas with more than 3,000 other attendees...  Many big social media names were there, such as Scott Stratten, Darren Rowse, Michael Stelzner, Mari Smith, Brian Solis, Yaro Starak, Jay Bear, Steve Garfield, Chris Garrett, Scott Monty - and even The Apprentice and Survivor creator Mark Burnett...  

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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 December newsletter this month (plus our 'Best of 2010' newsletter a week or two after), 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 also receive your link to our free e-book of Winning Stories!

Thank you very much and best wishes for a fantastic December! Andrea

Sunday, November 28, 2010

BlogWorld 2010: 12 Insights from the World's Largest Social Media Convention: by Expat Women's Andrea Martins

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Hi Everyone!  As promised, here is my write-up from the recent BlogWorld conference that I attended in Las Vegas.  This article will actually be featured in our upcoming Expat Women December newsletter (but I wanted to share it with you in advance and would really appreciate both your feedback and/or your insights from other conferences as well). Thanks, Andrea

ps. If you do not already subscribe to our main Expat Women monthly newsletter yet, please support us by signing up now.  Thanks so much!


BlogWorld 2010: 12 Insights from the World's Largest Social Media Convention

In October 2010, I was privileged to attend BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas with more than 3,000 other attendees, mostly from the United States, but with a sprinkling of us based elsewhere as well.

As the world’s largest social media conference, many big social media names were there, such as Scott Stratten, Darren Rowse, Michael Stelzner, Mari Smith, Brian Solis, Yaro Starak, Jay Bear, Steve Garfield, Chris Garrett, Scott Monty – and even The Apprentice and Survivor creator Mark Burnett.

BlogWorld 2010 was a wonderful experience - so many genuinely educational sessions, so many networking opportunities, and so much to offer to bloggers and new media people alike.

But if I had to condense everything I saw and learned those three days into twelve key insights to share, it would be these...


The Speakers

1. Famous people, are just people

The more I travel and attend conferences with big name speakers, the more I realize that (most of) the big name speakers are just like you and I – normal, friendly people who are easy to approach, happy to answer questions and more than willing to share advice, tips, and many times, some key contacts as well. To me, this is a really important conference takeaway, because it liberates you from the excuse that you cannot ask them advice or that you cannot achieve what they have achieved.


2. You and I can keynote

BlogWorld 2010 had many speakers. With plenary sessions plus around twelve (!) concurrent sessions per time slot over the jam-packed three days, there were plenty of speakers to observe, enjoy, learn from and critique. Some speakers were awesome, many were 7 or 8 out of 10, and unfortunately others really should have prepared better or spoken more clearly - rather than relying on their laurels or latest book title.

But my message to you is that those speakers at this conference that usually charge US$5,000 - $10,000+ a day outside of BlogWorld, were not always better presenters than you or I (and the same is true for other conferences I have attended). Which begs the question, what can you and I do to package and market our own brand better, so that we can also grab a slice of the speaking action?


3. Learn from Barry Moltz

Barry Moltz is a professional speaker who ran a really enjoyable session entitled “Feeding Your Addiction: How to Create and Market Your Content to Drive a Professional Speaking Career”. Some of Barry’s most useful/interesting tips were:

• Tell people that you speak! Put it on your website. Simple, but not done enough;

• As part of the speaking contract/deal, request that the client passes you one or two new speaking event referrals;

• Think about putting some danger tape around the back row chairs, so people come closer to the front and the atmosphere feels more intimate; and

• Plan each segment of your presentation (such as the opening, part one, part two, part three and so on, and the closing) so that it has all of these three things: a takeaway; a story; and an action. This helps you to prepare more thoroughly with your audience in mind, and helps to keep your presentation valuable and focused.


For Bloggers

4. Say something important

Darren Rowse (who reportedly makes a six-figure-plus income from blogging), founder of Problogger (167,000+ subscribers), got lots of nods from the audience with these pearls of wisdom: “say something important” and “build something that matters”.

Brian Clark, CEO of Copyblogger (137,000+ subscribers), reiterated: “give valuable content that people want to share and say good things about”. This “share-ability” concept was repeated by multiple other speakers at the conference.

Sonia Simone, also a founding partner of Copyblogger media, on the plenary panel with Darren and Brian entitled “The 7 Harsh Realities Of Blogging For Bucks”, echoed their comments and asserted that “It’s not about you - it’s about your customers. What do they want and care about? If you don’t have a big readership, maybe you’re not writing about something people care about.”


5. Improve your site’s call to action

Brian said that “free content is an attraction, but free is not a business model” – you need to sell directly-related products that solve problems, to make money – and you need to be good at asking people to buy your products. Brian used the bikini concept analogy to prove his point: he said that even if a site showed someone in a bikini that revealed nearly all of someone’s body, many people would still pay to see what was under that bikini – if you just asked them.


6. Focus on evergreen

Wendy Piersall is the founder of the new kids’ activity website Woo! Jr, who successfully sold her previous site, Sparkplugging, to a group of private investors in the fall of 2009. Interestingly, Wendy said that her strategy was not to get too caught up in Facebook and Twitter, but rather invest more time on creating evergreen content (aka content that does not really date) for her website that others can tweet, put on Facebook, link to, and which historically does well over time in the search engines.


7. Create your unique angle

Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice and Survivor, shared his advice, which was: don’t just copy what others are doing – you need to “take the risks…do things differently… and create things that other people want to talk about”.

Mark went on to give the example of Sarah Palin. He said that many media networks wanted to do a television series or documentary about her, but no one was able to secure a deal. Mark knew that Sarah loved both Alaska and adventure, so he proposed “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” to her – an eight-part television event that “takes viewers into the country’s ‘final frontier’ through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens”. Sarah loved it – and Mark successfully produced the series! (It was scheduled to premiere in the United States on 14 November 2010.)


For Authors

8. Bloggers can be better than Oprah

Ellen Gerstein, Director of Marketing at John Wiley & Sons, who has published many books by bloggers and is a great champion of social media, said that getting prominent bloggers to talk about your book can in fact be a more powerful force than going on morning television shows, or even Oprah!


9. Your books need to be e-books too

Justin Branch from Greenleaf Publishing revealed something authors should find scary: traditional books are now getting bad customer reviews on Amazon if the book is not available as an e-book! This means that regardless of the quality of your book, your book could potentially suffer from bad book ratings just because you did not offer your book in the medium that your potential customer wanted to buy it in.


10. Promote your book on the radio

Justin gave another great piece of advice: “The best way to promote your book is to do radio… you can do eighteen interviews a day from home – which is a very effective promotional strategy.”


11. Think about a manifesto

I am not sure which log I had been hiding under to miss the whole “manifesto” wave, but Jonathan Fields of Tribal Author book filled me in and I found it all truly fascinating.

Jonathan’s manifesto was The Fire Fly Manifesto, which served as a great prelude to his very successful book Career Renegade. He also talked about Chris Guillebeau’s manifestos: The Art of Non-Conformity; and the Unconventional Guide to Discount Airfare: Surviving Stress and Maximizing Fun.

In short, a good manifesto is an attention-grabbing, short book with an exceptionally-designed cover that is used to promote your main book, product or service. They can be a clever and potentially lucrative promotional strategy – think about them.


The Audience

12. Tech-savvy audiences are redefining our conferences.

As I mentioned in a recent blog update Taking Expat Women Around The World, never before have I seen what I saw at BlogWorld 2010 in Las Vegas. At every presentation, at least three-quarters (!) of the audience were always either blogging, typing, foursquaring, tweeting or reading Twitter updates from others in the room (or from other sessions at the conference), instead of looking straight ahead at the presenters. It was a real eye-opener – and I found myself mimicking this multitasking behaviour – tweeting things I was learning and reading the tweets of others around me.



Summary

• Think differently;

• Act creatively;

• Produce awesome content/products/services; and

• Believe in yourself – you are just as good as many of the famous people!

Missed Some Great Expat Links On Twitter?

Hi Everyone, Here are some expat-related articles and links that I have tweeted about recently, that might interest you:

Does it pay off for women to work abroad? Washington Post
http://wapo.st/bK0gJo

Recommended: Truly moving story about motherhood
http://bit.ly/d0M6bl

Any State Department bloggers out there? Put yourself on the map – literally
http://bit.ly/bhbTQh

Good school hunting: excellent article from Beijing Kids.com
http://bit.ly/du61xH

Traits of Successful Expats?
http://bit.ly/b0S67i

Can You Help Bring Domestic Violence Victims Abroad home for the holidays?
http://bit.ly/aHDERa

New book: Black and Abroad http://bit.ly/aEkJRx

Expats: Never trust strangers with your mail! Trust only the best - http://www.usglobalmail.com/ will take care your mail, anywhere...

European expats are the biggest earners in Dubai
http://bit.ly/b2x8LU

WSJ: Shareholders Hit the Roof Over Relocation Subsidies
http://on.wsj.com/dfX10c

Bring Talent Home: A 120,000 Euro Project To Bring Expats Home
http://bit.ly/cfWmS9

Thinking of moving abroad? 7 Things To Consider
http://bit.ly/aMvuqp

Expat Partner Support Crucial When Families Are Posted Abroad
http://bit.ly/bosOYB

Expat or Temporary Resident or...? Great discussion here
http://bit.ly/9zbzHY

Expats: How long does it take to feel at home abroad?
http://bit.ly/dw7Jls

Watch "Successful Living Abroad" lectures for expats and your families to feel less alone during relocation
http://bit.ly/9NBH1H

Sign up for new Global Mobility magazine launching December 2010
http://linkd.in/abNx4B

Top 10 countries represented by Canadian Expats in this group: US, UK, UAE, Greece, Qatar, France, Saudi Arabia...
http://fb.me/F1FLunAa

Missed the Expat Forum 2010? See a slideshow of highlights and stay tuned for video clips
http://ow.ly/2XTPC

More than half of British expats do not want to return home
http://bit.ly/dxw9WV

Expats: 10 best things (http://bit.ly/cVdcJe) and 10 worst things (http://bit.ly/9iEYV3) about being an expat wife

To follow me in 'real time' and keep up with even more great expat links on Twitter, please click here.

To read our Expat Women November newsletter, please click here.

Thanks for your support and have a great week! Andrea

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Expat Women Living in Shanghai: Interested in Part-Time Work with SIRVA Relocation?

Hi Everyone, If you are living in Shanghai, China, and are interested in part-time work (or know someone who is), please read on...

SIRVA Relocation, one of the world’s premier relocation companies, is currently seeking part-time SIRVA Relocation Field Consultants for their office in Shanghai, China.

SIRVA’s Field Consultants will accompany expatriates and family members on tours such as (but not limited to) orientation, preview trips, home searches (together with a SIRVA designated housing agent), school searches and settling-in services.

SIRVA’s Field Consultants will act as the subject matter experts for the number of days that are being authorized by the client on specific services. An itinerary will be drawn for this program so that the Field Consultants will take that as a generic guideline in providing the required services.

Work days will be flexible, depending on each Field Consultant’s personal schedule and availability. SIRVA will provide a car and driver for the programs that will be carried out for their clients. The Field Consultants will be required to submit a comprehensive report upon completion of the program in providing observations, feedback and concerns of the family so that SIRVA can take this up with the expatriate and the client’s Human Resources team to address any issues.

Anyone interested in gaining fabulous experience with a very friendly, highly-reputable, global company, this could just be the perfect opportunity for you during your time in Shanghai and perhaps a stepping stone to bigger and greater things.

Main Responsibilities:
• Work closely with the in-house team of Global Assignment Consultants
• Accompany SIRVA Clients’ expatriate assignees on their:
- Look-See / Preview Trips
- School Search
- Home Search
- Settling-In Program
• Complete an end-of-program report

Ideal candidates would possess the following attributes:
• Personal experience and/or knowledge of international relocation industry
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Initiative, independence, well organized and able to work under pressure
• PC literate with good knowledge of MS Office
• Must have and maintain up to date knowledge of the local and expatriate living and life style issues within Shanghai’s international community
• Languages a distinct advantage
• Training and attractive remuneration will be offered to the right candidates.

If you are genuinely interested in this position and would like to know more, please urgently email Claudia de Jong in SIRVA’s Singapore office to introduce yourself and to request the full job description.

All information received will be kept in strict confidence and only for employment-related purposes.  Applicants who are not invited for interviews within four weeks may consider their applications unsuccessful.

Many thanks and good luck to any interested candidates! Andrea

PS. Please share this with anyone else who might also be interested.

Expat Women Welcomes Barclays Wealth International as a Gold Sponsor

Hi Everyone, We are very excited to announce today that Barclays Wealth International is now a Gold Sponsor of Expat Women.  This means, that Barclays believes enough in our community that they have committed to help fund us for the coming 12 months (and hopefully longer)!

To help us say thanks, please visit Barclays' site if you have any international or offshore banking and investment requirements.  Thank you in advance for supporting the companies that support us! 

Andrea

"Barclays Wealth International manages clients successfully in almost 200 countries. If you have international or offshore banking and investment requirements, Barclays Wealth International has the knowledge and experience to help you acquire wealth, use and enjoy it, protect it and pass it on.

Barclays Wealth is a leading global wealth manager, and the UK's largest, with total client assets of £153.5bn, as at 30 June 2010. With offices in over 20 countries, Barclays Wealth focuses on private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, investment management, fiduciary services and brokerage.

Barclays Wealth is the wealth management division of Barclays. Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, 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 approximately 147,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 48 million customers and clients worldwide."

Please click here to learn more about Barclays Wealth International.  Thank you.

Want To Know Who's Speaking At The 2011 FIGT Conference?

Hi Everyone, Our friends at FIGT (Families in Global Transition) have now published details of who will be speaking, and about what, at their upcoming conference in Washington (March 17-19) and they have kindly allowed us to republish the information for you here...

Unleashing Your Creative Potential Through the Arts
Alaine Handa
Do you get a “block” trying to write your article/book, choreograph a dance, paint a picture, design an outfit, etc.? In this session, mini-activities using movement, character writing, art therapy, and free-write will be introduced, to help you unlock creative potential that can become material for your work. TCKs are rich with unconscious thoughts that may or may not have been repressed. By unleashing these vulnerable thoughts, we let go of what we have kept “locked” inside and can use it as material to move on with our mobile lives.

Does where you're from make a difference? Comparing American and Japanese TCKs
Ann Baker Cottrell
Nearly all TCK research is based on American or Japanese TCKs. A review of these literatures, including findings from a study of over 600 American ATCKs, reveals themes in common to TCKs. It also makes clear that the TCK experience, especially on re-entry, is shaped by socio-cultural characteristics and history of the passport country. TCKs from other countries will be encouraged to share their experiences and how they are similar to or different from American or Japanese TCKs.

Death from a Distance: Practical and Emotional Guidance
Apple Gidley & Laura Stephens
Death is not something we like to talk about and wherever you live is difficult to handle. Add an ocean between you and your aging loved ones and the issues can be magnified. This session aims to provide a greater awareness and understanding of the challenges of dealing with aging parents and death from a distance. Apple Gidley will share her experiences, both practical and emotional, and Laura Stephens will draw on her therapeutic training to offer clarity around the process of grief and related issues.

Department of State Support to Foreign Service Families
Archana Dheer
Department of State is a leader in the field of preparing its employees and family members for overseas assignments. While many organizations provide the required training to employees, we focus also on the accompanying family member. Transition Center at FSI runs training courses, seminars and workshops to cover many aspects of international life that are a challenge to these families. It can be traveling with pets, recognition of gay couples as family, relevant allowances, adequate education for special needs children, employment opportunities for family members, etc. What all does the department do? How does it do it?

Perspective Coaching: Empowering Expatriates with Choice and Action
Becky Matchullis
Using perspective to one’s advantage is a key factor in moving forward with courage and resiliency in the expatriate life, especially during transition. Going to a new perspective expands the way to look at a situation by creating new possibilities – leading to choice. This workshop is for both expatriate coach as well as expatriate. Interactive and experiential, you will learn when perspective coaching is most strategic, where to find perspectives, and the 4 step process of Perspective Coaching.

The Teen Perspective on Transition
Caitlin Morse & Amy Casteel
International schools, coaches, parents, sponsoring organizations and others will discover how teens perceive transition and what contributes to successful transitions, based on the responses of 100+ teens. This session will use survey results, video interviews, case studies, 15 years of experience working with TCKs, and audience participation to explore what transitions are really like for youth. Participants will be equipped with strategies for making transitions successful for teens.

We’re All in This Together! Navigational Strategies for Intercultural Intersections of School Communities
Candice Hughes
This session focuses on the multiple intercultural intersections that exist in school communities comprised of diverse populations that represent host country and other cultures. The cultural iceberg metaphor and a framework of intercultural knowledge and skills will be used to demonstrate how these intersections can be navigated by students, families and staff members to allow learning to occur in an environment of acceptance and tolerance. Participants will engage in a set of exercises to learn how to analyze school settings to identify potential problematic intercultural intersections and learn how to help community members navigate them successfully in their respective roles.

Traveling beyond the Limitations of Identity
Carolyn Vines
Everyone has an identity that's been foisted upon him/her by family, community, culture, religion and/or nationality. Everyone experiences various crises of identity caused by those prefabricated identities. However, not everyone recognizes these crises as opportunities to search within for a definition of self in one's own terms, on one's own terms. The objective is to help participants recognize that identity can be the fiercest of limitations on one's personal growth potential and to identify some tools for seeing/defining themselves in different terms.

TeamWork ABC
(Availability/Being Prepared/Communicating) = SEE! (success in expatriation experience)
Chantal Duke
Show how understanding of expatriation concepts and potential issues can benefit the employee, family and the company’s relocating staff during different cycles of the adaptation process.

Finding The TCK Voice: A Personal Journey Through Art, Creativity and Intuition
Cheilaugh Garvey
What is art? Art is creation, imagination, recording, investigation, arbitration and culmination. It helps define our existence and makes us less alone and frees our frustration. Anonymous. Don't be afraid of the "art part"! No previous experience required! In this hands-on workshop, you will learn to tap into your own intuitive creativity in order to discover your distinctive TCK voice. Everyone's experience is different! Through a variety of fun and informal creative exercises, you will find ways to visualize and verbalize your experiences as a TCK or ex-pat. This process will evoke memories and emotions and help you to reconnect with your cross-cultural experiences. Through art and journaling, you will express your personal voice and embark on a journey of reflection, reevaluation and growth. The influences and perceptions of living abroad will also be explored. Enjoy the process and conversations during this enlightening workshop.

The Modern Expat
Diane Endo
The notion of acculturation seems to be disappearing from the verbal and mental vocabulary of today’s expats. Shorter assignments, ease of global travel, technology, and busy work and family life are several reasons why expats today are more apt to opt out of total immersion in their host country culture. This session will introduce modern methods for being a resident in a foreign culture.

Choosing the right expat support services for every budget
Doris Fuellgrabe
Are you organizing relocations while juggling a tight budget? Are you wondering which support fits best for individual cases? In this session, participants will explore different areas of expat support services and receive practical resources how to choose which ones are right for them. This is not a sales presentation! We are going to look at the advantages and limitations of language training, readiness assessments, destination services, cross-cultural and repatriation training, and expat coaching. Participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences, thereby creating a synergetic exchange of information among the group.

Developing a Personal Model of Resiliency for Expatriates
Duncan Westwood
An interactive workshop that trains participants to identify, build and strengthen a model of personal resilience with expatriates. Expatriate employees, spouses, TCKs and their service providers will personally and professionally benefit from learning how to foster resiliency in themselves and/or coach others to do so. Relevant findings from the research on expatriate resiliency will be an integral part of our interactive learning.

The Impact of Confucianism on Asians' Crossing Culture
Isabelle DS Min
Our values and languages shape the way we see the world. Just as most western view of the world were shaped by the Greek philosophies, Confucianism dictates Asians’ perspectives (Richard Nisbet “The Geography of Thought”). Confucianism, among other things, is highly hierarchical, relationship based perspective of the world. Among many Asian nations, Confucianism still holds a strong grip in Korea where there still exist 7 levels of honorifics. This session uses real life examples to illustrate how Confucianism still thrives in Korean life and business and offers practical solutions for smooth transition into such Asian mindset.

Increasing importance of expat partner support
Jacqueline Van Haaften
Companies and organisations are offering all kinds of assistance to the partners of the employees whom they are sending abroad. They have good reason to do so. But just how effective is their help? What are the trends? And how do the partners themselves feel about the support they receive? In order to answer these questions, Global Connection conducted a survey among its members around the world, mainly traditional expatriates, although the ‘expat-light’ trend is starting to emerge. The expats surveyed were posted abroad by a total of more than 50 organisations.

Blogs, books and bylines - How getting in print will boost your global business
Jo Parfitt
Do you want to stand out from the crowd and get more clients? Then you need to increase your client base and your profile through writing and getting into print. From writing a blog, to articles, booklets and books, there are many ways to increase your Googlability. This workshop will discuss how writing can help you to achieve expert status, passive income and an impressive Internet presence. Learn how to use the power of blogging, Twitter, booklets and books to grow an impressive business regardless of where you may live.

Action, Identity, Success or Failure: What makes an expat child grow?
Julia Simens
When does a child take failure from an action (I failed) to an identity (I am a failure) and why this follows them around the world as they relocate. Pick up some practical tips on how to make those around you ‘grow’. The view you adapt for yourself or the view your child takes on profoundly affects the way each of you lead your life. Listen to parents and teachers give comments and compare them to what a child really hears. Learn what is the most common mistake we make and how it can hinder motivation and performance.

Cross-Cultural Career Counseling and Job Search Coaching:
Supporting Accompanying Expatriate Spouses or Partners
Katarina Holm-DiDio
This session explores how a career counselor or job search coach can support the expatriate in a job search process in a country different than her/his passport country. We will discuss how to be mindful about cultural differences in career development and in career related values; how to find ways to help the client identify his or her values, strengths and challenges as an expatriate and ways to address them in the global job search context; how to assist the client to understand and address the employers/recruiters concerns about hiring an expatriate, and by exploring cultural differences in networking and job interviewing.

Advocating for Families – Ensuring the Voices of Families Are Heard
Kathleen Moakler
The families represented at this FIGT conference have all experienced global transition. They face the challenges of everyday family life enhanced by the additional stresses of changing environments and locations. Military families face these challenges as well. The National Military Family Association was formed to empower military families to become their own best advocates for addressing these challenges in their Nation or in their neighborhood. They are military family members serving other military families. They have grown to be a credible information resource for those families and for the policy makers that serve them. We will discuss how to form and sustain an advocacy organization, why it is important, and how we serve our constituents. We will trace our growth over 40 years and how we have had to adapt to changes. We will invite all sectors to brainstorm on how they could use this model to advocate for the needs of their families.

Oh the Places We Will Go: A Look at the Cross-cultural Adjustment Process of Expatriate Families in a Multinational Organization
Katie Rosenbusch & Len Cerny
Currently, there is limited research evidence on the cross‐cultural adjustment of expatriate families; therefore, there is a need to develop a better understanding of the impact that family makes on the cross‐cultural transition. This study investigated the impact of the family characteristics ‐ family cohesion and family flexibility‐ on the cross‐cultural adjustment process from the perspective of the expatriate and his/her spouse and child. The findings of this research provide insights to organizations and their HRD professionals as well as to the expatriates and their families on how family flexibility impacts cross-cultural adjustment.

Crossing Sectors for Good Practice: Practical Lessons from International Mission/Aid
Kelly O'Donnell
Go and grow broadly. This presentation looks at the importance of interacting with different sectors on behalf of our international work with staff and their families. How can we take advantage of the wealth of opportunities for connecting and contributing to various international sectors? We’ll share personal stories, key concepts, and practical grids based on the presenter’s 30 years of experience in the humanitarian and mission sectors. Crossing sectors involves three overlapping areas:
• Crossing domains (e.g., health care, human rights)
• Crossing disciplines (e.g., human resource management, organizational management)
• Crossing deserts (e.g., personal challenges in the context of challenging work).

Getting the Most from an International Education: A How To Guide for Parents and HR
Laila Plamondon
Navigating life abroad can be daunting. Faced with tough decisions and life changes, parents often opt for the safest options... However more and more parents want a true global experience for their children; increasingly expensive international schools are just not an option. We’ll explore ways to get the most from every international education, from day-long activities to the ultimate immersion experience of attending a local school. We’ll discuss common dilemmas and long-term pitfalls, and share new strategies and trade secrets to help make the most of every international educational experience.

Through Western Eyes
Lesley Lewis & Betty Eng
Using the Whole Person Development concept along with Personal Experiences, Journal Entries and Narrative Inquiries (storytelling) of forty-five Hong Kong Chinese and ten Mainland Chinese undergraduate students - this presentation will present "cutting edge" findings and solutions to work with TCK's from China. There are many Asian students and adults moving internationally. The session will discuss the approaches to working with Asian Students in a most effective fashion allowing the students to feel they are "being heard" and how as professionals we can be culturally sensitive to their needs using the Whole Person Development approach.

Adjusting to Life in Brookline: A community-based program to help new international families in their adjustment to a new country.
Liliana Busconi, Andrew Miser & Mindy Paulo
People moving to another country are faced with cross-cultural dilemmas, such as lack of understanding of the social norms and rules, challenges to their personal and cultural values, inability to communicate, disruption of family functioning and loss of identity. This session will present a description of a successful free community-based intercultural program developed to support newcomers in the process of adjusting to life in a new community. We will analyze the benefits of a community-based program, present the program curriculum and cross-cultural activities and discuss the possibility of reproducing similar programs in other communities.

The World Bank Family Network, a long success story: a professional volunteer based support network
Maaike Le Grand
Volunteers can play a unique and determining role in welcoming relocating families and easing their transition in their new environment. The World Bank Family Network is a case in point. A group of some seventy spouses of the WBG staff volunteer their time welcoming around 500 families per year and organizing as many as 30 activities per month as well as 9 big events per year. This is done seamlessly and efficiently despite the transient commitment of the volunteers and with the help of only 3 WBG full time staff. What makes this work and what lessons can be drawn for other institutions?

Strengthening Resiliency in Military Children: Insights for Military Parents, Teachers, Counselors, Youth Leaders, Clergy and Other Helping Professionals
Mary Wertsch
All military children face tough challenges: repeated uprootings; caregiver adults who disappear to the combat zone; the delicate daily negotiation of fitting into both military culture and the radically different civilian culture around it. That's just for starters. There can also be the tensions of a blended family; a warrior parent dealing with high stress or trauma; a family member with an addiction. Can anything be done to help military children weather these storms? Yes. This session will teach participants a paradigm for helping military kids find the inner strength to survive and thrive, whatever the emotional weather.

Writing the Story of Your Overseas Experience
Maureen Sullivan Romagnoli
The world is made not of atoms, but of stories. These are the words of the poet Muriel Rukyser. We define our lives and our experiences through the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we tell others. The challenges you have faced and the incredible education you have acquired about living and working overseas is filled with a myriad of stories that need to be set down in some systematic manner. This workshop is the place to start. It will provide you with the questions you need to ask yourself in order to begin to record your story.

Best Practices in International Assignee Cross-cultural Training and Support
Neal Goodman
In this very interactive session we will share and examine the latest best practices that contribute to a successful cross-cultural training program. These include: training methodologies, use of technologies, social networks, and support services which promote the successful integration of international assignees and their families into their new host country and their successful repatriation back home. Attendees will be asked to share their experiences and best practices and a Model of a successful cross-cultural training and support process will be presented and examined. Each participant will be expected to develop a minimum of one action item to implement immediately.

When Friendship Becomes A Weapon, Exploring TCK Relational Aggression in International School Students
Noel Roberts
Relational Aggression is not a new concept but is still understudied in certain settings especially as it relates to TCK’s in the international school environment. Building on David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken’s work, “Third Culture Kids”, this workshop begins to investigate the complex friendships of TCK International students between transitions. We explore how issues of unresolved grief, guardedness, rejection, cultural miscues and unfulfilled expectations in both students and their parents, entangle and fuel TCK relational aggression. The workshop offers solid strategies for caregivers to help them learn how to unravel and disengage from these destructive relationships.

One Woman’s Air Force: Professional Opportunities and Personal Challenges of Women in the Military
Paulette Bethel
Women make up a growing component of the US military, especially in the last decade. Currently, women represent 14% of the US active duty forces and 20% of new military recruits. Current research findings and interviews with military women will be presented through the lens of the presenter's personal experiences to explore and “connect the dots” regarding the benefits and challenges of a military career. Discussion topics will include single parenthood, dual-military marriages; deployment issues; family adjustment issues, including medical and mental health impacts on mothers and their children. Suggestions will be offered for areas where further research is needed.

How Can EAP’s Retool to Address the Global Business Demands and the Familial Need of the Expatriate
Philip Berry & Tom Diamante
As companies and organizations increase their global focus, the value of the expatriate assignment is rising. However, the expatriate, like the domestic employee cannot focus on the job when family concerns are pressing. On the global business stage, the work-life dynamic is complicated by cross-cultural elements and added familial issues. Research indicates that family/cultural adaptation and on-going support is critical to retention of talent overseas. Pre-transition, during assignment and post-transition (repatriation) periods each require focused attention. We will explore the strategic integration of technological, organizational, social and familial elements critical to business success in the context of “transitions” on a global level.

The Resilience Doughnut: A strengths-based model for building resiliency and a route to solutions for the transition issues faced by young people
Stephanie Schwarz
The Resilience Doughnut (created by Lyn Worsley) is a practical, strength-based model for building resilience in young people. It considers how to enhance internal positive beliefs and make use of seven external life factors to develop resilience. This session introduces the model and applies it to a case example. It then explores why, at times of global transition, young people’s resiliency is particularly vulnerable before exploring strategies for parents and schools to help transitioning children remain resilient. Finally, participants will see how the model informs an International School’s “Transition Mentoring Program”, which works with new Elementary students to speed and smooth their transition into school.

ATCK Repatriation Challenges: Counseling Needs and Techniques
Tina Quick & Lois Bushong
Once ATCKs step out of the international, highly mobile third culture, they begin to witness differences between themselves and others who have grown up in more traditional cultures. Counselors, EAP providers and member care directors will benefit from this anecdotal filled session that looks at the issues young adult TCKs struggle with upon repatriation and how they can be helped to navigate the deep waters of adjusting to the new culture of their home country. Stories and video clips will be interspersed with counseling techniques and treatment plans in the therapy office for helping ATCKs cope with grief, identity questions, relationship challenges, belonging, old wounds and other themes.

FIGT is always a great conference: educational sessions plus wonderful networking with a group of people that really do become like 'family'.  I highly recommend the conference (I went in 2007 and 2009) and encourage you to find out more details here.

Thanks and enjoy your weekend!  Andrea

STOP PRESS: MORE SPEAKERS NOW LISTED ON THE FIGT SITE HERE: http://www.figt.org/2011_Conference_Schedule (18 January 2011)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Women Speakers: We Need You At Conferences!

Hi Everyone, I really liked a recent blog entry from expat marketing coach Stephanie Ward (see our interview with Stephanie on our main Expat Women site here).  Stephanie has kindly given us permission to republish it for you here.  It is a thought-provoking post about the lack of women speakers at conferences and I hope it inspires more of you to nominate yourselves as speakers at conferences.  I am sure many of you would be fabulous!  Andrea

What the Majority of Conferences Have in Common

"I was surprised over a year ago when I counted up the number of female speakers represented by a female owned Dutch speaker’s bureau to find an overwhelming number of men. I just did a recount and discovered that there are five women out of the ninety-one speakers (that’s 5%).

A couple of days ago I checked out the upcoming LeWeb conference 2010 in Paris. There are seventy speakers, eight of whom are women (11 %).

I tweeted about this and got this tweet back from the founder of the conference, Loic Le Meur: “@FireflyCoaching we think those women are worth 5 men each.”

I decided to look at other events to see what I could find. The Sprout Challenger Day that’s coming up in the Netherlands has thirteen speakers, two are women (15%).

Tedx Amsterdam is also coming up. Out of the seventeen presenters, three are women (18%).

Interesting that as I was writing this I saw this quote posted by TedX Amsterdam on Facebook: “The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet” – William Gibson.

The 2011 PINC conference to be held in Amsterdam will have two women out of sixteen speakers (13%). Looking back at all of the previous speakers at PINC, out of a total of 169, 29 are women (17%).

At the Mobile Convention Amsterdam, an Event for Mobile Marketing & Business, that was held in April 2010 there were six women speaking out of the total of thirty-six speakers (17%).

At the recent fourth edition of the Picnic event 27 of the 129 speakers were women (21%).

Please don’t shoot the messenger, the numbers are what they are.

These conferences are successful.  Is it possible that could they have a bigger impact, attract more female participants, and provide a more interesting mix of perspectives and experiences if there were more of a balance between men and women speakers?

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely don’t want to see more women speakers for the sake of having more women if they’re not fabulous.  I honestly believe there are bright, talented, thoughtful women whose voices aren’t being heard.

So what’s the problem? Why aren’t there more female speakers at events and conferences?  For one, I’ve heard that there are simply fewer women in tech.  Another reason given is that it’s hard to find great female speakers.

Instead of focusing on why it is that way it is, I’d rather focus on the solution and how we, men and women, can all take action together to change it.

Let’s not fight about, let’s do something about it. Here are some ideas:

1. If you are a fabulous female speaker apply to speak at conferences and sign up at a speaking bureau so you can be found.

2. If you are an organizer of an event think about featuring more women speakers so that there is a balance between the number of male and female speakers.  They are out there, I promise.  And if you get stuck and can’t find anyone, ask me for names. I have a big network, I’m sure I can connect you with many savvy speakers.

3. If you attend events and conferences, tell the organizer that you’d like to see more female speakers.

4. Share this blog post with people you know who would like to help change this situation.

Have you noticed this as well?  Do you have helpful ideas and suggestions?

Insights Into The World Of Article Writing: An Interview With Expat Writing Coach Jo Parfitt


Hi Everyone, If you are interested in writing articles (for profit, as a hobby, or to promote yourself/business), please read on to see what we learned from expat writing coach Jo Parfitt, author of A Career In Your Suitcase (now in its third edition), who has just launched her article writing program online...

Expat Women: Jo, last time we talked, you had just launched your Write Your Life Stories online program. How did your new online program, Definite Articles, come about?

Jo: Actually, I created this program first (in 2002) and ran it as a live one day workshop for many years.  In about 2005, I turned the notes from the live workshop into an ebook and that became part of an eight lesson correspondence course.  I have been running it ever since in that way.  However, since 2005, I have adjusted, amended and honed the course, adding new stuff to such an extent that it became about twice as long as before.  I added material about blogging, marketing yourself online, pitching and writing a book review too.

Expat Women: You say that your program is for people living abroad.  Is the content only suitable for expats?

Jo: Definite Articles will work for anybody, sure.  But my writing experience is mainly for the expat market, so this is the area I know best. The examples and markets mentioned target this niche too, so I believe the program is of particular interest to people living abroad.

Expat Women: Why do you think expatriates want or even need to learn to write articles, Jo?

Jo: Writing is a great portable career.  I can say that because it has been my own career for over 20 years and five international moves.  I have written books, articles, columns, copy and all kinds of things, but hour for hour, word for word, there is no doubt in my mind that articles are the most lucrative.  Even better, articles are short, so you have an idea, pitch it, get commissioned, write it and then get paid.  They are quick to pitch and quick to write.  And, with many publications paying €150 - €300 per 1,000 words that represents pretty good return on investment. When you consider that books are typically more than 35,000 words, it is hard to get an advance from the smaller presses, and royalties might amount to only about 50 cents per book, the maths is clear: articles are more lucrative.

But writing articles is something that any entrepreneur should master.  With the price of advertising being relatively high, having your name in print, crediting you as the author of an article on your specialist topic can do wonders for your reputation and that, in turn can make you money.  So I believe that expats and entrepreneur expats both need to learn how to do this.

Expat Women: Jo, you said ‘have an idea, pitch it, get commissioned, write it’.  What about writing an article first, then trying to sell it?

Jo: That is a common mistake. Sure, some publications, particularly those online would take prewritten articles, but the kind of publications that pay will always want to see a pitch first, and then commission a piece that is just right for them – with the right content, tone, case studies, length and so on.  Actually, I believe that good freelance writers are successful because they have lots of ideas, manage to hone them to the right market and then write a good pitch letter.

Expat Women: What do you think would make an editor agree to publishing the work of a new writer.  Is it just down to the pitch letter?

Jo: The pitch letter is the first communication a writer has with an editor. It is vital that it is spot on.  In the letter you need to prove why your idea is perfect for the publication and why the writer is the perfect person to write it.  This is what I call the ‘authority’ of the writer.  Having first hand experience of the topic you plan to cover gives you that authority.  A pitch letter is paramount, but your idea and its suitability for that publication are what will help most of all.

Expat Women: How can people find out more about your program, Jo?

Jo: For more information about my article-writing course, or my write your life story course, please visit my website.  Thanks Everyone!


Editor's note: Expat Women welcomes voluntary article contributions.  Please click here for details. Thanks.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Missed Some Great Writers' Links On Twitter?

Hello Everyone, If you are an aspiring or a professional writer, here are some of my recent writer-related tweets that might interest you, as you write your expat stories and/or you write for business or pleasure:

Behind-the-scenes of an expat publishing success story!
http://bit.ly/9gv5F0

Authors, marketers, Job-hunters: Build your visibility by volunteering!
http://bit.ly/cnIc0g

Do book titles sell books?
http://bit.ly/b3i2JC

9 Book Design Tips That Authors Need To Know
http://bit.ly/9Vpr62

How Tucker Max Got Rejected by Publishing and Still Hit #1 New York Times
http://su.pr/2HIYQn

Rushkoff: Why I left my publisher in order to publish a book
http://bit.ly/dvho6F

10 People Writers Need In Their Network
http://bit.ly/d0p342

Interview with Author of "You Turn: Changing Direction in Midlife" - 40+ stories about midlife turnarounds
http://bit.ly/9emMcL

Writers, Authors, Self-Publishers: Are You Building Your Platform?
http://bit.ly/bta0RD

Voice Over Tips from @getinthehotspot: I used http://www.voice123.com/ got about 8 quotes ranging from $5000 - 500! Strange to hear someone else reading your book aloud

7 Secrets To Ebook Publishing Success
http://bit.ly/93rA2E

If you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter, my Twitter ID is @andreaexpat, or you can just click here. Twitter is surprisingly easy, once you take a look.

Best wishes, enjoy your day/evening! Andrea :-)

November Edition of Mobility Magazine Online

Hi Everyone, If you are in the expat, global mobility and/or relocation industries, you may be interested in the November edition of the Worldwide ERC® Mobility Magazine, which is now online and features the following:

The Rise of Alternative Assignments
By Michael S. Cadden, MBA, GMS

Expecting the Unexpected: Knowing Who and How to Ask for Help
By Robert Quigley, M.D., D. PHIL

Protecting Critical Data in the Age of Global Mobility
By Matthew Dickerson, CRP, and Waqas Akkawi, CISM

A Texas Treasure—An Interview with Ebby Halliday
By Margie Dillon, CRP, GMS, PHR, and Deborah Dull, CRP, GMS

Qatar
By Anne Dean, GMS, and Dr. Mostafa Reda

Five Hard Lessons in Global Talent Management
By Ed Gaydos, PH.D.

The Challenges of Mobility in African Markets
By Brenda H. Fender, SCRP, GMS

Moving with A Flourish
By Wendy Kendall

Pets in Relocation—the Emotional Glue Holding a Family Together
By Walter M. Woolf, V.M.D.

Happy reading! Andrea

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Taking Expat Women Around The World: An Update, Some Thanks, and Lessons Learned: Andrea Martins

Hi Everyone, A few times each year, I have the very good fortune to travel to some wonderful places to promote Expat Women.

I consider this travel an incredible privilege and I owe a belated but sincere thank you to everyone who has helped me and/or hosted me in my travels of late, plus every sponsor, advertiser, peer, partner, member and blog reader (ie. you!) for supporting Expat Women and making this all possible. 

Thank you!

**

Here is an overview of what I have been up to... and what I have learned along the way...
 
1st Stop: Hong Kong, China

In September, I attended the first Search Engine Strategies conference in Hong Kong.  Afterwards, I wrote up some insights and learnings from the conference, which I encourage you to read about here: 6 Ways to Improve the Success of your Website.

Lesson learned in Hong Kong... keynote like Avinash Kaushik - with passion - and equally importantly... with simple, creative and minimal-text slides!

A big thanks to my friend Linda Yan for accommodating me in Hong Kong and another big thank you to our wonderfully generous friends at SIRVA Relocation for hosting us one fine evening!  If you are looking to be relocated, anywhere in the world, please contact SIRVA Relocation and support the company that supports us.  Thank you!

**

2nd Stop: Shanghai, China

I then travelled to Shanghai for the 3-day Expat Show Shanghai.  It was great to meet so many (mostly new) expats in Shanghai - and I thank all the women who signed up as Expat Women members at that Show.  It was also lovely to meet the friendly and dedicated volunteers at Lifeline Shanghai (from the exhibition stand next to ours).  I applaud their commitment and the difference they are making to so many expat lives in Shanghai.

Coincidentally, our featured Thrive authors (Ruth Kuguru, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Alejandra Guzmรกn) were holding a 'Meet-the-Women-of-Thrive' event at the Glamour Bar while I was there, so I got to meet all three women in person, plus some of the women featured in their book, which was fantastic.

Lesson learned in Shanghai... If an airline sells you a ticket with a different name in brackets after the main city name, such as "Shanghai (xxx)", do not assume that this airport is close by: be sure to Google the "xxx" name in brackets, so you do not find yourself like me and unable to get to the "xxx" airport (apparently 3-4 hours away) without having pre-purchased a train ticket several days prior.

**

3rd Stop: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

Two weeks at 'home' to spend time with my husband, children and friends.

Lesson learned in KL... Time away from your family and inner circle of friends makes you realize just how good you have it.  Try not to ever take these wonderful people for granted.

**

4th Stop: Dubai, UAE

This was my first-ever visit to Dubai - and I could not get over how similar Dubai was for me to Las Vegas: grand hotels; dancing water fountains; desert; shops, shops and more shops; lots of 'big' buildings; a great array of visiting artists/musicians/celebrities; and lots of Westerners.

One of the highlights was meeting our Expat Women team member and my co-author for our first upcoming Expat Women book (due for release early 2011), Victoria Hepworth!  Thank you Victoria for taking me to that groovy Lebanese restaurant where we enjoyed hummus while watching the skiers whiz by on the indoor ski slope!

Another highlight was joining in on an American Women's Association (AWA) Dubai meeting.  (Thanks to Donna Haas for arranging for me to speak there, briefly!) The room was full, with about 160+ women (8 per breakfast table, so that was a lot of tables) and was very, very impressive.  Congratulations AWA Dubai and keep up your great work!

Finally, I really enjoyed meeting our long-time friends Explorer Publishing, who donate our prize book pack every month.  They produce the most gorgeous books for residents/expats in various cities around the world and if you have not checked for your expat location yet, I highly recommend you do so!

Lesson learned in Dubai... Avoid toy shopping there.  The Barbie that my daughter wanted that was US$18 on Amazon.com and US$30 in Malaysia, was US$70 (!) in Dubai.

**  

5th Stop: London

On to London (I love London!) to meet up with: the London arm of SIRVA Relocation; an upcoming new sponsor (who will hopefully be on our site soon); good friends and contacts in the relocation scene (including Corinne Hearne, who took me to a City Women's Network event - thanks Corinne!); as well as our long-time Gold Sponsor, Aetna Global Benefits.  If you are looking for international health insurance, please check out what Aetna (a huge, very reputable, global company) can do for you.  Thanks!

Lesson learned in London... never laugh at those signs in the Tube trains that say London has bed bugs: I did; London does; I got them.  Not fun. :-(
 
**

6th Stop: Geneva

Now, this was a special treat: I got to stay with a family (Jo and Lee Heeson and their children) who were one of our favourite families during our posting in Mexico City, years ago.  Jo and Lee are now living in Lausanne, and when Jo was not helping me at the Geneva Expat Expo, she was generously taking me on a lovely afternoon boat ride, a long walk through vineyards looking over the water, and for a traditional Swiss fondue dinner along Lausanne's waterfront.  It felt surreal and I loved every minute of it - thanks Jo!

Lesson learned in Geneva... if you are lucky enough to be riding in a flashy car and people keep looking at you... remember, they are not looking at you, they are looking at the car. ;-)

**

7th Stop: Washington, D.C.

On to Washington for Clements International's Expat Forum 2010. This was  panel discussion, with author and former WSJ.com "The Expat Life" columnist Alan Paul, adult TCK and Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) representative Alyson Rose-Wood, Maureen Johnston from the U.S. Department of State's Overseas Briefing Center at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), and myself.  The audience was about one-third expats and two-thirds organizational representatives servicing expats.  It was lots of fun.  Videos from the panel discussions will be available soon (I will let you know).

A huge thank you to Clements International for organizing everything for this event at the U.S. Navy Heritage Center and providing breakfast as well!  Serving expatriates for 60+ years, Clements International offers insurance coverage in over 170 countries for automobile, personal property, life, health, as well as businesses, international schools, and relief and development organizations.

Clements also run the annual Expat Youth Scholarship (EYS) - an initiative to be applauded and supported. If you have children who would like to get involved next year, follow the EYS on Facebook and be among the first to learn about next year's scholarship competition!

Shout-outs also go to the World Bank Family Network (WBFN) and the U.S. State Department's Family Liaison Office (FLO).  I met the warm and wonderful teams in both of these organizations and it is so heartening to learn just how much these organizations are helping support the families of global relocatees.

Finally, to my good friend (from our Jakarta days), Steffi Stallmeister: thank you for taking me out for your birthday dinner. And for hosting me in Washington, I need to thank the awesome Susan Musich and her gorgeous children.  Susan left the World Bank to develop Passport Career - a dynamic global job search tool for organizations to support accompanying spouses/partners of international assignees - which, if your organization does not offer this yet, I encourage you to ask them to get in touch with Susan.  (Thanks also go to the 60+ of our members who helped Susan with research for her new venture!)

Lesson learned in Washington... You do not have to be American to get a thrill out of being inside the State Department and the World Bank's Washington D.C. office, and/or standing outside the White House. ;-)

**

8th Stop: Las Vegas

Las Vegas was BlogWorld: the world's largest blogging and social media conference.  It was full of well-known names from the new media world, like: Survivor creator Mark Burnett; ProBlogger's, Darren Rowse; Ms Facebook, Mari Smith; Unmarketing's Scott Stratten; and more.  The schedule was like a smorgasbord: I mean, have you ever been to a conference where for each session, there were 12+ track options to choose from?  Incredible.

When I get a spare day (smile), I will go through all my notes and write up some of the great things that I learned from my three days at BlogWorld, to share with you, I promise.

Also, it was really nice to catch up with my expat friend Annabel Candy again, the author of our feature article this month, Successful Blogging: 5 Steps to Planning a Successful Blog.  Annabel  has just released her first e-book about blogging, Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps.  I have read it: it's excellent.  Congratulations Annabel!

Finally, big thanks to the Queen of CRAVE (a fabulous events and self-publishing company), Melody Biringer, for being my BlogWorld buddy.  Melody is a self-described "start-up junkie" who has started 20+ businesses.  Her memoir, recounting all the business lessons she has learned from each of her businesses, will be out very soon...

Lesson learned in Las Vegas... Tech-savvy audiences (like the ones at BlogWorld) are changing the way presentations are being delivered and received.  At every presentation, a good three-quarters (!) of the room were always either blogging, typing, foursquaring, tweeting or reading tweets about what was being presented either in that room, or another room at the conference.  It was a real eye-opener - and I found myself mimicking this multi-tasking behaviour - tweeting things I was learning and/or reading the tweets of everyone in the audience around me, commenting on what was being said up front.  One ear was listening to each presentation and one ear was listening to was being said online. It was never boring.

**

9th Stop: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

Three weeks to recover and then in a few days I will be in...

**

10th Stop: Singapore

I am honoured to have been invited to speak next week at the American Association's Career Resource Center for Expatriates (CRCE) event on Wednesday 10 November, and the PrimeTime: Business & Professional Women's Association event on Thursday 11 November, details here.

**

11th Stop: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Home, sweet home... at least until Christmas, then it's back to our other 'home' for the holidays!

**

THANK YOU to Everyone who made my recent travels so memorable.

I will try and upload some photos another day, when my internet connection is not so slow.  (It took six hours just to write, insert all the links and complete this post... which would be funny, if it wasn't sadly true.)

BEST WISHES to all of you and enjoy your weekend!

Andrea x

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Are You An Expat Woman In Singapore? Andrea Martins at PrimeTime & CRCE Events Next Week

Hi Everyone!  If you are an expat woman living in Singapore, I invite you to join me next week at the following events hosted by two great local networks in Singapore:

Seminar Topic: Trailing Spouses: Be Inspired to Live Your Best Life In Singapore!
Host: Career Resource Center for Expats (CRCE), American Association of Singapore
Date: Wednesday 10 November
Time: 10am-12pm
Cost: $10 CRCE members, $20 non-CRCE members
Venue: American Association of Singapore
Address: 10 Claymore Hill, Singapore, 229573
Phone: 6733-4257 (online registration now full, so please phone to register instead, thanks)

"Come and enjoy a powerful presentation from visiting international guest speaker, Andrea Martins, co-founder of the ExpatWomen.com.  Andrea will share with us some of the wisdom she has gained from 3½ years of answering thousands of emails from expat women around the globe, plus inspirational stories of expatriate women that she has interviewed who have turned their lives and careers around abroad.  Learn how you can:  

  • Feel that you are not alone in your feelings of ‘loss of identity’ 
  • Overcome challenges as a trailing spouse
  • Think more creatively about your career path abroad
  • Focus on making your time in Singapore a positive life and career experience"

Host: PrimeTime: Business and Professional Women's Association
Date: Thursday 11 November
Time: 6:30pm-10pm
Cost: $45 PrimeTime members (by 6 Nov), $50 PrimeTime members (post 6 Nov), $60 non-PrimeTime members (includes dinner)
Venue: Traders Hotel, Singapore
Address: 1A Cuscaden Road, Singapore
Phone: 6738-2222

 "We invite you to be inspired by Andrea Martins, co-founder and director of ExpatWomen.com, the world’s largest website dedicated to women living abroad.  From her many interviews, Andrea will share the stories of enterprising and successful expatriate women who have followed their passion and started new lives and new ventures from hotels to print media companies, foodie retreats, bikini boot camps and a Fiat touring club. Come and be inspired by women like you who are creating a new life abroad!"


If you are in Singapore and would like to come (or know someone who might), thank you in advance for your support - I look forward to meeting you there!

Warmest wishes, Andrea.

ps. My apologies for using my name in the blog title... I am told that it helps with SEO (search engine optimization), so I am testing if that is true. :-)

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