Expats & Repatriates: More Creative?

Hi Everyone, Here is an article on Fast Company that might interest you, regarding whether expatriates and repatriates are more creative: Looking To Hire The Most Creative Employees? Find The Candidates Who Lived Abroad.

The Fast Company article quotes a new study whose findings were in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

The article was "Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship Between Living Abroad and Creativity," William W. Maddux, PhD, INSEAD; Adam D. Galinsky, PhD, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 96, No. 5.

Here was the APA's Press Release on the article: Living outside the box: New evidence shows going abroad linked to creativity.

Here are some key quotes:

"This shows us that there is some sort of psychological transformation that needs to occur when people are living in a foreign country in order to enhance creativity. This may happen when people work to adapt themselves to a new culture," said Galinsky.

"This research may have something to say about the increasing impact of globalization on the world, a fact that has been hammered home by the recent financial crisis," said Maddux. "Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programs and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation to stay competitive."

Maybe print a copy of this article and take it along to your next recruitment interview. ;-)

US$1000 Competition - Ends Tonight - Last-Minute Amendment

Hi Everyone, Our Win US$1000 for your Expat Club/Association or International School closes tonight (midnight, US Pacific time (PST), Thursday 30 April 2009), so if you have not entered, but have a club/association/school newsletter that went out with a promo of ExpatWomen.com in it, please send it to us urgently.

Last-Minute Amendment:

We would like to officially advise that we are amending this paragraph in our competition's terms and conditions:

3. All expat clubs/associations (or international schools) that enter the competition, and are judged to be suitable, will be listed on a spreadsheet, starting at number one, in the order in which the entries are received. The winning number, which will correspond to the winning entrant, will be chosen at random by Expat Expert, Robin Pascoe, who is independent of ExpatWomen.com and who will not have access to the list.

The amendment will read as follows:

3. All expat clubs/associations (or international schools) that enter the competition, and are judged to be suitable, will be listed on a spreadsheet, starting at number one, in the order in which the entries are received. Once all entries are received, an ExpatWomen representative will re-order the spreadsheet in a random order, to remove any potential bias when the winning number is selected (in terms of choosing a number based on the order in which it was received) . The winning number on the new, randomly-ordered spreadsheet, which will correspond to the winning entrant, will be chosen at random by Expat Expert, Robin Pascoe, who is independent of ExpatWomen.com and who will not have access to the list.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday 5 May 2009, US Pacific time (PST).

Thanks and good luck Everyone!

Measuring Expat ROI - New Report From Yvonne McNulty

Hi Everyone, Our friend Yvonne McNulty in Singapore released last week her new industry report: Measuring Expatriate Return On Investment In Global Firms, which is a great read for anyone working or interested in the field of expatriate management, talent recruitment and/or human resources.

To gather data for the report, Yvonne surveyed 51 expatriates from five global firms. The combined total employee population represented by those firms was 653,000.

Two key findings in the report:

• 36% of expatriates seek external job opportunities during their assignments - which infers that HR needs to focus not just on retention at the end of international assignments, but throughout employee assignments abroad; and

• Expat ROI is not formally measured. Companies rely instead on the employee performance appraisal process - however, how effective is this process of measurement, when the expats surveyed believed the performance appraisal process measured the wrong things?

Yvonne, perhaps best known for her Trailing Spouse Survey four years ago, is a PhD candidate in the Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, Australia. She is a sought-after speaker on the topic of expat return on investment (ROI) and can be contacted here.

Well done, Yvonne, and happy reading everyone!

Does Yes Really Mean Yes? Trying To Interpret Cultural Behaviour

Hi Everyone, Simone Costa Eriksson of InterculturalPlus sent us a link to her new article on Brazil's Gringoes.com that might interest you: The Brazilian way of saying ‘No‘.

"As a Brazilian working for the international community, I am very often asked ‘why can Brazilians not be trusted?‘. In general, when attempting to interpret any cultural behavior, the first and most advisable approach would be to avoid generalization, but what if it happens too often, especially, through the eyes of foreigners? In that case, the safest explanation must be based on well-known intercultural theories: the concepts of contextualization and communication style as well as the cultural meaning of trust..."

A good article if you are an interculturalist always needing new material.

A good, quick read for expats who struggle with the collectivist-culture-influenced response "yes... which really means no".

Thanks Simone.

Work Permits For Expatriate Partners

Hi Everyone, Items of note in today's Permits Foundation newsletter:

(1) Ireland: Employment Permit Regulations for Spouse and Dependants Tightened

"The Irish Department of Enterprise,Trade and Employment has announced new tighter measures for green card and work permit workers. They have also announced that with effect from 1st June, spouses of intra-company transferees and work permit holders will no longer be eligible for the special arrangements that previously allowed them to apply for a work permit for all occupations without a labour market test and application fee. The spouses of Green Card holders are not affected by the change. This means that it is worth using the Green Card scheme where possible (employee salary over euro 60,000 or shortage occupations with salary euro 30,000-59,999). Full details of the changes are published here. Details of the revised spouse and dependant regulations are given here. We are disappointed to report this change particularly in the light of the current review in the UK."

(2) Ireland: De Facto Partners Recognised

"On a positive note, the DETE recently announced that recognised facto partners may apply for an Employment Permit. Details here and here."

(3) Japan: Permits Foundation Steering Group Makes Initial Proposals to Cabinet Committee on “promoting highly skilled foreign nationals in Japan.’’

"We are pleased to report that our Japanese steering group has met with a high level committee of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, which is conducting an investigation into “promoting highly skilled foreign nationals into Japan.”

This was an excellent first step to advocate a relaxation of spouse work permit regulations in Japan and was followed up by a brief written submission to the committee, which will conclude its investigations in June.

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html (Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office in English)
http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/jinzai/jitsumu/dai4/sankou.pdf (Permits Foundation submission in Japanese.)"

**

On a side note, the following is a great resource on the Permits Foundation site: Work Permits for Expatriate Partners - Country Summary (last updated January 2009) if you would like to know the current stance on this issue by each of the following entities:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• European Union
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• Japan
• Malaysia
• The Netherlands
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

Thanks go to the Permits Foundation for all of their ongoing lobbying for expatriate partners!

Settling-In Abroad With Children... Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned

Hi Everyone, You might be interested in this new article on The Telegraph UK site: In Africa 'settling in' can be very traumatic: An expat tells of the unexpected effects that moving to the continent had on her children.

This well-written, anonymously-published article touches again on the issues of grief and reconciliation - which I talked about here as themes that emerged from the recent Families in Global Transition conference in Houston.

An interesting read and, I am sure, not an unfamiliar scenario to many globally-mobile families out there. Best wishes, Andrea.

Living in Dubai? Can You Sing?

Hi Everyone, Forget American Idol... start your singing career in Dubai. :-)

This (European) Summer, Mindset-Impresario are producing a show that would require 14 singers who would be performing various musical and pop songs at key locations in Dubai. If you would like to get involved, read on...

"Inviting both professional and amateur singers of all nationalities for a chance to be a part of an extravagant summer production held in Dubai. Performances will be held between 14th of June and 14th of August, only on weekends. Auditions are currently on. To be a part of this production kindly call Bryan Furtado on 04-294-5988 (+9714-294-5988) or send him an email with your details today. Thanks!"

InterNations Re-launched

Hi Everyone, Congratulations go out today to the guys (Philipp von Plato, Christian Leifeld and Malte Zeeck) over at InterNations, who have both:

• grown their expat/global minds social networking site from zero to over 100,000 members in just over 18 months; and
• recently graduated from a beta site to a new and improved second version of their site.

Philipp got in touch today and shared the following:

"Our members represent 180 different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. The average InterNations member is in his or her thirties, well-educated, career-oriented, dynamic and internationally-mobile. Their status as expats, trailing spouses, former expatriates or global minds with a huge interest in foreign affairs and transnational business also distinguishes them from the more sedentary executives and employees in other professional networks."

"InterNations Events are also run in more than 100 cities worldwide, by our InterNations Ambassadors – i.e. committed volunteers with a fondness of networking. The biggest of these get-togethers at chic venues attract 150-300 people per month. There may also be additional special interest events from a guided city tour in Bogotá over a beach party in Muscat to a skiing vacation in the Swiss Alps or an exclusive dive cruise in the Bahamas. "

InterNations is an invitation-only network, but if you would like an invitation, just click here and join in!

WIN Conference Registration Opened Today - Special Prices Until 10 May

Hi Everyone, If you are looking for a great women's networking event, consider attending this year's WIN (Women's International Networking) conference in Prague, Czech Republic, 8-10 October.

I attended the 1997 WIN conference in Oslo, Norway, and thoroughly enjoyed it. At that conference, I also met many women who had attended previous WIN conferences and I only ever heard good reports - which is a great sign of a consistently valuable conference.

If you are interested, registration opened today and special pricing applies until 10 May, so be quick!

Best wishes, Andrea.

New Lifestyle Magazine In The UAE

Hi Everyone, Our friends at Explorer Publishing have just launched a new UAE lifestyle magazine Live Work Explore, to complement their invaluable UAE living and exploring guides.

"An informative read with up-to-the-minute insider information on making the most out of life in the UAE, as well as exploring exciting destinations around the world. The bi-monthly magazine is available free in more than 200 outlets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with the debut April-May issue out now."

If you live in the United Arab Emirates, check it out.

Visiting Hong Kong?

Hi Everyone, My apologies for the quiet blog as late... I confess... I took a vacation... and loved it. We went as a family to Hong Kong and had a sensational time. If you get the chance to go - take it - there is just so much to see and do in that vibrant city.

If you do plan to visit Hong Kong, I can highly recommend the Salisbury YMCA Hotel. Our suite was great and the hotel boasts amazing views overlooking the harbour. A wonderful experience.

Warmest wishes, Andrea.

Can You Help With A Story?

Hi Everyone, We are always looking for stories from your expat experiences, for our Your Stories section. Can you help?

To get an idea of what we are seeking, please read some of the 200+ stories on our site and/or take a look at our Story Guidelines.

We are especially looking for stories that would make a reader think:

• “I’m so glad that terrible experience did not happen to me”;
• “I cannot believe they do that in that country”;
• “They were so lucky to survive that”;
• “I wish I could do that”; and/or
• “She has inspired me!”

So come on, share a few of your stories... we bet you have plenty.

Many thanks!

Time Is Running Out...

Hi Everyone, Time is running out to enter our Win US$1000 for Your Expat Club/Association or International School competition.

If your group has not entered yet, please encourage them to do so, in order to both help us spread the word about Expat Women, and more importantly, to go in the running to win US$1000.

A special thanks go out to those of you who have already supported us by getting us promoted in your group's newsletter. We really appreciate your support and wish your group all the best. Thanks!

WebAwards Now Open

Hi Everyone, Loyal Expat Women followers might recall that we received a WebAward from the Web Marketing Association (US) in our first year (2007), in the Online Community category.

Well, those same awards are now open for 2009 and whilst they do not seem to have the Online Community category any more, they do have a "Blog" category (which might appeal to some of you, whose fabulous blogs appear in our Expat Women Blog Directory) and 96 other industry categories for you to consider entering... plus, the good news is that they give out multiple awards for each category (meaning that depending on your industry and web site quality, you might have a very good chance of winning something)!

Entry costs US$195 (or US$99 for non-profits). If you manage to score an award, the feedback they give can be highly-detailed and valuable. To learn more, just click here.

Entries close May 29, 2009. Good luck. :-)

Know Any Expat Groups In Montenegro?

Hi Everyone, We have had an enquiry that we are struggling to answer, which is in regard to expat groups in Montenegro.

If you know of any, please drop us a line and we will put anything valuable that you send us on our country page for Montenegro, so any future audience members can also find useful resource(s) for Montenegro.

Many thanks!

Moscow Charity Ball - April 25

Hi Everyone, We do not usually promote the gala events of local clubs (only because there are so many across the globe), but we are making an exception today for the International Women's Club of Moscow (IWC) because:

• Their attendee list really does like a who's who of celebrity Moscow;
• All proceeds from the Ball will go directly to help amputee kids and victims of severe burns;
• They supported us by entering our Win US$1000 For Your Club competition; and
• They voluntarily put one of our Expat Women banners on their club's site (thanks IWC Moscow!).

If you live in Moscow and are interested in attending the Charity Ball, please click here for further details. Thanks.

Living around Portofino or Amalfi? Italy

Hi Everyone, One of our Expat Women advertisers, Janice Briggs of La Dolce Vita Retreats, is looking for women in the Health and Wellness profession, such as nutritionists, alternative medicine practitioners, life coaches and so on, who live in or around Portofino or Amalfi.

Janice would like to talk about collaborating on some workshops for two women's retreats - one of which will take place in Portofino, the other in Ravello. If you are interested, please email Janice or call her on in the US on (949) 752-0652. Thanks.

Expat Women April Home Page

Hi Everyone, We have just uploaded our Expat Women home page for April. Please take a few minutes to check out our new features and interviews, as follows:

Success Story
Anne Beitel
Executives Online
Since 2002, American Anne Beitel has been working for Executives Online in the UK - first as Marketing Director, and since January 2008, as Managing Director. In December 2008, she teamed with fellow directors to complete a management buy-out of Executives Online from its founder and majority shareholder...
Read more…

Expat Women Entrepreneur
Fiona Thomson
Thomson Brandtman
Single motherhood and aggressive, inflammatory breast cancer have not deterred this amazing entrepreneur in Bangkok, Thailand. Join us as we talk to Fiona about how she started her business in Thailand nearly twenty years ago and why she won't run home when times get tough...
Read more…

Mothers
Motherhood and Me
Lindy Bruce
Join us as we talk to Lindy, whose journey of rediscovery can help us all learn how to embrace what is wonderful about motherhood and gracefully survive the rest. Lindy shares her five-step plan for releasing built-up anger, resentment and negativity...
Read more…

FIGT Conference
Families In Global Transition Conference 2009
Andrea Martins
This year´s FIGT conference was again a reunion of like minds. It sounds cliché, but it is true: most FIGT regulars go back time and time again because they enjoy the camaraderie...
Read more…

Expat Confession
Show Me The Money
EW Girlfriend
Six months ago, I was in a great job back home in London... I agreed to leave my job because everything about my husband’s new posting to Malaysia sounded incredibly exciting and it was never really an option in my mind to commute or to separate… However, I am not coping well with financial dependence...
Read more…

Learning Languages
The Truth About Language
Learning: Myths, Facts and
Strategies for Success
Laura Sicola
For a large number of us, life abroad often requires learning a new language. Yet many believe they are too old to start a new language, fear that the task is too big, or simply are convinced that they are simply not good language learners. To all three, I say: untrue!
Read more…

Not An Expat Women Member Yet?
Please sign up today, to make sure that you receive our April Members' Newsletter tomorrow. We would love to welcome you to our online community. Plus your support via membership, helps us raise revenue to keep Expat Women running.

Thanks and best wishes, Andrea.

Globe Women Summit & Female World Leaders

Hi Everyone, Just a reminder that the Globe Women Summit is fast approaching. If you are interested in going to Santiago, Chile, for May 14-16, then the Globe Women Summit might be for you.

Background: Every year, they change the region in which this annual conference is held. Last year, it was in Asia (Vietnam). Before that, I believe it was in Europe and in Africa.

Whilst on the other Globe Women site, I read an interesting page about our world's current female leaders. According to Globe Women, there are 9 female Presidents and 6 female Prime Ministers in power today. Hats off to these women... and here's hoping that one day, instead of 15 leaders, women hold 2, 3, 4 or 5+ times this number of country leadership positions.

Moving to Australia?

Hi Everyone, If you are moving to Australia, check out my friend Vicky Gray's brand new book:

Didgeridoos and Didgeridon'ts:
A Brit's Guide to Moving Your Life Down Under.

"Didgeridoos and Didgeridon'ts is a collection of short, personal experiences Vicky Gray and her family encountered during the first year of their new life Down Under.

In addition to the entertaining diary entries, inspirational stories from other expats, top tips and vital resources, the book is crammed full of well-researched information on everything you need to know to survive and thrive during your first year in Australia."

Here's the direct link on Amazon.com (Paperback), on Amazon.co.uk (Paperback) and on Bookshaker (PDF/E-Book).

Thanks Everyone!

PS. If you are a budding author or editor and would like to have your name in print like Vicky, take a read of our previous blogpost about Bookshaker's search for authors and editors.

PS2. Congrats on your first book, Vicky!

Authors Needed For The Caribbean

Hi Everyone, If you are interested in writing a 28,000-30,000 word book about what it is like to live and/or work in one of the following four Caribbean destinations (based on your hands-on knowledge and experience):

• Puerto Rico
• The US Virgin Islands
• Dominican Republic
• Jamaica

...please contact Jo Parfitt, who will put you in touch with her publisher who is seeking the authors. (PS. No, the publisher is not Bookshaker, it's another one of Jo's publishers.)

The books are written to a formula and pay a one-time payment of £1,000 (no royalties apply). This might not be enough to entice a seasoned writer, but if you are someone wanting to get your name in print and/or earn some extra cash while your day job is slow, think about getting in touch with Jo. Thanks.

Anita Roddick & Jack Canfield Videos

Hi Everyone, I watched an interesting, six-minute video with Anita Roddick (aka Mrs Body Shop), thanks to a link in the Women Unlimited e-newsletter last week. Anita talks about what it really meant to her to be a female entrepreneur. If you were an Anita Roddick fan and/or a budding expat women entrepreneur, grab your coffee and take a look.

On the same page, you might like to also watch the one-minute, Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup For The Soul fame) video about Planning Your Day. I watched it and it surprisingly hit home to me - as I am someone who writes a to-do list but who really does need to 'plan' my day for better effectiveness. If you are like me, maybe take a minute to watch this video too.

PS. Fifteen years on, did you know the Chicken Soup For The Soul empire are still looking for submissions to their books? I took a quick read just now of their current guidelines, and whilst they only pay US$200 if your submission is published in one of their books (plus give you 10 free copies of the book), having your name in a series like this could only be a good thing, especially if you are a writer or someone wanting to build your profile/credibility, yes?

Enjoy your week, Everyone! Andrea.

OLX - Free Classifieds Worldwide

Hi Everyone, Have you heard of OLX? They describe themselves in the press release they sent us as: "The largest free classifieds site no one’s ever heard of!"

But unlike the inference, it appears that the folks at OLX know exactly what they are doing:

• Launched in June 2006;
• Over 50 million unique visitors per month;
• 400 million page views per month;
• Almost 2 million new ads are posted monthly;
• OLX has raised $28.5 million in funding since March 2006;
• OLX has offices spread over the globe with 125 employees working out of New York, Buenos Aires, Beijing, and Moscow; and
• OLX is now present in 84 countries and 36 languages, but Americans are not likely to have heard of OLX because its popularity lies mainly outside of the United States in places like Spain, India, Portugal, Mexico, South America, China, and the Philippines.

One of the co-founders of OLX, Fabrice Grinda, was previously:

"...the founder and CEO of Zingy Inc., which he built into one of the largest wireless media companies in the Americas, while successfully closing deals with some of the top wireless providers in the world. Within four years, Fabrice successfully grew the business to $200 million in content sales before selling the business in 2004 for $80 million." Smart guy.

If you need a free, worldwide classifieds site, OLX might be for you.

Best wishes, Andrea.

Teen Expats

Hi Everyone, We stumbled across TeenxPats the other day, which might be of interest to you if you have teenagers in your home...

"TeenxPats is a free online community dedicated to, well, teenage expats. As many of us leave our original countries to live life in different places all over the world we suddenly realise it's not quite what we expected. It's not as easy as it says on the tv! But never fear... You're not alone! TeenxPats is not only a website dedicated to what we think is interesting, it's a community of teenagers who've done something remarkable with their lives (willingly or not), they've moved to another country, experienced another culture and have learnt (or are learning) a new language. So browse the site, read what interests you, talk in our forums and connect with people who are going through the same as you!"

We got in touch with the site creator, Ruairidh Wynne-McHardy, who said that the site:

• was created in 2004;
• attracts 5,000-8,000 unique users per month; and
• has 327 members.

TeenxPats, we wish you all the best.

Desperately Seeking Researchers...

Hi Everyone, PassportCareer is still seeking researchers who can commit to finishing their research, for each of the following locations:

• Algeria
• Bosnia
• Bulgaria (Sofia)
• Chile
• China - Highest Priority (Chengdu, Dalian and Nanjing; Tianjin and Shenyang)
• China - Other (Shenzhen, Guangdong Province; Yangshou, Guilin; Xiamen, Fujian Province; Chongqing; Xian; and Wuhan/Hubei Province)
• Colombia (Bogota)
• Costa Rica (San Jose)
• Dominican Republic
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Finland (Helsinki)
• France
• Greece
• Hungary
• India (New Delhi)
• Kazakhstan (Almaty)
• Macedonia
• Malaysia
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Nicaragua
• Poland (Warsaw)
• South Africa (Cape Town, Durban)
• Taiwan
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United States (Seattle , Atlanta , Cincinnati , Columbus , Phoenix , New Orleans , Orlando , St Louis, Pittsburgh , Philadelphia , Denver, San Diego, Minneapolis, Baltimore and San Francisco)
• Uruguay
• Zambia

Background:

In case you have missed our previous blog posts, Susan Musich of PassportCareer is looking for researchers to undertake a 20-25 hour (approximate) research assignment for each of the above locations, in return for a small honorarium per assignment. (Note: If multiple major cities are involved, the hours and honorarium usually increase accordingly.)

Susan is looking for expatriates (male or female) in any of the locations listed above, who have been there for six months or more, and can commit to finishing the assignment if offered. (Note: American repatriates who can "think like expats" are also invited to apply for the US locations.)

Susan has been working in this arena for 18 years and is starting PassportCareer as on online job search support system for international professionals – primarily spouses/partners who accompany expats.

"The research includes using the country profile survey (and template) that will be provided to identify appropriate job search information relevant to expatriates who will be moving to your current country. Such information includes: web sites; business cultural information; social and business networks; resume and interview information relevant to the country in question; and other related job search material."

If you would like to apply, please contact Susan directly with the following information:

1. Your full name, address and contact details;
2. The date you started living in your current location;
3. An overview of your expatriate/repatriate experience;
4. A brief description of your qualifications and interests; and
5. Why you are interested in undertaking this research.

Disclaimer:

Susan has agreed to make a small donation to Expat Women for each researcher who completes an assignment via an Expat Women lead. So if you are not interested, but know someone who is, please pass the word around. Every little bit helps!

Thanks Everyone. :-)

WIN Conference in Prague, Czech Republic

Hi Everyone, WIN (Women's International Networking) have just announced that their annual conference this year will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, October 8-10, at the Hilton Prague Hotel.

"The 2009 W.I.N. Conference – Transforming knowledge into wisdom and action – is the 12th in a series of visionary global leadership programs that have and continue to inspire thousands of women, enhance their careers, improve business and change the life of many people and organizations.

We encourage you to join us in October as outstanding professionals and executive women and - a few men, from across the globe, working internationally, embracing and leading change get together to look at the critical role women play in shaping the future and elevating leadership, work and life, to the next level. We want to assure our knowledge is transformed with wisdom into action to create a future that benefit the world, work and our own very lives.

More than 30 world-class speakers touch issues around economy, politics, technology, society, environment, humanity and future, life and work, and all of them are related to diversity and inclusion. Panel sessions are complemented by over 24 interactive workshops for body, spirit and mind, the W.I.N. coaching sessions, and the W.I.N. open forum, networking luncheons and breaks, dinners and receptions."

"Super Spring" offer (20 - 30 April):

Standard ticket
Euro 1000
(For all professional participants, such as entrepreneurs, consultants, professionals, corporations and so on)

Subsidized ticket
Euro 700 (For women in transition, students, pensioners, NGO members and individuals)

"Early Bird" offer (1 May - 17 July):

Standard ticket
Euro 1295

Subsidized ticket
Euro 995

"Full Rate" (17 July - 23 September):

Standard ticket
Euro 1595

Subsidized ticket
Euro 1095

General Note: For registrations 1 May to 23 September, remember to ask for the Expat Women network partner discount of Euro 100.

Personal Note: I highly recommend this conference. I attended in Oslo, Norway, in 2007 and was impressed by the wonderful women (including founder, Kristin Engvig) I met and heard speak each day, the genuine interactivity of the workshops and the camaraderie of all of the attendees - who openly shared their knowledge, experience and insights. If you are interested and able to go, do try to.

Thanks and best wishes, Andrea.

Please Help The American Domestic Violence Crisis Line

Hi Everyone, You may recall that one of our Expat Women Success Stories last year was Paula Lucas, the brave and determined woman who founded the American Domestic Violence Crisis Line.

For 14 years, Paula lived what looked like an ideal life overseas in the UAE: A Newsweek photojournalist husband, worldwide travel, a successful advertising, marketing and PR business and three beautiful sons. She also hid a terrible secret: the children suffered severe child abuse and Paula, horrific domestic violence, at the hands of her husband. Her husband threatened to kill her and the children during increasingly violent rages. Her pleas to the American Embassy and the State Department were futile. Finally her chance to escape materialized, thanks to a thief...
Read More

Well, I met the wonderful Paula in person recently at the Families in Global Transition Conference in Houston and I promised her that I would help her to spread the word further about the much-needed crisis line that she runs.

How can you help? If you are involved in a expat club/association or international school, or you write a blog, or you run an expat-related division in your company - or you are involved in any way with American expats, please help spread the word of this important crisis line service. Mention it in your newsletter, put a link in the 'useful links' section of your website/blog, tell people in your local meetings, help in any way you can to 'spread the word' please... as you never know who you might be helping... or saving.

Want to give financially? All donations help. For example:

US$50: Provides 20 minutes of toll charges on the crisis line

US$100: Provides 8 hours for a crisis line advocate to help domestic violence and child abuse victims

US$200: Provides materials to train 10 crisis line volunteers in their bi-annual 30-hour training

Any way that you might be able to help would be appreciated by Paula and her small team.

Many thanks in advance, Andrea.

Living In Prague, Czech Republic? Interested In Work For ORC Worldwide?

Hi Everyone, Please read on if you are living in Prague and you are interested in a freelance research position for ORC Worldwide - "the market leader in designing and implementing expatriate compensation strategies... providing comparative cost of living data to approximately 2000 multinational corporations worldwide, via their network of Pricing Agents spanning 300 cities worldwide".

ORC Worldwide has a freelance position immediately available for an Expatriate Pricing Agent to conduct cost of living surveys in Prague, Czech Republic, twice a year, or as needed.

ORC is looking for a candidate who fits the following profile:

• An expatriate of any nationality who has been living in the Czech Republic for at least three months;
• A candidate with good English-speaking capabilities and good communication skills; and
• Ideally, someone who expects to be in Prague for the next two to three years.

The survey is normally conducted every six months and involves gathering prices of common goods and services. It takes approximately 25-30 hours to complete. (Payment is available in Euros, USD or Pound Sterling.)

If you are interested in this position or know of anyone who is, please contact Nancy Haynes via email or call her (collect) in London on +44-20-7591-5616. Thanks.

$50,000 Dream Photo Assignment

Hi Everyone, If you love taking photos and would love US$50K to carry out your dream photographic assignment, check out the Name Your Dream Assignment website before the competition closes at midnight on 3 April 2009 (EST, United States).

The contest is for (US-resident) photographers of all backgrounds and seeks to reward the most creative, inspiring photo shoot idea out there. The photographer with the winning idea will win $50,000 to bring his or her dream assignment to life. The winner and two runners-up will also receive the Lenovo® ThinkPad® W700ds with Microsoft Windows Vista®.

If you don't plan to enter, but would like to support an expat woman who is entering, please consider supporting Miss Expatria, who first told us about this competition and who has supported Expat Women with some great stories in our Your Stories section in the past.

Miss Expatria's "dream assignment is to document the expatriate experience worldwide, using real-life expats to reimagine historical paintings, iconic photographs and famous literary passages depicting travel and expat life." More here.

Thanks Everyone and enjoy your weekend! Andrea

Did You Know? Video

Hi Everyone, If you haven't seen this Did You Know? video yet, take five minutes to see what others are talking about. It's a very clever (remixed) video on the progression of information technology, researched by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Bronman. This version was posted on You Tube last October and apparently played at Sony's executive conference last year. Excellent stuff.

Living On High Alert

Hi Everyone, Coming back to Mexico City this week, after leaving our four-year-assignment here two years ago, completely threw my emotions upside-down, as anyone who has ever returned to a previous assignment location would probably understand. I was nervous, excited, happy and sad. I was re-living great memories, but feeling like I've been missing out, but then feeling like nothing had really changed and everything was still the same. At one point, a strange sense of calm overwhelmed me when I genuinely felt like I had returned 'home', but on the other hand, I sometimes felt so far from home that I wished I was elsewhere.

The latter occurred when I was at the police station yesterday to report my stolen camera (in order to obtain the police report that I need to satisfy my insurance company). What started as the normal multiple-hour test of patience with local government officials, turned into both a "please don't shoot the guy, so I'm not a witness" when one of the detainees escaped through the station and a dozen police bolted out after him, and a "please get me out of here" in the last 15 minutes of my second round of grilling about my camera, when I was being intimidated by three police officials in a "no escape" zone if they were to decide that they didn't like me.

After 4 nights here, I've finally managed to articulate the main difference between living in a city like this, and living elsewhere...

It's the fact that here (or in similar places), you are, without realising it, always living on a high sense of alert - as if your body knows it needs to stay super-sensitive to what's going on around you... just in case.

The best example of this would be... at home I often daydream when I'm driving - a bad thing to do, but the roads are so easy and so 'boring' that I sometimes find myself daydreaming and not remembering the last few minutes that I had just driven. That would never happen here. The same when we lived in Jakarta, Indonesia. And most likely the same for you if you live in similar cities. You have to stay alert 100% of the time - and by the time you get home each day, you've successfully avoided or witnessed multiple near-misses on the road.

But it's not just the driving, or the police station episode yesterday: in the conversations that I've had here, everyone is always dealing with some 'issue' that is unexpected and which is adding to the stresses of their normal day. It's hard to explain unless you've lived it, but I guarantee that when I hop on my plane tonight, my body will sink into the chair and be grateful for the opportunity to 'switch off'. Maybe that's why when you live in cities like this, you are always planning your next weekend getaway... your brain and your body need a rest!

Just a personal oberservation. Maybe you feel the same. Thanks for listening, Andrea. :-)

Newcomers Club Mexico City & Trafimar Relocations

Hi Everyone, A great big thank you to the Newcomers Club Mexico City and to our valued Gold Sponsor, Trafimar Relocations, for organising the two events in Mexico City that I spoke at this week about 'Inspiring Your Success Abroad'.

If you are an expat in Mexico who has not yet joined the Newcomers Club, I highly recommend that you do. Not only do they have wonderful people and a wide of variety of events/activities for members, but they also recently produced The Guide: An Insider's Guide to Mexico City - which is a fabulous 'bible' of member recommendations for anyone living in Mexico - and which is being given free to all members of the club.

And of course if you are ever moving to/from Mexico, or know someone who is, please support Trafimar Relocations, who kindly support Expat Women and also support Newcomers Club projects.

Many thanks and best wishes, Andrea.

International Women's Day Yesterday

Hi Everyone, Hats off to everyone who organised and/or participated in an International Women's Day (IWD) event yesterday, or anyone doing so this week.

The IWD site that we have mentioned a couple of times recently, shows a fabulous result this morning: 962 events listed in 62 countries. Wow, congratulations everyone!

Motherhood and Me, by Lindy Bruce

Hi Everyone, Each month, we get sent a couple of books by authors/publishers to review for a potential feature on Expat Women. Some books get featured, some do not.

Today, I just finished reading our review copy of Motherhood and Me by Lindy Bruce (a South African who spent four years in Canada with her young family, before repatriating).

With a quote from O (the Oprah magazine) on the cover, I was hoping it would be worth my while... and it certainly was. Lindy's book completely surprised me and I highly recommend it.

In short, Lindy talks about the path to personal rediscovery, during/post motherhood. But she does so in a very easy-to-read, intelligent way, that really resonates with the reader and earns the reader's respect, unlike other books that seem like they are just trying to profit from the 'make-mothers-feel-good' market.

I think the following part of Lindy's prologue sums her book up best:

"Motherhood takes us on a journey. We think the journey is about learning how to love, nurture and support our children, but the further along the road we travel, the more we realise that the journey is actually about learning how to love, nurture and support ourselves! This is the incredible gift of motherhood, the opportunity it gives us to grow, evolve and expand; the opportunity it gives us to see and know ourselves better.

Yet in reality, motherhood can take you to a place where you feel like you've shrunk; where you feel as if you've forgotten what's true; where you can no longer see what you're passionate about; and where you feel like you've forgotten who you are. There is a gift in this harsh reality of motherhood. You can only start looking for something once you realise it's lost. This book will take you on a journey of rediscovery in which you may find what you think you've lost."

Along the way, I couldn't help but find parallels between motherhood and being a trailing spouse/partner, in terms of the impact on one's identity and self-esteem.

In conclusion, if you could do with a dose of 'me-time', grab Lindy's book and/or attend one of her workshops (in South Africa). I believe it would be time well spent. Congrats Lindy.

(PS. I will interview Lindy for our Expat Women April Newsletter. Look out for the interview there. Thanks.)

Move Abroad To Beat The Recession Blues

Hi Everyone, Here is a recent article by Kate Hughes in The Independent (UK) that you might be interested in: Move Abroad To Beat The Recession Blues. It starts like this:

"The interest on your savings is minuscule, your pension pot has been hammered, and the value of your house is plunging. You might be made redundant – and, to cap it all, we’ve had the coldest winter in 30 years. In short, life in Britain isn’t looking great. This may be a worldwide wipeout, too, but there could be a few safer, if not entirely safe, havens to run to with what’s left of your wealth."

Kate then goes on to talk primarily about Brazil, New Zealand, China and Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Reminder: We Need Your Stories & Experiences

Hi Everyone, A friendly reminder today that we are always looking for your stories and experiences from living abroad for our Your Stories and City Experiences sections.

These are very popular sections of our site, which are read by women interested in what YOU have to say. Thanks. :-)

FIGT Conference Wrapped Up In Houston

Hi Everyone, Apologies for the quietness of late... I have been here in Houston (US) at the annual Families in Global Transition (FIGT) conference for the last few days, plus travelling before that.

This year the conference was another huge success. Around 200 or so participants came from around the US (both expats and Americans), from The Netherlands (yes, the second-largest contingent that attended), other parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and maybe more. I didn't meet anyone from Africa.

Sectors represented included: US military/navy/air force (namely representatives from their Family Readiness Centers - from posts all around the world); relocation (including destination services); academia; authors; schools; TCKs (Third Culture Kids) and Adult TCKs; corporates; missionary sector representatives; coaches; counsellors; interested individuals; and more.

When asked who was new to FIGT, about half of the people in the room stood up, which was a positive sign - that is, that people are learning about FIGT and that the conference does have new blood/ideas each year.

One of the big themes that seemed to shine through this year was grief and reconciliation - putting language to experiences and dealing with the grief of leaving locations before being able to successfully move forward and adapt to new locations/environments.

There were not as many TCK topics this year - and lots of new presenters - plus lots of interest in their new topics. For example, I talked a few times - about expat websites, general website tips and traps, blogs and social media - and these topics were well attended by people across all industries, who seemed really keen to learn how best to use the web and modern technology, which was great.

In our Expat Women Members' Newsletter for April, I will put together a more detailed article of some of the topics presented, plus share with you some photos that I took, so anyone interested can get a better glimpse into FIGT's 2009 conference.

Thanks, best wishes, and enjoy the rest of your weekends, Andrea

Expat Women March Home Page & Newsletter

Hi Everyone, We have just started to send out our March Newsletter, so if you are an Expat Women Member, you should receive it in the next 24 hours. If you do not receive it, please let us know here.

If you have not joined but would like to, please support us by doing so here, then check our March Newsletter online to see the edition that you have just missed. Thanks.

Success Story
Gry Tina Tinde
UNHCR
Gry Tina Tinde leads the UNHCR’s Women Leading for Livelihoods (WLL) program, which aims to develop skills and business opportunities for refugee women, funded and guided by executive and philanthropic women...

Business Idea
Ashley Hunter
HM Risk Group
Join us as we talk to Ashley Hunter and find out how an African-American woman from Texas with an undergraduate degree in music, classically-trained in violin and vocals, came to be working in insurance in Bahrain...

Multicultural Business
Mind Your Multicultural Manners:
It’s Good for Business
Lisa La Valle-Finan
Unless you have been living in a cave lately, you are probably experiencing considerable anxiety about the global economic crisis. This emotion is immediately followed by further panic when recruiters or employers are asking you to ’go global’...

Expat Confession
Pregnant in Vietnam
EW Girlfriend
We are newlyweds and decided to take the opportunity of a lifetime when my husband’s company asked if we would be keen to move abroad with his job. We have been in Vietnam for 4 months now and so far so good... However, I just found out that I am pregnant! I am petrified about giving birth here...

Inspirational Quest
An Ethiopian Odyssey
Annette Allen
Join us as we talk to Annette Allen – a half-Norwegian, half-British, adult TCK – about her 25,000 mile quest to discover former classmates, inspired by a dream of bringing clean water to Ethiopia...

Money Matters
5 Financial Steps to Take Before Moving Abroad
Maxim Global Wealth Advisors
Planning a move to another country is an exciting, but daunting undertaking which requires significant planning and preparation... and expats often fail to arrange their financial lives properly before making their move...

Winning Story
Our Third-Culture Family
Congratulations Sarah! (An American in México)
We spent four years as repatriates, and honestly the first two were especially difficult. We all felt like "aliens" walking, living, breathing among the human beings, and that often talked about feeling of being the "hidden immigrant" began to take on a new meaning...

Special Mention
A special mention also goes out to Melissa (a Brit in Thailand) for her story Blood, Sweat & Fears, which is not in our newsletter, but which we really enjoyed. Here's Melissa's bio, to spark your interest:

Since moving to Thailand in 2006 she has lived in Bangkok and Chiang Mai and fought professionally in boxing stadiums in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket. She has a current number one UK ranking and has fought in the UK, Thailand, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic and Switzerland. Her other interests include yoga and studying Thai language.

Win US$1000 Competition
Last but not least, if you have not yet asked your expat club/association or international school to promote us in your next newsletter, please do so soon, for their chance to Win US$1000!

Thanks Everyone, enjoy your day/evening! Andrea

800 Expat Women Blogs

Hi Everyone, Thanks to your support, we now have 800 expat women blogs that have been listed on our Expat Women Blog Directory. Thank you!

The 800th blogger kindly gave us a nice (unsolicited) shout out on her blog too. One of the best blog shout out's we have read in ages. Thanks Nancy of A Shore Dive Kinda Life!

1 in 9 Living In Britain Is Foreign

Hi again Everyone, An interesting article appeared this week in The Telegraph UK saying that one in nine people now resident in Britain was born abroad.

"Official figures show 6.5 million people born overseas were resident in the UK in the year to June 2008, an increase of 290,000 on the year to June 2007.

The Annual Population Survey [by the Home Office] showed 4.1 million foreign nationals resident in the UK in the year to June 2008, compared with 3.8 million in the year to June 2007. "

To read more, or find out which groups fell in number, please jump directly the article here.

Best wishes for your weekend and your new week! Andrea

Top 10 Tips For Living In...

Hi Everyone, Expat Exchange (a very well-established and well-respected expat site) has recently been gathering and sharing tips for various countries that have come straight from their members.

For example:
Top 10 Tips For Living in the UAE (United Arab Emirates)
Top 10 Tips For Living in Denmark
Top 10 Tips For Living in Morocco
10 Tips For Living in Portugal

Here are a few more (but written by individuals, not collated from members' tips):
15 Top Tips About Moving To The UK
10 Tips For Moving To France
Top 10 Tips For Living Abroad

We haven't talked about Expat Exchange before, but they deserve a bit of a promo, as they have invested countless hours over several years into compiling a lot of great content for expats worldwide.

Take a look if you have not already - we hope you find the site useful.

PS. Here is an another interesting one on their site: It was written in 2004 by Tom Johnson (who was an expat in Cairo at the time)... it's just one to read for fun: 10 Types Of Expats.

Expat Show Beijing, China: May 22-24

Hi Everyone, If you are living in or near Beijing, China, or you would like to, the big expat event not to miss this year is the Expat Show Beijing.

Being held at the China World Trade Center, May 22 - 24, the event is being described as the "second edition of Beijing's biggest expatriate community gathering" and is sure to have lots of great exhibitors and information sessions that might prove useful to you (or your newcomer friends).

If you would like to pre-register, you apparently go in the draw to win some mystery prizes, plus potentially save yourself time in entering on the day. Enjoy.

Win US$1000 Entries

Hi Everyone, Thank you very, very much to those of you who have started submitting entries for our Win US$1000 For Your Club/Association Or International School competition.

If you have not entered already, you still have time. Entries close at midnight, US Pacific time (PST) on Thursday 30 April 2009 - which still gives you March and/or April to get our promo in your club/association/school newsletter.

Thank you sincerely for your support!

Great Site For Bloggers & Website Owners

Hi Everyone, I want to recommend a great site for website owners, that has some excellent interviews with 'real' website owners and bloggers - who talk about how they started their online businesses, what lessons they have learned, tips, traps and so on.

The site is called Is It Possible To Make Money Online? and it is run by an Australian guy, Brenden Wood. Understandably, most of the interviews are with Australians, but given that we are talking about web businesses, the principles are universal - and you can easily listen to the audio interviews while you are working on your emails, blogging or doing other things.

Confession: It has taken me 24 hours to pluck up the courage to share this great site, as my interview is now on the site and I am a little nervous (eg. Do I sound silly? Do I sound too young -even though I'm not? Did I talk too much?). But I am swallowing my pride, because I want to support Brenden and I want to share with you these fun and useful interviews.

Here's one of my favourite interviews on Brenden's site: Karen Cheng - Australia's most popular blogger (which was the interview that convinced me to say 'yes' to Brenden's interview request).

Here are some more of his interviews (you can find them all on his site if you click on "older entries" at the bottom of his pages, or you can click on the links below):

Famous Blogger Talks Business
The Aussie Story Behind Twitter’s Famous ‘Fail Whale’
How To Incorporate Reader Generated Content Into A Site
Advertisers Love High Volume Newsletter Send Outs
Sydney Mum Made Millions Selling Website To Media Company
Top 3 Content Criteria For Websites & Blogs
Beach Girl Explains Her Online Success
Reverse Search Engines & Facebook Advertising
Online Divas Now Connecting Online Business Women
My Blog Is My Best Branding Tool
Singapore and Malaysian Blogging Trends
A Blogger That Breaks News - Tim Burrowes
100 000 Hits Makes Liv An Australian You Tube Star
Mad About Affiliate Marketing

I hope you enjoy the site!

Best wishes, Andrea. :-)

Want To Find Some Free E-Books About Living Abroad?

Hi Everyone, Thanks to an email from HowTo.co.uk, we have just learnt about their free e-books on the following topics:

• living abroad;
• business;
• career;
• family;
• learning
• money;
• poker;
• property;
• well-being; and
• writing.

In the Abroad section, they currently have 29 books that you can read online for free - on topics that range from finding a job abroad, starting a business abroad, retiring abroad, living in specific countries abroad and so on.

In terms of usability, reading online (and needing to click every time you want to go to the next chapter) is not as user-friendly as reading a downloadable PDF document, but, at the beginning you can click straight from the contents page to the chapter that you are most interested in... and, given that the information is useful and free, what's the inconvenience of a few clicks...?

Check the e-books out if you are interested. Best wishes, Andrea.

Don't Forget To List Your Event For International Women's Day

Hi Everyone, Following on from our blog post of 3 February, don't forget to list your IWD event on this site, as it is now only two and half weeks until the big day: March 8.

When we blogged about the site earlier this month, they had 162 events listed. They now have 354 events listed - mainly in the US, UK, Australia and Canada.

From memory, last year they listed more than 600 events - so this is definitely a central place to promote your event, so go for it! :-)

Oman Conference Cancelled

Hi Everyone, The organizers of the International Mobility and Relocation Conference (IMRC 2009) in Oman (originally scheduled for January 2009, then moved to April 2009) have been "asked" by some local government powers-that-be to cancel the conference.

They regret and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to potential participants and wish to thank all those who demonstrated their enthusiasm and support for the concept.

Television Documentary Seeking Expat Entrepreneurs With Interesting Businesses Abroad

Hi Everyone, If you are an interesting expat with an interesting business abroad, Christiane Mannini is looking for you...

"Hi Expat Women, My name is Christiane Mannini and I am looking for interesting people all around the world with interesting, innovative businesses (such as the Italian expat we will be featuring who went to a small island near the West African Coast, where he is producing one of the best chocolates in the world from the cultivation of cocoa beans to the bar of chocolate). The focus is not so much on managerial professions or success in an industrial job but rather on originality and an inventive business with high quality products.

The search is for people to feature in a television series that I am working on, which will be shown on Arte, which is a French-German cultural channel. It is a public tv channel and is aired simultaneously in both countries in the respective languages. Arte is considered, maybe alongside with the BBC, to be the tv station with the highest quality program in Europe.

I have done several documentaries for German public tv and of course for Arte. The last ones were about childcare in different countries and the different positions nannies have (ie. in the US, in Britain, France and Germany).

Another one was about a silk weaving facility in Florence, which produces wonderful, dream-like fabric. They still use the same kind of looms used during the Renaissance.

Another one was about the last woman on earth who still works with byssus. You have probably never heard about byssus, I didn't either before I made the film - but this is a thread which derives from a shell that is growing in the Mediterranean Sea. The lady is from Sardinia- an Italian island. In a very elaborate process a part of this animal can be made into threads which are then woven. The fabric has a golden shine and has been used centuries and thousands of years back to produce garments for priests and kings. King Solomon's gown is believed to have been made of byssus. An incredible story.

Thank you very much in advance for helping me find interesting people to feature!"

Job Announcement: Expatriate Pricing Agents (Tokyo, Taipei and Phnom Penh)

Hi Everyone, If you are living in Tokyo, Taipei or Phnom Penh and you are interested in a freelance research position for ORC Worldwide, please read the ORC announcement below. Please feel free to forward this to anyone else you think might be suitable. Many thanks, Andrea.

**

Dear Expat Women,

ORC Worldwide has freelance positions immediately available for Expatriate Pricing Agents to conduct cost of living surveys in Tokyo, Taipei and Phnom Penh, twice a year, or as needed.

ORC is looking for candidates who fit the following profile:

• Expatriates of any nationality who have been living in the respective countries for at least three months;
• English-speaking capabilities and good communications skills; and
• It is preferable that the candidates be in one of the three abovementioned locations for the next two to three years.

The survey is normally conducted every six months. It involves gathering prices of common goods and services. Depending on the location, ORC might also require the person to collect information and complete a survey on expatriate housing.

Payment in major currencies – US Dollar, Euro or British pound – is available. If you are interested in these positions or know of anyone who is interested in the position, please contact me, Siew Lung Tan, urgently via email at siewlung.tan@orcww.com.

“ORC Worldwide is the market leader in designing and implementing expatriate compensation strategies, and provides comparative cost of living data to approximately 2000 multinational corporations worldwide. We have a network of Pricing Agents spanning 300 cities worldwide. For more information, please see our website at www.orcworldwide.com.”

Thank you very much, I hope you can help,

Siew Lung Tan
Regional Research Coordinator – Asia Pacific
ORC Worldwide
63 Market Street #20-02
Singapore 048942
Email: siewlung.tan@orcww.com
Telephone: +65 6438 0004
Fax: +65 6438 4711

Global Post - A New Voice For Global News

Hi Everyone, If you take a keen interest in world news, you may like to take a look at the recently-launched news site Global Post - watch their video and read their mission. They make some big promises, so I hope they can live up to their goals.

Interestingly, to fund the site, their business model revolves around three streams of income: advertising; syndication; and, the interesting one, designed for the real news junkies - their Passport program. The user-pays Passport program offers readers a voice in news coverage, interaction with on-the-ground journalists, global briefs from the editor and more.