Expat Women November Home Page

Hi Everyone, We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful week! Please check out our new Expat Women November Home Page, featuring:

Success Story
Carol Bellamy
World Learning
Carol Bellamy assumed the leadership of World Learning in May 2005, having completed ten years as executive director of UNICEF, the children’s agency of the United Nations. Prior to joining UNICEF, Carol was Director of the United States Peace Corps...

Business Idea
Anupa Horvil
anupa
Born in London, of Indian background and with an intense love of colour, Anupa Horvil is the brainchild behind anupa – a luxury brand currently making its mark in Vietnam. Anupa, which means "unique" in Skanskrit, conceptualizes and individually designs all her products…

Children's Travel
The Little Travelers
Angelina Hart
We talk to Angelina Hart, mother of gorgeous girls Chantelle and Nakia who star in The Little Travelers – a wonderful set of DVDs that literally take the audience along with Chantelle and Nakia in their adventures abroad in Japan, Bali and The British Isles...

Changing Careers
A Career Change Abroad
Amanda van Mulligen
Tackling a career change is a challenge at the best of times, but setting off on a new career path as an expatriate can be even more daunting. Amanda van Mulligen talks to four women who have faced tough career choices abroad...

Expat Confession
My Teenagers Are Not Adapting
ExpatWomen Girlfriend
Hello, I need some advice about my two children, 16 and 14 years of age. Ever since we have moved to Germany last year, my children have transformed into withdrawn, negative children who blame me for taking them away from their friends back home…

Family Matters
Family Matters Survey Results
ExpatExpert.com & AMJ Campbell International
With an impressive 655 workable survey responses, Robin Pascoe’s survey shares some very interesting results about how internationally mobile families view the support they receive during their relocations… (When these results first came out, we mentioned them on this blog and linked you to Robin's site. We have now posted the results on our own site and wanted to showcase them on our Home Page for November.)

Not An Expat Women Member Yet?
Please sign up today, to make sure that you receive our November Member's newsletter next week. We would love to have you in our online community.

Thank you very much and wishing you a fabulous November!

Great News For Expat Women In The UAE

Hi Everyone, If you are an expat living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we have great news: the main internet service provider in the UAE (name best not mentioned) has finally unblocked our main Expat Women website. Hurray! :-)

We apologize that it has taken so long to negotiate and we hope everyone in the UAE (using this internet provider) will visit our global site ExpatWomen.com again soon. Thanks for your support!

Want To Be A Travel Guide Contributor? Writers in Latin America

Hello Everyone, If you are in Latin America and looking to share your travel experiences, help other travelers and get published in travel guidebooks, take a look at a site we learned of this week: V!VA Travel Guides. Based in Ecuador, they produce online travel guides, focussing currently on Latin America. Their site receives more than 100,000 unique users per month - which is very impressive.

Freelance Writing Opportunities
"For budding or talented writers, you have opportunities to write about Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico! If you’re traveling to, live in, or are interested to hear more about the opportunities that we have in these countries, please send your resume and a short writing sample to us at V!VA here. Or to see more opportunities to get involved, click here."

Photography Contest
"V!VA is currently looking for photos for our upcoming Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico guidebooks... read details here."

333 Most Loved Travel Experiences
"V!VA is currently accepting submissions (written pieces and photos) for the web version of our recently published V!VA World: 333 Most Loved Travel Experiences. The V!VA List series is a way for travelers to share travel experiences and have their stories and photographs published in our award-winning books. Unlike traditional guide books which list all of the "must-sees" and "must-dos" of a place, V!VA World is seeking out the most exhilarating individual experiences, written in such a way that readers will feel the passion and excitement of a place without ever leaving their living rooms!"

Travel Writing Tips from V!VA:

• "Do inform and entertain - be creative, fresh, original and inspiring


• Do set the scene


• Do provide references for factual information - and fact check using 3 different, reliable sources


• Do use a friendly tone


• Do turn in good copy


• Do keep it clean


• Don't write anything potentially libelous


• Don't be repetitive


• Don't be overly flowery with descriptions


• Don't plagiarize the work of others"

Good luck aspiring travel writers. Watch out Lorraine Caputo.

Do You Know Of More Expat Clubs?

Hi Everyone, We are looking for more expat clubs/associations to add to our country pages. Can you please take a few minutes to check your current location (or your former expat locations) here and let us know of any expat clubs/associations that we have missed? (Submit relevant links here)

Many, many thanks in advance for your generous help, Andrea.

Multilingual Living Magazine

Hello Everyone, If you are raising a bilingual/multilingual family, I highly recommend Multilingual Living Magazine. I have just finished reading their September/October 2008 issue and it is excellent!

The latest issue (put out by the dedicated Corey Heller in the US and Alice Lapuerta in Austria) includes these topics and more:

• Multilingualism in Kindergarten
• Parenting in an Adopted Mother Tongue
• Do Media Help or Hinder Bilingualism
• Immigration and Language
• 12 Common Myths and Misconceptions about Bilingual Children
• Interview with author Barbara Zurer Pearson: Raising A Bilingual Child

It also includes lots of fun 'tid-bits' as well, for example:

(1) "Did you know that there are only four words in the English language that end in 'dous'? Tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous"

(2) "Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery" Mark Amidon

(3) "Oredr of the ltteers: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch procejt at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosnt mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter."

The online bi-monthly magazine (set to be quarterly in 2009) is currently only US$12 per year. You can grab your free sample edition here. Submissions and enquiries are welcome here.

Well done Corey and Alice. Regards, Andrea.

Researcher Interested In Bilingual Families

Hi Everyone, If you are a parent trying to raise a bilingual family, Hidy Basta is looking for you...

"Hello, my name is Hidy. I am a bilingual mom who is trying to raise a bilingual family. I am also a doctoral student in the English Department at the University of Washington in Seattle (United States). I am currently working on my doctoral research project and am seeking input from bilingual families about the advice they receive regarding raising their children bilingually. I am especially interested in the following:

• The reasons a family decides to be bilingual/multilingual;
• The strategies used by parents and children to learn more than one language;
• The way children react to strategies or develop their own;
• The success and challenges a family experiences; and
• The advice a family receives regarding their decision or their strategies.

The only requirement for participation is that you have made a decision at some point in time to raise your children so that they can speak more than one language. There are several ways you could participate in this study:

1. You can fill out an online survey that takes 30-40 minutes;
2. If you live in the Seattle area, I would like to invite you to a group interview (60-80 minutes) with other parents. Snacks and refreshments will be provided;
3. You can participate in an on-line group interview via Skype. In addition, if you have kept a journal, blog or diary entries about your family's experience, you can choose to copy whatever selections you would like to share in the study.

If you are interested in participating in any way, please e-mail me for more information. Thank you!"

Geneva Exhibition: Art & Human Rights

Hello again Everyone, Just a quick shout-out for Charlotta Hayes, from Artists United Against FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) - a volunteer group aiming to use art exhibitions to raise money for organisations working actively to try to stop FGM in Africa.

If you are living in Geneva, you might like to support the group's first exhibition. The opening is tonight, Thursday 23 October, 5pm - 9pm. The opening of the second half of the exhibition is next Thursday, 30 October, same time. Everyone welcome. Thanks.

Heard of CareerJet?

Hello Everyone, Forgive us if you already know about this site, but we only learned of it today...

If you are looking for work abroad, or just in your own backyard, take a look at CareerJet - it is amazing. This fantastic online resource is an employment search engine, that scours 62,358 websites (and this probably grows daily) to display more than 14 million job vacancies, in more than 50 countries around the world, translating the results into 20 languages.

We hope this site proves valuable to you and your networks. Good luck if you are currently job-hunting!

Professional Women's Network in Turkey

Hi Everyone, If you are Istanbul, you might be interested in the new International Professional Women of Istanbul Network (IPWIN) launched this month by the International Women of Istanbul.

"We are interested to hear from women who are working in Istanbul, whether it be in a business environment, in the services sector, the not-for-profit sector, in government or in the academic field. We also welcome women who may have just moved to Istanbul and not sure what direction their career should take or women who have been on a career break through children, choice or circumstance.

IPWIN will be a place where professional women in Istanbul can come and share stories and experiences, tips and information. We would like to see it as both a professional and social network."

If you are not an expat in Istanbul, but know someone who is, please help the group by 'spreading the word'. Many thanks.

700 Expat Women Blogs

Hi Everyone, Today we are very excited to welcome our 700th blog to our Expat Women Blog Directory. This section of our site has become a tremendous resource for women relocating, feeling isolated abroad or just wanting to learn/share overseas experiences, and we thank everyone who has contributed their blog to date.

If you would like to submit your genuine expat women blog (and yes, we do check every single blog is genuine and consistent with our expat women criteria), please click here - it's easy.

If you would like to read the 20 most recent blogs added, we invite you to get inspired here. Thanks.

Empowered Career Woman

Hi Everyone, If you are/were/or want to be a career woman in any shape or form, you might like to check out a blog entitled Empowered Career Woman, written by Adrienne Graham (American).

It's not an expat blog and I don't personally know Adrienne (from memory, I learnt about her blog when she left a message a long time ago on this blog), but for a while now I have been impressed both with the effort that she puts into her blog and her effort to encourage women to 'network for success'.

Some of my favourite recent blogposts that you might enjoy include:

(1) Working Remotely (which includes 16 great tips);

(2) Women Don't Need Separate Business Magazines, Do They? (a discussion sparked from her experience with the relatively new Forbes Life Executive Women magazine); and

(3) Book Excerpt: Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers (excerpts from Chapter 5's A Closed Mouth Don't Get Fed: Asking For What You Want of her upcoming book, Go Ahead, Talk to Strangers: The Modern Girl's Guide to Fearless Networking).

Keep up the great work, Adrienne, Andrea.

Bookstore Guide - Europe

Hi Everyone, If you are in Europe, and you love books, check out Sonja and Ivan's Bookstore Guide: An Amateur Guide to Book Shopping Throughout Europe. The blog has some great links already, and if they keep it up, this blog could really blossom into a wonderful and comprehensive resource for finding books throughout Europe.

Sonja & Ivan: "The idea of writing a guide to bookstores all around Europe was conceived while we were on a vacation in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Having a passion for reading and traveling, we have encountered various bookstores throughout Europe and thus have decided to make this blog and write about our findings. If you happen to find yourself in, let's say Amsterdam or Berlin or any other city, we hope that this Bookstore Guide will help you find the books you are looking for so make sure you stop and browse for some of your favorite books in these bookstores."

Bits and Pieces

Hi Everyone, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here are some interesting bits and pieces that have crossed my desk lately:

(1) Blog sub-title that I loved on Grace's An American Mom In London: "Temporarily or indefinitely? Depends on the kind of day I've had". Can any expats relate to this? ;-)

(3) An interesting article, Centered Leadership: How Talented Women Thrive, in the McKinsey Quarterly, sent to me by Lindsey Jones at ACDI/VOCA.

(4) A range of HR (Human Resources) Summits coming up in 08/09 in the Australia-Asia region, listed on the Key Media site.

(5) EuRA Relocation conference for anyone involved in the relocation industry: Vienna, 22 - 24 April 2009.

(6) Expat and Relocation Conference, Oman, Al Buston Palace, 17-18 January, 2009. More details will come later on Jo Parfitt's blog.

(6) Film: 600 - by James Z. Feng. The film is based on the loneliness of longer-term expats living in China, and that sense of "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" (aka U2's song). The film was shot in Shanghai in 2007 and has recently been accepted into some major US and international film festivals, after some awards at a successful China festival 2007 showing. Synopsis:

"After coming to Shanghai on a college-graduation trip with two college buddies, Terrence decides to stay. All the partying, beautiful girls, and good food convinced Terrence this was the place to be. Supporting himself through odd jobs and teaching English, Terrence is having the time of his life.

We fast-forward seven years and Terrence is still an English teacher in Shanghai without much of a career. At the crossroads of his life, Terrence is having a midlife crisis and debating future options about returning home or staying in Shanghai. He questions the purpose of life and starts soul searching with the help of alcohol and delusional fantasies while wandering around town looking for the answer to his dilemma."

You can watch the trailer here. (Warning: If you are offended by language such as f***, this trailer is not for you.)

(7) Finally, an unusual but interesting news story, in terms of what is possible with technology these days: Google Mail Goggles Prevent Drunken Emails. It's targeted at those who send emails that they shouldn't and later regret it.

Thanks and have a wonderful week, Andrea.

Research on Intercultural Couples

Hi Everyone, If you have been part of, and perhaps still are part of, an intercultural marriage or partnership, perhaps you might like to help Mary Westhoff.

Mary has been researching for her thesis "Counseling Cross-Cultural Couples" (M.A. in Counseling) at the Fernuniversitaet in Hagen, Germany. She wants to research more about the special issues faced by cross-cultural couples and what is most helpful in supporting them.

An American from Houston, Texas, Mary has lived in Germany for 39 years, married for 37 years to a German husband.

A friend of Mary's contacted Robin Pascoe (ExpatExpert.com) asking for help, and Robin contacted us. If you can't help but know someone who can, please forward this request to them too. Thank you.

Living in Paris? Sorbonne Confidential Book Launch 14 October

Hi Everyone, For anyone living in Paris who is interested in attending the official launch of the English version of Laurel Zuckerman's Sorbonne Confidential ("...or one American's attempt to become an English teacher in France"):

Venue: WH Smith
Date: Tuesday 14 October
Time: 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Reservations: Please RSVP to WH Smith here.

Who is invited? "Open to all and especially recommended for teachers and learners of English, Francophiles, and readers who enjoy humor."

The English version is not on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk yet, but you can see the French version (2007) on Amazon.fr here. Enjoy.

Expat Women October Newsletter

Hello Everyone, We have just finished sending out our Expat Women Members' Newsletter for October. If you have not signed up yet, you can read the newsletter online here.

If you are signed up and you did not receive the newsletter, please let us know here. Thanks and I wish you a wonderful day/evening, Andrea.

UK Top 50: Where Women Want To Work

Hi Everyone, The Times magazine (UK) hits news stands today announcing the Top 50 employers where women want to work, as named by WhereToWork.com (a large employer-direct company comparison jobsite, run by Aurora).

Dr Glenda Stone (previously interviewed as an Expat Women Success Story here), CEO of Aurora (who manage the annual TOP 50 initiative for The Times) said:

"Organisations in the TOP 50 are much better at figuring out innovative and diverse ways to recruit female talent and they leave no stone unturned. This however is only half the challenge because retaining good women is also essential. Thankfully organisations are getting much better at educating women about what is on offer if they do choose to work for them, how they will support their aspirations, and how this differentiates them from their competitors."

If you are interested in seeing who ranks this year, just click here.

Documentary On Expat Infidelity

Hello Everyone, If you have experienced infidelity whilst living as an expatriate and would be willing to talk about it to a journalist/ producer doing research on the subject for a Canadian documentary film, please contact Karen Mazurkewich, who wrote to us yesterday and would love to hear from you.

Karen is especially interested in: "What drives people to cheat? How do families cope?" and "What are the consequences for families, children and companies?" Thanks.

Got A Story For (A)WAY Magazine?

Hi Everyone, If you are an expat woman living outside of Belgium and you are interested in sharing your expat experience in Belgium's (A)WAY Magazine, please contact Elena Bucciero via this online contact form (please mark it for Elena's attention).

Elena says: "The idea behind this 'interview-type' piece is to tell other expats what it is like living in various countries worldwide - to give them a 'flavour' of the lifestyle, people, food, culture, etc. as well as information about all the other things which are really important to expat families - education, healthcare, accommodation, cost of living, etc."

Want to see some examples?

Just check out the Double Vision in Mexico article that Jill and I had published in (A)WAY's January/February 2008 (hard-copy) edition.

Or Ginnie Bedggood's Whoever Told You Mañana Means Tomorrow? in their May/June 2008 edition (which ExpatWomen.com member Ginnie submitted after mentioning Elena's request previously on this blog), about living in the Dominican Republic.

Thank you very much, Andrea.

Expat Women October Home Page

Hi Everyone, We hope that you are all really well! Please check out our new Expat Women October Home Page, featuring:

Success Story:
Margaret Adamson
Ambassador to Cambodia
Margaret is a senior career officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Prior to becoming Australia’s Ambassador to Cambodia, she also served abroad in Warsaw, Berlin, Bonn, Hanoi and Vienna, as well as in various senior positions in Australia...
(See note at bottom)

Business Idea:
Rainforest Realty
Rev. Macarena Rose
Rev. Macarena Rose moved from the US to Belize, as the Director of her Church. Two years later, she runs Rainforest Realty, hosts a weekly TV show, has coached the Semi Pro Men’s soccer team and is the voice on the cell phone system in Belize...

Expat Confession:
Divorce Abroad
Expat Women Girlfriend
My 20-year marriage has been slowly disintegrating over the last four years, as my husband and I have tended to argue more and increasingly live our own separate lives. I thought that accepting his first expat assignment…

New Mothers:
Having A Baby: Far From Home
Beverly D. Roman
Moving to another country can and should be an exciting prospect. However, suppose your family has just learned the joyous news that a baby is on the horizon. Now, being far from home takes on a whole new meaning…

Your Life:
Leading An Extraordinary Life
Debra Fentress
In our lives we all make choices on a moment to moment basis. Most of the time, we go through life doing the same routine in the same way. What would happen if you decided to do something in an extraordinary way?

Expat Assignments:
Expat Assignments: Are You Addicted?
Andrea Martins
If you love living abroad, you see your passport more than your home country, you enjoy a much-envied lifestyle and you hate the thought of repatriating, there is a good chance that you, like many expats before you, have been seduced by the addictive nature of international assignments…

(Apologies if you have already read this one, which has been mentioned briefly before. It has received such a good response from the brief mentions, that we decided to feature it on the home page.)

Not An Expat Women Member Yet?
Please sign up today, to make sure that you receive our October Member's newsletter next week. We would love to have you in our online community.

Thank you very much and best wishes for October!


Note About Our Success Story: For those of you who might be curious as to why Margaret Adamson is the third Australian Ambassador to be featured as a Success Story on our site this year, here is the answer: Last year, we wrote to a number of Ambassadors of other nationalities. No one responded. So this year, we wrote to four Australian Ambassadors, in the hope that one would respond. Three responded immediately - each of them with something different to offer in terms of their stories and experiences, and each of them deserving of our recognition. So how could we say no? :-)

Official Launch of 2BalanceU.com

Dear Friends, The women's social search portal, 2BalanceU.com, has now officially launched.

Congratulations Heidi Öste (an American expat living in Sweden) and her team for making this dream a reality. I have met Heidi a couple of times and am always inspired by her passion to help women around the world share knowledge and wisdom. Hence, 2BalanceU's motto: "Women Sharing Wisdom, Resources and Inspiration".

The best way to understand Heidi's vision, is to watch the video currently on the 2BalanceU home page. Or read the About 2BalanceU page here.

Please note that 2BalanceU is an invitation-only site. If you are interested in joining, just use this code: advocate. Thanks.

Venus Adventures - Women-Only Travel

Hi Everyone, In officially welcoming a new advertiser to ExpatWomen.com: Venus Adventures - Global Tours For Women Who Love To Travel, I talked to the founder, Julie Paterson (a New Zealander living in Switzerland):

Andrea: Julie, Why do you believe women-only group travel is becoming a popular option for female holiday-makers?

Julie: Getting away with the girls, whether it be for an evening, a weekend or a holiday is great fun and more and more women seem to be realizing how important 'girl-space is'. Women lead busier lives than ever before and taking a break from all responsibilities for a while is an enticing option – but sometimes something we can only dream of! However the travel industry has responded to this demand, and in recent years there has been a boom in women-only tours: there are many different companies now out there offering everything from weekend getaways, to shopping trips, to adventure holidays, as women of all ages realize 'girls just wanna have fun!'

Andrea: What do you think are the benefits of women-only travel?

Julie: There are a thousand reasons for going on a women-only trip, and everyone will have their own one . . . but the main reason has to be the opportunity to be yourself, and live it up a little. Without men around, women let their hair down, don’t worry so much about how they look or how good they are at something, and there are no roles as wives or mothers to be fulfilled. And let’s face it - women just like to do different things than men, talk about different subjects, shop and have fun. Travelling with a group of your peers, is, on a deeper level, also good for the soul - women are able to share information about their lives in safe surroundings and they also learn a lot from one another in conversation, especially about life experiences that women typically go through. It's a non-threatening environment in which to talk about whatever you want, from child birth to capitalism, it's all a part of life... and you only live once!

Andrea: Thanks Julie. I would love to join you one day!

Anyone interested in contacting Julie directly, just email here. Thanks, Andrea.

Need Your Expat Stories

Hi Everyone, Just a shout-out, especially to the new members who have joined recently, that we are always looking for your expat women stories and experiences.

To read any of the (nearly 200) stories submitted, Click Here.

To submit a story (and we would certainly love you to), Click Here.

Thank you very much!

Kid-Friendly Travel Destinations

Hi Everyone, We received an email this week from a nice guy named Edward Serrano, the founder of NineBlue.com, introducing us to his business of e-travel-guides for families looking for kid-friendly destinations. They cover 120+ destinations worldwide, plus I see that they are looking for writers for new destinations. :-)

About NineBlue:

"Our mission is to assist parents in planning family travel by providing frank, relevant, and current content designed to help save time and create great experiences."

About Edward Serrano:

"A life long nomad, Edward spent most of his childhood moving from country to country due to his father's hotel business career..."I got the idea for NineBlue when traveling abroad with my daughter. As a single father I cherish summers with her and each year we vacation to a couple of countries. I had difficulty finding destination-specific information for traveling kids, especially reliable information so I decided to begin compiling my own travel guides.... Even when my daughter's back at school I stay on the road. How else can I discover cool things to do? For example: the amazing and unique firefly canoe tour in outside of Kuala Lumpur is an example of what makes travel priceless. Or even knowing not to travel to England during Guy Fawkes, night if you cherish your sleep that is. It's a holiday that's officially celebrated on the 5th of November but people light fireworks on the street for two weeks straight!" Edward is a former board member for Big Brother Big Sisters of America and former president of Entrepreneurs' Organization."

Have a wonderful weekend! Andrea

Been To An 'International Living' Conference?

Hi Everyone, I am just doing some due diligence research into the conferences run by InternationalLiving.com, such as the upcoming Live & Invest Overseas conference that they are hosting in California, United States, 3-5 October.

If you have been to one, I would love your feedback. Please contact me directly. Many thanks, Andrea.

David C. Pollock Scholarship - FIGT 2009

Hi Everyone, Just a shout-out today to anyone interested in applying for the David C. Pollock Scholarship to the FIGT (Families in Global Transition) Conference in Houston, Texas, US (March 5-7, 2009).

"Thanks to the funds raised during the 2008 Silent Auction and the FIGT Associate Program, FIGT will be able to award a limited number of scholarships to students and self-sponsorsing participants of the 2009 conference.

Scholarships are awarded to help defray registration fees, and to enrich the lives of participants who are or plan to be involved in the transition work of families. Scholarship decisions will be based on application responses and demonstrated financial need to those who would not otherwise be able to afford attending the conference."

Applications are downloadable here. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2008. Good luck!

Women Entrepreneurs in the UK - Meet Five Amazing Women - Sept 30

Hello Everyone, You may recall that recently we let you know about a new website for women entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom: Women UnLimited.

Well, Julie Hall of Women UnLimited has asked us to let you know of their first key event, on Tuesday 30 September, at the Business Design Centre in Islington. The afternoon will feature:

"Penny Power (ecademy); Gita Patel (Stargate Capital); Gina Lazenby (best-selling author); Jacqueline Rogers (The Athena Network); and Pauline Crawford (Is That All There Is Ltd). These five women have all built successful businesses and want to share with you how they did it and give you their tips and advice for your business. During the seminar you will have a chance to personally ask five amazing women questions about your own business and challenges. It is an incredible opportunity to engage with some of the most enterprising women in the UK."

Tickets are £65 and available here. Have a great week!

Robin Pascoe's Survey Summary Is Up!

Hi Everyone, Followers of this blog will know that Robin Pascoe (aka The Expat Expert) conducted a large international relocation survey earlier this year, sponsored by Canadian movers AMJ Campbell International, entitled "Family Matters!"

The survey returned an amazing 655 workable responses from expats and their family members (14 years of age and above). In addition to 30% of the respondents being male, one of the other notable aspects of the survey was its array of open-ended questions - which in turn resulted in a wealth of very open, honest, heartwarming and heartbreaking responses.

To be one of the first to see the results (as Robin has literally only put it up an hour ago), just click here. Happy reading! And well done Robin and associates!

Best wishes for your weekend, Andrea.

Worldwide ERC's 2008 Global Workforce Symposium, October

Hi Everyone, If you are involved in the workforce mobility field, or servicing those that are, you might like to consider a Worldwide ERC© (Employee Relocation Council) conference.

This year's Global Workforce Symposium will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park, Washington DC, October 29-31. More details available here.

To see Jill's account from her attendance last year at the same conference in Denver, Colorado, just click here.

FYI, Worldwide ERC© is also running the following events:

2009 Global Workforce Summit
March 4-5, 2009: Singapore

2009 National Relocation Conference
May 13-15, 2009: San Diego, California

2009 Global Workforce Symposium
October 7-9, 2009: Chicago, Illinois

2010 National Relocation Conference
May 19-21, 2010: Orlando, Florida

2010 Global Workforce Symposium
October 27-29, 2010: Seattle, Washington

SIETAR 2008 Conference - Granada, Spain October 22-25, 2008

Hi Everyone, If you haven't heard of SIETAR, it is the Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research ...and if you haven't heard of their 2008 World Congress, it is in beautiful Granada, Spain this year, October 22-25.

"This year's theme is How Globalization Affects Cultures & Cultures Shape Globalization ...and will address key issues faced by: All interculturalists and other professionals working in education, corporate training, communication and expatriation; and Professionals working in human resources, marketing, politics, diplomacy, conflict resolution and international finance."

To find out more, just click here.

WebAwards 2008

Hello again, If you are interested in web site best practice, you might like to take a look at the newly-released winners database from the US-based Web Marketing Association's WebAwards 2008.

The WebAwards roll call is long, as they give multiple awards across 96(!) industries. We even scored an award last year, in our first year online, in their "Online Community" category. :-)

The winners' list includes lots of big names like Disney, British Airways, National Geographic, GE, Harry Potter, Microsoft and the like, but also lots of smaller-site names too. To see the best-of-the-best, jump quickly onto their Best of Show award winners page.

Change Of Web Host

Hi Everyone, In case you have been wondering why we have been quiet for several days, it is because we have been busy behind-the-scenes organising the changeover to a new web host, which will hopefully take place this coming weekend.

So, if our main site is down this weekend for a few hours, while the old company switches to the new company, that will be why. Thanks for your understanding and have a wonderful day! :-)

Have You Told Your Friends?

Hi Everyone, Just a friendly reminder to please support our 'Tell A Friend' Promotion this month. All you have to do is tell your expat women friends to join ExpatWomen.com.

If they join and win our US$100 prize, we'll ask them who referred them, and if it was you, we'll give you US$100 also. So you both win! See conditions and details here.

The more members we have = The easier it is for us to gain/retain Sponsors and Advertisers = The more money we have to invest back into ExpatWomen.com = The better we can make our site for you.

Thank you very much in advance for your support! Andrea.

Got Books On Your Expat Blog?

Hi Everyone, When approving a new blog submission today for our Expat Women Blog Directory, we noticed a very cool way to display books down the side of your expat blog: it's the Shelfari bookshelf.

We've seen many books on many blogs, but the Shelfari widget today on Cat Bauer's Venetian Cat blog was very effective. Take a look if you are interested.

The Girl Effect

Hi Everyone, There are many worthy movements out there. This one struck our eyes yesterday on expat Dish's Hooked in Amsterdam blog: The Girl Effect - which is a movement to empower (particularly adolescent) girls in the developing world.

Interesting facts:

"An extra year of primary school boosts girls' eventual wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school: 15 to 25 percent."

"When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man."

"Research in developing countries has shown a consistent relationship between better infant and child health and higher levels of schooling among mothers."

See the Girl Effect Fact Sheet Here to find the sources of these quotes and to find out more.

Watch the 2 minute video because it is very clever and worth watching just to see the ad's clever use of text. Best wishes, Andrea.

Expatica's "I Am Not A Tourist Fair", Holland, Sunday 12 October 2008

Hello again, If you are an international living in or moving to The Netherlands, looking for opportunities and information to make the most of life abroad, then this might be the event for you. Enjoy!

"I Am Not A Tourist Fair" (Expatica)
Place: Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
Date: Sunday, 12 October 2008
Time: 10am – 5pm
Tickets: Free tickets available now. Tickets ordered online are free, while tickets purchased at the door will be EUR 10 each. Sign up here.

"The "i am not a tourist" Fair is a unique opportunity to get all the information and contacts you need in one place. Within a single day, you'll have the chance to meet groups and clubs, service providers, experts, and other expats. If you’re looking for a house or a job, starting a business, or just want to meet other internationals, the “i am not a tourist” Fair is for you! This year being the fair’s 5th anniversary, it will include numerous lifestyle surprises as a special bonus."

Leman Expat Fair, Sunday 9 November, Morges, Switzerland

Hello Everyone, If you are living in Switzerland and in the Canton of Vaud, you might like to mark your calendar to visit the Léman Expat Fair on Sunday 9 November 2008 at the Théâtre de Beausobre in Morges.

The producers of the Fair are experienced expatriates themselves and have promised to put together an event where you can "meet the businesses that can help you and your family integrate into your new Swiss lifestyle".

WIN Conference 2008, there is still time...

...to register and attend. This is a fabulous conference. I went to last year's conference in Norway. A sure way to inspire your spirit, meet some wonderful women and kick-start your goals into action post-Summer.

W.I.N. Global Leadership Forum
Sitges (Barcelona Coast), Spain
Vision and Vitality: Moving into the Future
(17) 18-20 (21) September 2008

Go for it! Andrea

Expat Women September Newsletter

Hello Everyone, We have just finished sending out our Expat Women Members' Newsletter for September. If you have not signed up yet, you can read the newsletter online here.

If you are signed up and you did not receive the newsletter, please let us know here. Thanks and best wishes, Andrea.

Dual-Career Academic Couples

Hello Everyone, I received an email yesterday from Stanford University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research. (Perhaps because of the post earlier this week on Dual Career Households.)

They wanted to share their latest US-based research on the topic: Dual-Career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know.

The research report does not have any expat focus, but it is still interesting, particularly if you are part of an expat dual career couple in academia, you are a HR Manager in academia and/or if you are doing complementary research in this area. Here is their blurb:

"Announcing New Research on Dual-Career Academic Couples – exploring hiring and retention of top talent, increasing diversity, and workplace culture.

Dual-career issues are increasingly important in higher education today. Over 70 percent of faculty are in dual-career relationships; more than a third are partnered with another academic. This trend is particularly strong among women scientists and people in more junior positions. As the number of women receiving Ph.D.s continues to rise, U.S. universities will see an increasing number of high quality candidates for faculty positions partnered with another academic. This presents universities with a challenge, but also a great opportunity to access new candidates and diversify their faculty.

Based on a major survey of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty at thirteen leading US universities, plus interviews with administrators at eighteen universities, Dual-Career Academic Couples explores the impact of dual-career partnering on hiring, retention, professional attitudes, and work culture in the U.S. university sector. It also makes recommendations for improving the way universities work with dual-career candidates and strengthen overall communication with their faculty on hiring and retention issues. It is vital reading for anyone interested in the continuing strength and competitiveness of US universities.

Lead author Londa Schiebinger, Director of the Clayman Institute and Professor of the History of Science, welcomes questions and comments on the research."

Here is the link to their Executive Summary. Happy reading, Andrea

Challenges Of Dual Career Households In A Global Economy (For Americans Abroad)

Hello Everyone, If the topic of expat dual careers interests you, we invite you to read Leila Heron's article that we uploaded this week.

Leila's research and focus concentrates on US expats, but there might just be something in the article for you, even if you are not American. (The data table itself is very interesting.) :-)

Here is Leila's Executive Summary:

"The global economy, growing numbers of dual income households, and the increase of international assignments are producing pressure on American multinationals and the Federal Government to provide career transition assistance to spouses/partners worldwide. New support programs emphasizing entrepreneurial skills training and internet savvy show promise to boost employment opportunities abroad."

Have a great day/evening! Andrea

Expat Women - September Home Page

Hi Everyone, While you were enjoying your weekend, we uploaded our new September Home Page and features for you. Please take a look and/or visit the specific article(s) of interest below.

We also launched our 'Tell A Friend' Promotion. Please encourage all of your expat women friends to join, because if their membership number is randomly chosen at the end of September, they will win US$100 and if they nominate you as the person who referred them, you win US$100 too!

Our Expat Women Members' Newsletter will come out later this week. If you have not joined up yet, please join here (and remember to verify your membership when you get the auto-email) before our Newsletter goes out, so you don't miss out.

Thank you very much and best wishes for your September, Andrea.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

September Home Page Features:

Herta Von Stiegel
Finance Leader
Born in Transylvania, Herta has spent her adult life in the US and the UK. She has an impressive track record in the finance industry and together with her partners, has just launched Ariya Capital Group, a fund management firm focusing on sustainable investments in Africa...

Vardit Kohn
For Goodness Sake
Vardit Kohn has been interested in food for as long as she can remember. But it was not until after her linguistics studies in Israel, and her MBA studies in London, that she found her true calling and she now thrives as a Natural Nutritionist in The Netherlands…

Managing Global Talent: What Do Expatriate Spouses Need?
Report to Participants, Dr. Nina Cole
Surveys demonstrate that problems with spousal adjustment are the leading cause of early return home from expatriate assignments, which is costly in terms of repatriation and replacement of the expatriate, and in terms of company performance...

Finding The Right Boarding School
Rebecca Grappo, M.Ed
Young people in internationally mobile families often face many disruptions in their education as their families move from one country to the next. Many times their educational needs cannot be met at the location of the new international assignment...

Expat Confession
Beware Your Friends
Ciao! I just moved to Italy a year ago and have started to meet people. I am married to an Italian citizen and am getting over my culture shock, my rollercoaster emotions and I am finally settling in. I met a woman (also married to an Italian) at a common expat meet up as...

Guanxi: The Art Of Building Relationships In China
Sheida Hodge
In literal terms, Guanxi means "the art of building relationships". But for [foreigners] seeking to
do business in China, this translation is somewhat misleading. The idea of forced socialization...

Expat Assignments: Are You Addicted?

Hello Everyone, We had this article published online yesterday in The Telegraph UK: Expat Assignments: Are You Addicted?

Here's how it starts:

"If you love living abroad, you see your passport more than your home country, you enjoy a much-envied lifestyle and you hate the thought of repatriating, there is a good chance that you, like many expats before you, have been seduced by the addictive nature of international assignments.

So what exactly is it that makes such assignments so addictive? The answers are many and varied, but here are six of the big ones..."

It is aimed at expats (and their partners/families) sent abroad by their employer on international assignments.

If you would like to read more, just click here. Feedback and constructive criticism always welcome.

Best wishes for your weekend! Andrea

World's 100 Most Powerful Women

Hi Everyone, Did you see that Forbes released yesterday their annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World?

Here are their Top 10 women:

1. Angela Merkel
2. Sheila C. Bair
3. Indra K. Nooyi
4. Angela Braly
5. Cynthia Carroll
6. Irene B. Rosenfeld
7. Condoleezza Rice
8. Ho Ching
9. Anne Lauvergeon
10. Anne Mulcahy

To read the rest of their list and to find out where women like Oprah are ranked, just click here. Cheers.

Highlights From Expat Expert Robin Pascoe's "Family Matters!" Survey

Hello Everyone, For those of you following our previous blogposts about Robin Pascoe's Family Matters! Survey in the expat community, here are three key highlights sent around by Robin today:

"1. The survey confirmed there is a distinct 'disconnect' in communication about relocation policy between headquarters and expat families as 64 per cent of respondents said no one - neither employee nor family members - were offered any training whatsoever. Yet, according to the latest GMAC Global Relocation Trends survey, 154 global companies reported that 84 per cent of their organizations made cross-cultural preparation available to at least one member of the family. So while it may be policy to offer training, it would appear from your responses that this news is not being communicated.

2. Marital breakdown was the highest rated factor to impact negatively on the stress of an assignment. It ranked higher than children's education, spousal resistance to move in the first place, spousal career concerns, and adjustment in general. The reasons for an assignment failure are clearly more nuanced than simply "family failure to adjust" which we hear quoted so often.

3. The number one request for inclusion in any relocation policy - well above cross-cultural training and career counseling, both of which came in almost at the bottom of the list - was "assurances of a new contact at the new destination for help settling in." Anecdotally, you informed me that in the absence of ground support in your new locales, however, other expats, through spousal organizations, schools committees, and community clubs, are stepping up to assist you."

When Robin releases her official Executive Summary of her survey findings, we will be sure to let you know. Enjoy your day!

Expats - The Movie - Filming Soon in Dubai

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in starring in the upcoming 'Expats' movie, by Dubai-based expat (NZ) movie producer, Craig Johnson, and you live in the UAE, be quick to register your interest here. Auditions are scheduled for this week: August 29 and 30. Good luck!

(We spotted this announcement on Bernama.com, an online Malaysian News Agency, thanks to our Google alert. )

ExpatFinder - Launched This Week

Hi Everyone, Exciting news this week is the launch of ExpatFinder.com, the brainchild of Sébastien and Francois Deschamps, who are also behind ExpatAngels.org (launched in June 2008) and InterExpat.com (officially launching in September 2008).

"ExpatFinder is the first vertical search engine for people intending to relocate or already living abroad. [It] addresses the increased demand for information and services by relocating professionals and their families. The website acts as a channel to guide expatriates or pre-expatriates about to make the move, to the most relevant information and websites both locally and globally".

Whilst still tweaking a few launch issues and still uploading a lot of the thumbnail images for the search results, I think ExpatFinder is a great idea and shows a lot of potential. I wish Sébastien and Francois all the very best.

Have a fabulous weekend, best wishes, Andrea.

Finding The Right Boarding School

Hi Everyone, If you have children and you live a globally-nomadic life, take a read of Rebecca Grappo's great article: Finding The Right Boarding School, which was published this week in The Telegraph UK.

(Rebecca actually wrote this article specifically for our Expat Women audience - it is coded up and ready-to-go for our September home page and newsletter.)

Rebecca knows what she is talking about: she has lived in nine countries and has personally visited more than 130 boarding schools in the US and Europe.

Loyal readers might remember Rebecca's previous article for us: Taking A Special Needs Child Overseas? What To Know...

Thanks Everyone - enjoy your day/evening! Andrea

Looking For Expat Stories & Experiences

Hi Everyone, We are always looking for expat experiences for our Expat Women stories section.

Do you have a story that you could share?

Here are some of our previous story-of-the-month winners, to motivate you:
Inspiring People I Have Met - By Julie, a Kiwi expat in Switzerland
My Life Is A Charade - By Serena, an American expat in Mexico
Welcome to the Dark Side - By Bronwyn, an Australian in Cambodia
Integration - By Saskia, who was a Dutch expat woman in the UK

If you are a new reader to this blog, we also encourage you to support us and sign up as an ExpatWomen.com member, so you can receive your free e-book with all of our February 2007 - August 2008 Winning Stories. Thanks!

British Expats In, Or Moving To, Spain?

Hello Everyone, Becky Maynard, an Assistant Director at Studio Lambert, is working on a new documentary series for ITV about British expats moving to and/or living in Spain and is looking for people in the following scenarios:

(a) A family on the verge of making a decision to move to Spain, or looking at properties with a view to buy in the next month or two;

(b) British expats already living the dream in Spain;

(c) Someone whose Spanish experience is turning into a nightmare;

(d) People who are considering giving up the Spanish dream entirely.

If you meet any of the above criteria, and are willing to meet Becky in September, with a view to filming in October, please urgently contact Becky here. Thanks.