Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (March 27-28 edition)

Hi Everyone, I hope your week has started really well! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently that might interest you...

How Many Expats Are Living Beyond Their Means?
http://bit.ly/GEnMux

How To Work In Someone Else's Country
http://tgr.ph/GThat2

The THNK Tank: Why Amsterdam Wants Your (Creative) Brains
http://is.gd/uV4jVc

My Top 3 Tips For Moving Abroad & Then Repatriating
http://bit.ly/z6Ny6V

The Logistics Of A Dual Career Search
http://bit.ly/GWh5RE

44 Countries in 44 Years: What’s Your Travel Philosophy?
http://bit.ly/HfQ9fy

The Decision To Move Is Never Easy
http://bit.ly/GEKWM9

International Schools: >3 Million Children Now Get A Global Education
http://tgr.ph/GRh5EN

Jo Parfitt Interviews Dr. Lisa Pittman and Diana Smit
(Authors of Expat Teens)
http://bit.ly/GDRHPH

Luxembourg City is 66% Expats?
http://vsb.li/X4O7rf

Deloitte's Global Mobility Report
http://bit.ly/GzwSU9

Pros & Cons Of Expat Life in The Netherlands
http://bit.ly/xI5WFB

Telegraph Expat has launched an International Schools Directory
http://tgr.ph/GzwR6x

And finally, a quote for this week:
“Always believe something wonderful is about to happen"
Lisa Messenger

***

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

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a sensational day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat

10 Things Not To Say To A Depressed Expat

Hi Everyone, Over the years, I have received many emails from expatriate woman who admit to feeling depressed. For this reason, I am sharing a wonderfully honest article I found on a blog by Noch Noch (an expat in Beijing), that I hope might help anyone coping with their depression (or the depression of loved ones close to them). Warmest wishes, Andrea.

Background: I stumbled on Noch Noch's article after I read her Forbes article, 7 Secrets To Success As An Expat Executive. She also wrote the Forbes article, Against All Stereotypes: Stress, Depression, Recovery, and Then?

10 Things Not To Say To A Depressed Person
by Noch Noch

Noch Noch

I cringed at these things my friends said to me these few years. For those of you who don’t really get us, I’ve decided to let you know about ten things not to say to a depressed person, from my own experience.

...A few weeks back, a friend wrote to me and said she just found out that a family member of a friend has depression. But her friend did not know what to say or how to encourage the depression sufferer. She asked me if I had any recommendations. It got me thinking.

I can’t give medical advice, and I think what to say is very dependent on the personality and situation of the oppressed. However, what I can offer is my take on what not to say to someone in depression. Hopefully this can help you empathize where we "weirdos" are coming from, and for you to be more sensitive to our plight.

And on that note, please don’t ever ever, ever again say the below in bold type to me in whatever circumstances if you consider me a friend....

Do NOT say:

1. “Remain Positive”

I think: Duh! I know, but how? To me, my reality is that the world has already caved in. What is irrational to you makes utmost sense to me. I’m so angry / upset / sad / lonely / devastated / hopeless / in despair… Why can’t you understand me?

I feel: I recoil further into my shell to avoid future contact and meaningless advice because you never told me how to remain positive.

2. “Don’t think like that”

I think: Why not? What’s wrong with thinking like I do? It’s an honest opinion. I really think this. It’s negative all right, but that’s what I think, so what’s wrong? So how should I think instead? Like you? But I don’t agree with you, and then I become you if I think like you…?

I feel: I did something wrong for thinking a certain way, and you reprimanded me for thinking so. Thus, I withdraw, and berate myself for thinking the way I do, and spiral further down into depression due to self-criticism.

3. “Pull yourself together” / “Snap out of it”

I think: How? Snap out of what? I don’t want to be like this either. You think it’s fun?

I feel: ...completely useless and hopeless that I’m incapable of holding myself together and getting better. Depression snowballs with this sense of incompetence.

4. “Why do you need to be depressed?”

I think: Umm… I don’t know, I wish I knew. Doctors said it’s because of some imbalance in serotonin in me. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

I feel: ...accused of committing a heinous crime to be depressed. Confused because I don’t know what happened to make me depressed and how it all happened. I feel lost since I don’t know how to get out of depression. I feel inferior and worse about myself, so I hide from you as well, because I don’t want to feel inadequate.

5. “Look at how lucky you are already! Be thankful.”

I think: I am thankful for what I have. But what does that have to do with depression? Doctors and every website I’ve read say depression is an illness and has biological factors. Depression needs to be treated as any other sickness...

I feel: ...misunderstood as a spoilt, ungrateful little girl, when I’m not. Frustrated for being misunderstood. I cry. I wail. I feel sad. I retreat into my hiding place, again.

6. “Go do something and you will feel better”

I think: Go do what? I can’t be bothered. I’m tired. I’m not interested. I have no energy. I just want to sleep. Doing something won’t make me feel better. Leave me alone.

I feel: ...tired and lethargic, and I have no energy to think about what to do. I feel harassed because you keep telling me to do something.

(Note: What did work, was instead of telling me to do something, my fiance simply made me put my clothes on, slid me into my boots, and dragged me out of the house for a walk, talking about random things on the way, not once mentioning anything to do how I was doing or asking if I felt better.)

7. “What’s wrong with you?”

I think: I wish I knew. I wish I knew. Oh how I wish I knew. Can you tell me? Can somebody tell me? I don’t want to be like this. Why am I like this?

I feel: ...absolutely hopeless because I don’t know why I became like this, and I was unable to find out the reasons behind my depression. Very belittled and angry at myself. Can’t deal with this. I might as well die.

8. “You should do this…” or “You should not do this (such as kill yourself)…”

I think: Why? This is my life, I’m allowed to end it if I want. Why should I eat? I’m not hungry.

I feel: ...patronized by your condescending tone (even if you didn’t have one). I feel rejected for not doing what you think I am supposed to. I feel another bash to my already dwindling self-confidence, so you just succeeded in making me feel more desperate and more depressed.

9. “See how others suffer even worse, and have no food to eat. Be grateful for what you have.”

I think: But you told me not to compare myself with others, when I told you I was envious of others who have achieved more than me. So how double faced is it that just because others are less fortunate, I should compare myself with them? I know you are trying to tell me I should count my blessings – I do, trust me, I do. But how does this solve my depression? I still feel that life is not worth living despite being grateful for what I have. I am too tired to carry on and try.

I feel: ...baffled as to why sometimes you say don’t compare, and other times you tell me to do so. I don’t understand how being thankful makes me feel better, because what I have now has no meaning and no value to me. I just want to die. Maybe if I die, there’d be more food for those who don’t have any. Proceed to jumping out the window from the 30th floor.

10. “It’s all in your head…”

I think: It's not! But I know. How do I change my head? It’s not my fault. I didn’t want this. I can’t control it. I’m trying, but I can’t!

I feel: ...furious at myself for not being able to control my head and thinking. Inept at everything I'm trying to do, and worse, for disappointing you. I feel alone that no one can understand me. I alienate myself. I feel doomed to fail and might as well die…

Final Words

You might consider our reactions and emotions to what you say extremely unreasonable. I will not argue about it. Nevertheless, bear in mind that someone affected by depression does have a lot of “irrational” thoughts by standard of the norm. Yet, it’s our reality and we completely believe it, irrational or not. So don’t try to debate or convince us otherwise. You will only push us further down our bleak track.

My contention is that, the wrong thing said, can unknowingly push a depressed friend over the edge. Not to be fatalistic, but 60% of suicides in the world are associated with depression. Go ask the World Health Organization if you don’t believe me.

Please, give us a break. If we all had a choice, I don't think any of us would want to linger in a state of depression. If you don’t know what to say, don’t say anything. Just sit with us, let us cry, kick your shoes or whatever. That’s maybe all we need for now. Leave the lecturing to a medical expert such as a psychologist who can do it skillfully.

Author's Bio

Brought up in Hong Kong and Australia, Noch Noch was a young, overachieving executive for an international corporation. After seven years of living the life she dreamt of, or so she thought, she suffered a serious stress-related depression that turned her life upside down. As she battles with depression, Noch Noch is on a quest to be the wake-up call for others in similar plights in her blog, Be Me. Be Natural, where she jots down her reflections on living with depression and self-awareness. She is also the creator of Bearapy and she kindly gave us permission to republish her article on this blog.

Relocation Policies: Are We Being Set Up To Fail? by Expat Rachel Yates

Hi Everyone, Rachel Yates of Defining Moves: The Art of Successful Relocation wrote this great post for us, that we would like to share...

Relocation Policies: Are We Being Set Up To Fail?

We have lived in San Francisco for over a year, and I have yet to sign on with a doctor. I simply haven't had the time to find one whose opinion I trust, and I have had other priorities. I have been investing my time and energy in establishing a support network, ensuring that my children's educational needs are met, and recently spent 4.5 hours getting them admitted to a dental practice. Which is why I am convinced that the latest policies for improving spousal 'happiness' by investing in employment counseling are inherently flawed. We are being set up to fail, and here's why.

1. Time. The considerable time commitment that relocating and establishing a functioning household takes. The 'employed' partner is typically given between three and seven days to facilitate a move, but 63 percent of relocating households have one or more children, and move every three to five years. Thus the tasks that needed to be completed in any relocation (such as finding and furnishing housing, applying for documentation, establishing financial services, locating and enrolling with health care providers, finding appropriate education services) as well as time spent traveling, getting vaccinations and medical assessments, completing health, education, residency and legal checks, and of course the actual time spent moving house, fall to the accompanying partner.

The process is long term, and can up to six months to fully complete, leaving those on shorter term assignments destined for an endless cycle of tedious but essential research, driving and form-filling. Where destination support is offered, the limited time allocated means that housing and schooling are priorities, while services deemed less essential (such as waiting at home for utility engineers, establishing financial services, or finding medical care) are left to the accompanying partner to establish.

2. Invalid certification. Revalidating professional credentials takes a significant amount of time and effort and there are often delays in accessing the necessary courses. The shorter the assignment duration, the less benefit there is to be gained from the revalidation process, and where there is an additional cost implication, the overall 'return on investment' of recertification for career purposes is poor.

3. Inability to commit to new employment. Your resume may be stellar and your references glowing, but most employers are looking to recruit stable long-term team members. As an accompanying partner, you are unable to offer guarantees - you have already taken the decision to relocate to further your partner's career, and any future career decisions will almost certainly continue this trend. So if your partner's corporation decides to transfer, repatriate or terminate the contract, your dependent visa status means that you will be leaving too, regardless of how vital or fulfilling your new role is.

What Should Relocation Policies Be Focusing On?

1. Establishing realistic expectations. Far too many of us have embarked on life as an accompanying partner without fully understanding what we are signing up for. Including both partners in assignment planning meetings makes expectations clearer and more realistic. Is the move really a one off, or if it is successful, will the corporation be expecting further overseas postings? Is the time frame set, or is it likely to change according to the needs of the transferring employer? Answering these questions at the outset means that any plans made by the accompanying partner will be realistic over the entire expatriate time frame, rather on a single short term transfer.

2. The idea/option to work on a virtual basis. A great deal of work is outsourced or carried out remotely, so there may well be a way of maintaining your professional role from the new location. I know a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) who lives five hours from their former office, a real estate agent who uses Skype to give them a London office number but is actually taking the call in rural Wales, and a PR (Public Relations) agent who 'works' in the Heathrow area from a farm in Herefordshire. If career packages included identification of more flexible working opportunities and training in how to use remote networking tools, we could potentially make a smoother transition between locations, without having to change careers.

3. Encouragement and education around the idea of creating a new flexible career (as the accompanying partner). It may well be time to reinvent yourself. You have taken the decision to relocate for a reason, and it usually involves improving your family's quality of life and/or experiencing the wider world. Take it seriously, and invest time and energy in achieving those goals, and less time worrying about what you have left behind. If you are not simply taking a career break, but are intending to become a serial expat, reframing how you generate income and job satisfaction can open doors to opportunities that can move with you. Experts like Jo Parfitt and Robin Pascoe provide guidance on both a personal and professional transition to a new career and identity, and there are many online resources available, both for continuing education, career counseling and life coaching.

The good news is that we have far more flexible working opportunities than ever, and employers are increasingly outsourcing a huge range of tasks and roles to freelance workers and independent contractors. Web based job sites such as Elance, Monster and Craigslist feature thousands of opportunities that do not require residence in any particular location, and Ebay and Etsy provide a flexible way of running a retail business.

Final Words

Not every relocation policy lacks these ideas, but from anecdotal discussions with other expats, I suspect most do. What I suggest to the makers of relocation policy is that, as expat families, we could really benefit from a greater understanding of what options are open to us, and the tools to reframe our professional identity in a way that is congruent with the expatriate life, rather than in conflict with it. Do this to help us, and it's highly likely we'll stay longer on posting, and help you in return.

Rachel Yates, an expat trailing spouse from Wales, who has spent the last ten years turning relocation disasters into a worldwide traveling circus. Currently living in San Francisco, she has spent the last ten years routing through London, Nairobi, and Los Angeles, complete with two kids, two dogs and three cats. She has only once been upgraded on a flight. Current goals include making it into Virgin First Class, learning HTML and locating a perfect Lemon Drop Martini.

FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) Conference Kicks Off This Week

Hi Everyone, Given that one-third of our readers are American, some of you might be interested in the following FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) press release this week.

I am not American, but I was fortunate to speak at their conference last year in Marrakech, Morocco, and was impressed by both the welcome I received and by the extraordinary volunteer/charity efforts reported by each of the FAWCO clubs in attendance. I wish FAWCO every success for this year's conference and I applaud their ongoing volunteer/charity work. Andrea.

FAWCO Conference Kicks Off in Dublin on March 21 (Extracts)

"Over 200 members are expected to participate in FAWCO’s (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) Interim Conference in Dublin, Ireland on March 21-24, 2012. Local and international speakers, including Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, will cover a variety of global and club-level issues..."

"Conference attendees will also learn about a variety of other issues facing Americans living abroad as well as receive updates on FAWCO’s global initiatives. The 15,000 FAWCO members not attending the conference may view videos of sessions and speeches online via the FAWCO YouTube channel. Photos and newsletters will be posted daily, as well as PDF copies of presentations and handouts. Anyone can follow FAWCO on Twitter at @fawco2012, tweet using #fawco2012Broadcasts or find FAWCO on Facebook."

"FAWCO delegates will be welcomed on March 21 by Minister Jimmy Deenihan, current Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Dr. Mary Henry will speak on Women’s Health in 2012 during the morning session of March 22. Dr. Henry is deeply committed to improving health care, especially for women, and to encouraging women doctors to continue their professional careers. President Michael D Higgins, the ninth and current President of Ireland, will be the keynote speaker in the morning session of March 22. President Higgins is a passionate political voice, a poet and writer, academic and statesman, human rights advocate, promoter of inclusive citizenship and champion of creativity within Irish society."

"To celebrate the 15th anniversary of FAWCO’s ESOCOC status at the United Nations, Peggy Rigaud (American Women’s Group Languedoc-Roussillon) will speak on FAWCO’s history with the UN during the March 23 morning session. Ms. Rigaud was first vice-president of FAWCO from 1993-95, - when FAWCO realized that the time had come for the organization to emerge more clearly onto the world stage by becoming a “recognized” NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). The keynote speaker on the evening of March 22 will be Dr. Pat Wallace, Director of the National Museum of Ireland. Dr. Wallace’s work has earned him an international reputation, due to his involvement in the largest Viking age urban excavations ever undertaken in western or northern Europe at Wood Quay."

"A panel discussion entitled Stop the Violence – Ireland is scheduled for the morning of March 23, which will explore the causes and impacts of violence against women and children in Ireland. The panel will include Senator Ivana Bacik - Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin, a Senior Lecturer and Fellow of Trinity College Dublin, and a practicing barrister; Ms. Sarah Benson- Director, Ruhuma; Ms. Margaret Martin - Director of Women’s Aid; Paula Mayock - Lecturer and a Senior Researcher, Trinity College Dublin; Ms. Susan McKay - award winning writer and journalist; Ms. Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, N.T., H.Dip. Ir. Folk., M.Litt, Dip. IGA (Lon.) - CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre."

"A variety of workshops will also be available for delegate participation throughout the conference, including:
· Women in the 1911 Census - Ms. Catriona Crow, Head of Special Projects at the National Archives of Ireland
· The Polysemic Role of the Curator - Dr. Barbara Dawson, Director of Hugh Lane Gallery
· A Suitcase Full of Words: Using Creative Writing to Chase Away Your Expat Blues - Ms. Robin Goldsby, American International Women’s Club, Cologne
· No Excuses! Breaking down barriers that surround the education of learning-differently for people at home and abroad - Ms. Susan van Alsenoy, American Women’s Club, Antwerp
· Americana – American culture for children with Ms. Elinor LeBaron, American Women’s Club, Quatar
· Water: Ancient Culture, Sacred Rite and Women's Rights - Sarah Franklyn, co-founder of Natural Capital Services
· US Tax Workshop: The Life of An American Abroad - panel of representatives from US Tax and Financial Services."

"Founded in 1931, FAWCO is a global network of independent volunteer clubs and associations. There are more than 75 member clubs in 40 countries, with a total membership in excess of 15,000. FAWCO serves as a resource and channel of information for its members, promotes the rights of U.S. citizens living overseas and contributes to the global community through philanthropy and global issues task forces. A not-for-profit New York-based corporation, we are also a UN-accredited NGO with Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council. The philanthropic arm of FAWCO - The FAWCO Foundation - is an independent entity, which has donated more than $1,000,000 in education awards and development grants since its inception in 1967."

FAWCO: Serving overseas Americans and the international community since 1931. You are invited to subscribe to FAWCO news at www.fawco.org.

Missed Some Great Expat Twitter Links? (March 13-14 edition)

Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying a wonderful week! Here are some expat links I have tweeted recently that might interest you...

Why "Expat" Is A Misleading Term For Multicultural Couples
http://bit.ly/AaxCpt

7 Secrets To Success As An Expat Executive (Forbes)
http://onforb.es/zTNAzw

Expat Life: Italian Lessons Left My Head In A Spin
http://tgr.ph/zCzfBw

Top 6 Tips For Expat Women
http://bit.ly/A8yp1L

Is Doha The Ideal Expat Destination?
http://tgr.ph/xbXjoo

Have You Ever Slept in a World Heritage Building?
by British Expat Annabel Candy
http://bit.ly/wRLFL9

Worldwide E.R.C.'s March Mobility Magazine Online Now
http://t.co/TcfrbLkM

Can You Help? Short Online Dual Career Survey For Accompanying Spouses/Partners Of Expats
http://bit.ly/yh5wGM

W.I.N. (Women's International Networking) Conference Goes To Tokyo, 18 May
http://bit.ly/AdF4W4

Got A Favorite 'Blog About Blogging' To Nominate For This A-List Blogging Competition?
http://bit.ly/At6X1Y

Final Reminder: F.I.G.T. (Families in Global Transition) Conference March 29-31
(I highly recommend this conference. I attended in 2007 and 2009 and found the attendees incredibly friendly, genuine and collaborative. Keep up the great work, F.I.G.T. team!)
http://bit.ly/9wo6VZ

And finally, a quote for this week:
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
George Bernard Shaw

***

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

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a sensational day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat

Expat Women Talk To A Laptop Entrepreneur

Hi Everyone, Recently Jo Parfitt of Expat Bookshop introduced us to Nick Snelling (a Brit who runs the authoritative site, Culture Spain and who has authored five published books). We talked to Nick about his latest book release, Laptop Entrepreneur: How To Make A Living Anywhere In The World.

Expat Women: Nick, let's start at the beginning... what made you move to Spain nine years ago?

Nick: I was working as an equity trader in the UK and my company wanted to open up a European office. It sounded like a great opportunity, so I moved to Valencia with my wife and children.

Expat Women: How did your children cope with the move?

Nick: Amazingly well, given that they spoke no Spanish and went straight into full time Spanish education! In fact, one of the great triumphs of our move has been to help our children become international. They speak Spanish fluently now and my son is now at Valencia University on an Erasmus course in Turkey. So, they have left the constraints of the UK far behind and have developed a pan European outlook, which I think will stand them in good stead.

Expat Women: So, did you effectively swap equity trading for writing?

Nick: Yes, these days I am, more or less, a full time writer (although I also have a small estate agency dealing in properties local to my area in Valencia).

Expat Women: Why did you (and Graham Hunt) write Laptop Entrepreneur?

Nick: We wanted to write a problem-solving book for a time of problems. Increasingly, job security is being lost amidst the dreadful economic problems that have surged around the world. This has caused real hardship and I know, as an expat, how difficult it can be to earn money when you have no immediate support system available. This, I think, is a common experience for many expats.

Expat Women: Is the Internet the answer?

Nick: Well, it is certainly one answer and it has great advantages over starting other businesses. The overheads can be negligible, the risks almost absent and it is strategically sound, as the Internet is constantly expanding and is here to stay. Perhaps best of all, there are so many different ways of using the Internet to make money that virtually anyone can adapt their existing skills to cyberspace and make it work for them.

Expat Women: Where should someone start?

Nick: That is actually a very good question! Indeed, if anything, there is too much advice around, much of it very confusing and contradictory – which is one of the reasons my co-author and I wrote The Laptop Entrepreneur. What we wanted to do was to produce a clear accessible ‘road map’ for people who want to use the Internet to earn an income, which explained everything in simple terms. I think we have achieved this and produced a book that not only shows you how to use the Internet to make an income but also has excellent advice from very successful entrepreneurs who have done so.

Expat Women: Can people really make a living using the Internet?

Nick: Yes. Whilst there is no guarantee of success, it is not unheard of for a part time Internet business to quickly develop to such a point that it can become the main source of income for a family. This can be fantastic and, of course, because you can work worldwide, it means that the family also gains tremendous freedom. Furthermore, apart from the potential financial rewards, it can be great fun.

Expat Women: What tips can you give, for example, for someone who wants to start an income-producing blog?

Nick: Again, there are no guarantees, but six sound guidelines to help you on the right path for this would be:

1. Find a niche, and one that has commercial viability, that will enable you to enter a marketplace effectively, whilst providing something different and ‘eye-catching’. Try not to do what everyone else is doing.

2. Get your own domain name, your own hosting (thus being totally independent) and an excellent publishing platform (such as WordPress – which is user-friendly, powerful and ideal for blogging).

3. Publish frequently. The more you publish the better, initially, as you need to get ‘granularity’ and build up the content and ‘depth’ of your site.

4. Be consistent with your quality and develop a compelling style that is authoritative. Blogs work well when they are personal. So, write in the first person, present tense (wherever possible) and hold opinions (ones you can defend – however controversial).

5. Search Engine Optimise (SEO) all your posts carefully. Use relevant and well researched search terms, tag your posts properly and SEO all your images.

6. Sustain your blog. Even if you are successful instantly but most blogs take time to gain momentum and ‘traffic’. Keep publishing, be determined and check your statistics for what appeals to your audience and try to give them what they want – an interesting and reliable information stream, whether polemic, fun or useful. That way, over time you will gather a loyal readership who will trust you and who will then buy what you are selling.

Expat Women: Thank you very much for your time Nick and best wishes for Laptop Entrepreneur (Amazon affiliate link).

KONY 2012 - An Incredibly Powerful Video & Campaign - Please Share?

Hi Everyone, I just watched the full 29 minute video below (or click here please, if the video is not displaying in your inbox). Generally, we do not put political causes on this blog. But this video was just too powerful and the effort from those behind the campaign just too impressive, that I couldn't not help this cause. Please share with as many people as you can too. Many thanks, Andrea.

Millions Watch and Share Film Aiming to Stop Ugandan LRA Leader


KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Missed Some Great Expat Links on Twitter? (March 6-7 edition)

Hi Everyone, I hope you having a wonderful week! I'm back from last week's trip to Japan and wanted to share some expat links I have tweeted recently that might interest you...

A Beautiful Look at Pinterest From Expat Travel Writer Christine Gilbert
http://bit.ly/x6Lbiy

Women Move Into Asia’s Corner Offices: NY Times Talks To The Female CEO of Ogilvy Greater China
http://nyti.ms/xcspF9

Telegraph Expat Talks to Expat Ali Meehan, Founder of the Costa Women Network in Spain
http://tgr.ph/zBRb4A

New Trailer For Expat Film: Shanghai Calling [Video]
http://bit.ly/wFePxb

Looking for a Job Abroad? Learn from American Expat in Sweden, Kate Reuterswärd
http://bit.ly/wCpesx

How Expat Annabel Candy Got Headhunted for a Jaunt to Japan
http://su.pr/ABpgzN

Consultants Help Turn Frequent-Flier Awards Into Tickets
http://t.co/yhYtULIS

New Off-The-Beaten-Path Tour in N.Korea Comes With Big Price Tag
http://bit.ly/wURu4P

Why Do The UAE's Expats Know So Little About The UAE?
http://tgr.ph/xLGEAo

Last Chance! Explorer Publishing's Competition for UAE Residents:
"Could You Be The Next Ultimate UAE Explorer?"
http://bit.ly/w1DWFM

Not related to being an expat, but my favorite video from last week:
The CIA Loves Facebook [Brilliant Tongue-In-CheekVideo!]
http://bit.ly/z2oLbM

And finally, some expat wisdom from Expat Lingo's Jen Brown...
"There are always hard days,but here’s the secret no one dares tell the ones back home: we’re the lucky ones"

***

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

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a sensational day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat