Expat Women March 2010 Home Page

Hi Everyone, We have just uploaded our Expat Women March home page and encourage you to take a look, tweet it and share it with your friends...

Success Story
Deanne de Vries
VP Africa Strategic Initiatives, Agility (Kuwait)
Deanne De Vries is a career woman, a traveler and an adventurer. Born and raised in San Jose, California to Dutch parents, she has lived in Belgium, the Netherlands, Kenya, South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Iraq and now Kuwait...
Read more…

Business Idea
Stylemakers
Renée Coppinger
Fashion-lover Renée is a shining example of an expat entrepreneur who is both following her true passion and very successfully reinventing herself, over and over. From electronics, to fashion, to care giving, to study, to art and then back to fashion, she has set up businesses...
Read more…

Travel Tips
10 Travel Tips For The Seasoned Traveler
Susanna Zaraysky
If you consider yourself a master at the travel game, but you are still looking for some new ideas to save money and better navigate everything travel, read on to learn from Susanna Zaraysky who has lived in nine countries, traveled to over fifty, speaks seven languages and is the author of Travel Happy, Budget Low...
Read more…

Culture Shock: It’s A Good Thing
Ines Hofmann
Cathy was a lawyer in the United States, but when she accompanied her husband to Frankfurt she suffered from culture shock and every small step outside of her apartment seemed to be a great effort. Strange, this might seem to some, given that Cathy had just been working as a competent lawyer in the US...
Read more…

Reinventing Yourself
5 Steps To Creating A Better You
Kim Seeling Smith
As expats we are forced to reinvent almost every aspect of our lives when we choose to pick up, pack up and pluck ourselves down in another country. We have to negotiate a new country, a new culture, a new house, start new jobs (or life without a job), enrol our children in new schools...
Read more…

Expat Confession
Death Abroad
Expat Women Girlfriend
My friend’s husband collapsed and died suddenly at work this week from a brain tumour. It was terrible. Like any best friend would do, I have been doing my best to console and offer support in her time of need and help as best as I can with her two young children. But I really feel out of my depth: first with grief counselling and now with helping her...
Read more…

Not A Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are reading this blog post online or you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our Expat Women monthly newsletters.

To receive our newsletter this week and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing's Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com, and receive your free e-book of our Winning Stories!

Thanks
Thank you sincerely for your support and best wishes for March! Andrea

Various Expat Women News Tidbits

Hi once more Everyone, Following on from my earlier post today about how easy it is to put tidbits of information on Twitter, here are some of the tidbits I have posted on Twitter recently that might interest you...

Seeking: American and British Expats in Singapore for a Research Project
"For Third Culture Kids Seeking: American and British Expats currently in Singapore to participate in a research project. Single recording session approx 2 hrs, reading English sentences. Monetary Token of appreciation will be given at the end of the session. Contact Nicole at dataproj.sg@gmail.com if interested."

Which Airport has been Voted Best in the World for the 5th Year in a Row?
You'd be surprised!

Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010
Over 19,000 votes.

13 Mistakes For Americans to Avoid When Filing Taxes This Year
If you are American and needing to lodge a tax return in the United States this year, read on...

American Council on International Personnel's 36th Annual Symposium
June 7-10
Washington DC
Main topic: Immigration

Totally Expat Show for Global Mobility Industry Professionals
London 24 May 2010

Families in Global Transition Conference
March 4-6
Houston, Texas, United States
It's not too late!
I really wish I was going...

7 Reasons Not to Put All Your Eggs in the Twitter Basket
Interesting blog post on Social Examiner by Jay Baer, a social media strategist and coach.

Managing Home Leave
Recent article by Paragon Relocations:
"Is there a connection between Home Leave and employee attrition/retention? Home Leave was intended to help minimise the effects of the culture shock of an international assignment. It allows assignees to maintain family ties and stay current with home business contacts and associates; and keep connected with their community and culture. Still, attrition rates upon completion of assignments remain high. Is there a disconnect between the philosophy of the home leave provision and its actual impact to assignment satisfaction?"

Looking for Expat Experts to Contribute to Our ExpatArrivals Guides
If you are interested, read the short message.

Expat Coach Megan Fitzgerald in Top 10
Congratulations to previous Expat Women Business Idea interviewee and long-time ExpatWomen.com supporter, Megan Fitzgerald, who was recently named by The Undercover Recruiter in their top ten Facebook fan pages for job seekers and career-minded folk.

Authors Needed for Culture Smart Books
If you are interested, please contact Jo Parfitt, who will then link you to Culture Smart. Thanks.


To catch all of these updates as soon as I make them, I invite you to follow me on Twitter.

Thanks, Andrea.

Expat Infidelity Abroad: The Story of Alexandra Shakespeare

Hi Everyone, I read today Alexandra Shakespeare's story From Excess to Exes - How My Dubai Dream Turned into a Nightmare.

With a name like Shakespeare, I am sure Alexandra would have been preferred to have become famous for her works of literary art (yes, she is actually a professional writer and was once the editor of the glossy Harper's Bazaar in Dubai). So it's sad that her marriage confession might actually catapult her into more fame than her high-flying job did before.

Doubly sad is it that Alexandra's story of her ex-husband's infidelity abroad is not unique: unfortunately stories like Alexandra's are common... albeit granted, not everyone was an editor of Harper's Bazaar.

Full marks to Alexandra for sharing her story once she found happiness with her new partner in the UK and sending my best wishes out there to every woman going through right now what Alexandra went through in Dubai.

Andrea

What Have I Learnt About Twitter In Just One Month?

Hi Everyone, For those of you still sitting on the fence about Twitter, I thought I would share a little about what I have learnt so far...

1. It's Super Easy

Once you have your account, and you take a minute to learn how to shorten URLs/website addresses (try TinyURL or bit.ly), it is incredibly easy to type a 140-character message and tell the world your latest discovery.

2. It's Great For Keeping Up

Given that the messages are so short, it is very easy to keep up with what your friends are saying, or what others in your industry or interest groups are saying, just by following those people that might have 'news' for you.

Then every time you scan the 'news' from people who you follow, from their tweets which come to your Twitter account, you can retweet anything newsworthy in just a few seconds. It's brilliant: you can boost your own reputation for being 'in the know' and sharing valuable information just by retweeting. I pinch myself at how easy it is to do that.

3. It's Personal

Much to my surprise, Twitter can actually be quite personal. Instead of seeing just an email address on your blog subscription list, you get to not only see a photo (usually) of the person following you, but you can also click immediately on their profile to read their tweets, send a message to them, see who is following them and even follow them if you choose to (so they can message you directly and/or so you can just keep up with their tweets in the future). Again, you are learning who else is 'out there' and it's only taking you a few minutes.

Expat Michelle Fabio @michellefabio concurs:

"Twitter has deepened my relationships that previously had been conducted only through blog comments. Twitter really gives you an opportunity to nurture relationships built throughout the Internet and also find new ones based on similar interests. Plus it's so much fun!"

4. It's Fun

Twitter is much more fun than I expected. As soon as you learn something, you can share it within a minute or two. Once you are following friends or peers that do the same, there are lots of interesting 'learnings' being shared in 140 characters or less. It's fabulous.

Expat Jennifer @louloufrance wrote to me:

"[Twitter is] an excellent way of exchanging information about the subjects I'm interested in (cooking, cheese, France, wine, travel) as well as keeping up to date on news stories.... I love it!"

"A friend of mine started with Twitter and was about to give up on it [but] asked me for my thoughts on the media and after telling her how I used it to glean information she ended up finding a whole group of people in her field (TESL) and now says that it has renewed her interest in her career and has introduced her to new avenues that she would never discovered without Twitter."

5. It Saves You Time

Sure, you need to put aside time to read and write tweets. But, we are only talking about 140-character tweets. Super small. Super easy to scan, read and write, compared to researching all of those people's blogs/newsletters/websites that you would like to keep up with and then deciding if anything they say is 'newsworthy'.

Again, the more people you follow, the more 'news' that will come direct to your Twitter inbox, rather than you searching for it - saving your precious time and energy.

6. It Can Slow Your Blogging

On the negative side... unfortunately, I am finding that it is just so quick to tweet information out to the world, that that's where I am typing my/our news first. Then, if I don't have time to explain it all via a blog post when I tweet it, the blog post (usually, but not always) follows, but maybe the next day or the next week even. For everyone subscribed to this blog, I apologise and promise to try harder in that respect, so that I am not too far behind on the blog, compared to Twitter (smile).

On the positive side... in the past, if I had not had time to blog I simply would not share anything that I had learned until I did have time to blog. At least now, me and others like me, can share on Twitter straight away. So that has to be a good thing, right?

My Prediction: I predict that because of the ease of Twittering, blog owners who twitter will slow down with less regular blog posts. Whilst blog news might then fall a few days behind, for many of us who subscribe to various blog and newsletter feeds, perhaps a few less (but more consolidated) blog updates might not necessarily be a bad thing, as blog owners might focus their blog posts on truly valuable topics and post anything less newsworthy in just a 140-character Twitter update. Then anyone wanting news when it's super-hot and fresh, can read it on Twitter in the interim.

Maybe it's much like the tortoise and the hare... they'll both get to the finish line in the end, it just depends who wants to get there faster. ;-)

Andrea

Follow me on Twitter @andreaexpat

HSBC International: Free Amazon Kindle or Airport Membership Promotion

Hi Everyone, Just a quick shout-out for our Gold Sponsor, HSBC International.

They are running a promotion whereby if you sign up to a Premier account before 31 March 2010 and deposit at least £60,000 (or currency equivalent) within 90 days of your account opening, you get to choose your free gift of either 12 month's Airport Angel membership or, for the avid readers among us, a free Amazon Kindle™.

"With a busy expat life, you have enough to think about without worrying about your offshore banking. That's why we've designed our products and services to be easy and convenient. Bank offshore with HSBC Premier and enjoy:

• 24/7 phone access to a Relationship Management team;
• Internet Banking that provides access to your HSBC accounts in over 34 countries from a single log on and the ability to make transfers immediately, without charge and with a preferential rate of exchange;
• The ability to manage your money in a large range of emerging market currencies, use our global reach and knowledge of international business and get the best help and guidance; and
• An International Wealth Management service to help you make the most of your money."

Please click here to learn more about their promotion and read their full terms and conditions. Thank you in advance for considering HSBC International if you are looking for an offshore banking solution by a reputable, global provider. Andrea

Expat Women February Newsletter

Hi Everyone, We just completed sending our Expat Women member newsletter for February 2010. In addition to our February Expat Women home page features, our newsletter includes:

• The name of our Explorer Publishing mini-guide pack winner;
• Our winning story by Expat Women member Miriam Mannak in South Africa, entitled Confessions of an Ex-Expat Child;
• Details of how to follow me on Twitter; and
• Sarah Merron's advert for her Fire Dragon Coaching's NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) course in the Maldives in May.

If you are an Expat Women member and you did not receive our newsletter for February 2010, please check your spam box and if it is not there, please email us and we will investigate. Meanwhile, we invite you to view our newsletter online here.

Best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea

PS. If you are reading this blog post only online and you are not an Expat Women member yet, please sign up today to support us. As a thank you, you will then receive details about how to download your free copy of our e-book: Winning Stories - Feb 2007 to Feb 2010!

Expat Women's Happy 3rd Birthday Blog Shout-Out Competition Winner

Hello and big congratulations to Shanie Matthews for winning our Expat Women Happy 3rd Birthday Blog Shout-Out Competition!

Last month, we wrote to the 1,100+ women who have listed their blog on our Expat Women Blog Directory and invited them to give us a shout-out for our 3rd birthday (16 January 2010) to enter our Amazon voucher competition.

Well, this week, the entries were collated and our friend Expat Expert Robin Pascoe randomly chose the winning number. So, congratulations Shanie, you will receive a US$100 Amazon.com voucher... plus we'll give you a big, unexpected shout-out for your blog(s) here:

The Era of Collaboration: A Blog Celebrating A New Era In Global Cooperation

"Shanie Matthews is a United States-born and raised freelance wordsmith, photographer and professional snow skier. After living in multiple countries, she now considers herself a citizen of the world. From a childhood in Bellingham, Washington to adolescence in Bavaria, Germany to over a decade of young adulthood in Lake Tahoe, California, her experiences led her to wanting to explore outside the box.

She relocated to Mendoza, Argentina in 2005 with her husband, Jamie, first owning a wine vineyard. They currently live in awe-inspiring Bariloche, Patagonia where they appreciate the impressive views, soaring condors and undiscovered outdoor paradise. She and Jamie share their daily craziness of living abroad in their blog, LivingInPatagonia.com. She also writes a blog on her personal journey with consciously practicing happiness.

Despite the occasional group exercise in high school and college growing up, the power of collaboration didn’t truly occur to Shanie until her research into creating a ski area cooperative. As hours of research accumulated, she discovered over and over again how communities are moving forward in what experts are calling the “Era of Collaboration”. This blog is to share what she has learned, interview experts and to be a real-time information source about the era of collaboration."

Honorary mention must also go to Tiffany Jansen of Clogs and Tulips: An American in Holland for the most comprehensive shout-out. Thanks Tiffany!

Thanks go to everyone who supported us for this competition and we hope to run the same again next year! Andrea

New BMW Award For Intercultural Commitment: Total prize money €25,000

Hi Everyone, If you have an idea for an intercultural project that will really 'make a difference', BMW have just launched an exciting new competition and I encourage you to apply.

"The BMW Group is looking for innovative projects and dedicated, visionary individuals worldwide – to establish a lasting connection between people of different cultural, religious, and language backgrounds. Read on to find out all you need to know about the goal, submission requirements and the schedule as well as background information on the selection process, the individual awards and the central idea of partnership the award represents."

Total prize money is €25,000 and the whole process and concept sounds like a great thing to be involved in. Spread the word... and good luck if you enter! Andrea

Global Summit Of Women, May 20-22: Beijing, China

Hi Everyone, It's only three months now until the annual Global Summit of Women (conference): May 20-22. Each year they hold the Summit in a different part of the world, with a different theme:

2010: Beijing, China: Women at the Forefront of Change
2009: Santiago, Chile: Setting New Paradigms for Business and Political Leadership
2008: Hanoi, Vietnam: Women and Asia: Driving the Global Economy
2007: Berlin, Germany: The Global Marketplace: Opportunities and Challenges
2006: Cairo, Egypt: Redefining Global Leadership
2005: Mexico City, Mexico: Leading the 21st Century Economy
2004: Seoul, South Korea: Leadership, Technology, Growth
2003: Marrakech, Morocco: Preventing Conflict Through Women's Economic Development
...and the list goes on.

It's a great gathering of women and if you would like to join their 20th anniversary celebration Summit this year, click here for details.

Survey for Expat Trailing Partners

Hi Everyone, expat coach Louise Wiles is looking for participants for her survey asking trailing partners about the challenges and issues they face when moving abroad and the types of support they would find most helpful.

"My aim is to achieve over 100 responses as this will help to make the survey results more representative and therefore valid. The survey builds on a piece of research I conducted in 2002 for a dissertation as part of a Masters in Occupational Psychology. This investigated the expectations trailing partners had regarding organisational support and the impact its provision had on their adaptation to their lives in Portugal (where I was living at the time)."

Click here to email Louise to ask her questions and/or to request a copy of her 2002 results.

Click here to complete her survey.

Thanks on her behalf!

Conferences, Awards, Scholarships, Competitions & More...

Hi Everyone, If you have missed my Twitter shout-outs, here are some upcoming conferences, scholarships/awards/competition deadlines that might interest you:

Clements International Offers US$10,000 In Expat Youth Scholarships
Our Expat Women Silver Sponsor Clements International is again offering Expat Youth Scholarships to expatriate students. US$10,000 will be shared between six winning students, aged 12-18, of any nationality, who have spent the last two consecutive years living outside of their home country. The scholarship contest offers expat students a chance to share their experiences of living in a foreign country through a 500-750 word essay and a creative image answering the question “Where would you go in your flying house?”

The Great Giveaway: The Women's Conference 2010
"For the first time ever, The Women’s Conference® is presenting The Great Giveaway. Each month, from February through September, we’re giving you the opportunity to win two complimentary Special Guest Passes to attend the nation’s premier forum for women, interview one of our top speakers and meet California First Lady Maria Shriver. The Women’s Conference 2010, to be held on October 25 and 26 in Long Beach, California, includes a stellar lineup of leaders, journalists, experts, authors and artists to inform and inspire you to become an Architect of Change."

FIGT Conference Reminder & Early-Bird Discount Deadline
Families in Global Transition Conference
4-6 March 2010, Houston, Texas, United States
Early-bird discount ends midnight February 2.
Use code SPECFRD2010.

Transitions Abroad 2010 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest
Closes 15 February 2010.
1st prize US$500. 2nd prize US$150. 3rd prize US$100.
Seeking original and unpublished essays, up to 1,500 words.

"TransitionsAbroad.com invites you to enter its 2010 Expatriate Travel Writing Contest. Professionals, freelancers and aspiring writers are invited to write articles which describe their experience living abroad. Often your experience abroad may be extended by working or studying in the host country, so living, working, and studying abroad are often inextricable, and we are interested in these aspects as well..."

Awards for Foreign Service Youth
"Every year, the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) organizes a series of contests for Foreign Service youth. The contests offer U.S. Foreign Service kids and teens the opportunity to showcase their talents, accomplishments and unique perspectives on the world. Two winners will each receive a US$1,500 U.S. savings bond and recognition at the annual youth awards ceremony at the Department of State in July 2010."

Our Expat Women Silver Sponsor Clements International sponsors the Community Service Award, which honors U.S. Foreign Service youth who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer efforts at home or abroad while facing the challenges of living an internationally mobile lifestyle. Deadline for entries is 15 April 2010.

FAWCO Conference
The FAWCO (Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas) is holding its next conference in Boston, United States, 11-14 March 2010... which is only next month, so hurry, if you/your club is interested in sending representatives.

Re:locate Awards
And finally, entries for the UK's Re:locate Magazine's annual Re:locate awards close 15 February 2010. So if you are in the relocation arena and would like to enter, be sure to get your entry in this week or next.

The Seven Award Categories are:

1. Best Relocation Strategy/Policy;
2. Technological Innovation in Relocation;
3. Inspirational HR Team of the Year;
4. Relocation Service Provider or Team of the Year;
5. Best Property Provider or Solution;
6. Rising Star in Relocations; and/or
7. Relocation Personality of the Year.

Good luck to all who enter! Andrea

Expat Women February 2010 Home Page

Hi Everyone, Please take a look at our new Expat Women February home page, featuring a famous expat TV Star/Producer, a Nairobi bomb survivor and more...

Success Story
Debbie Travis
Television Star, Producer and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire
Once upon a time, Brit Debbie Travis modeled with celebrity supermodel Gail Elliott. Today, long-term expat Debbie Travis is a household name in Canada, famous for producing and hosting three successful lifestyle television series (Debbie Travis' Facelift, Debbie Travis' Painted House and From The Ground Up with Debbie Travis) that now show worldwide. Debbie has also written nine books, she writes a syndicated newspaper column and she executive produces a variety of other television shows on real estate, cooking, renovations and more. She owns two television production companies and a self-named branding studio that produces a line of over 1,500 products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire, the biggest retailer in Canada...
Read more…

Business Idea
The French Paper
Nicola Wade
Five years ago Nicki and her family left London for rural France. A self-confessed magazine addict, Nicki now runs a publishing company in France with a glossy regional lifestyle magazine and a monthly English-language newspaper, with a combined readership of 45,000+...
Read more…

New Memoir
The Unofficial Diplomat
Joanne Grady Huskey
From being inside the US Embassy with her children in Nairobi when it was bombed, to being on the ground in Beijing during the sad events at Tiananmen Square in 1989, to acting in Bollywood, to co-founding a relocation company and an international school in India... Joanne has seemingly done it all...
Read more…

Expat Confession
Homesick New Mother Abroad
Expat Women Girlfriend
I am a trailing spouse and mother of one, who has been living in Japan for seven months. When I first arrived, I loved the thrill of it all. But now I hate Japan. I miss my mum for the emotional support and I wish she could help more with my son...
Read more…

Tweet, Tweet
How Twitter Can Rock Your Business
Stephanie Ward
Marketing Coach Stephanie Ward, an American expat in The Netherlands, shares with us ten reasons (and three testimonials) why you should be using Twitter as a new marketing strategy to boost your business profile and profits, wherever you live in the world...
Read more…

Learning A Language
Top 6 Fun Ways To Learn A Foreign Language: Using Music, Radio, TV and Movies
Susanna Zaraysky
Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you have not heard in years and you surprise yourself by singing all the lyrics? Music and catchy jingles can stick in our minds for years, while verb conjugation charts and memorized data disappear. So if you are trying to learn a new language, put down the verb conjugation charts for now and turn on your radio!
Read more...

Not A Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are reading this blog post online or you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our Expat Women monthly newsletters.

To receive our newsletter this week and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing's Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com, and receive your free e-book of our Winning Stories!

Thanks
Thanks Everyone for your support and enjoy your first day of February! Andrea

Excellent Video Interview For Bloggers

Hi Everyone, Whether you blog for business or pleasure, I highly recommend that you to take ten minutes and watch this excellent (and enjoyable) Social Media Examiner interview with Wendy Piersall.

Wendy is a blogger who has found online fame in the United States. But despite her online success, health issues almost forced her to give up her online blogging activity. She encourages bloggers to think carefully about why they are blogging and the return on their blogging investment.

She also talks about a very interesting Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling in the United States regarding bloggers' financial disclosure. Great interview.

Writing, Editing & Start-Up Opportunities

Hi Everyone, In case you are not following me yet on Twitter, here are a couple of opportunities I tweeted about this week that might interest you:

1. She Writes is looking for a Chief Operating Officer

“The Company is seeking a founding business partner and Chief Operating Officer to further develop and refine the business side of She Reads/She Writes. Specific expertise should be in developing and growing revenue streams highly valuable to this target market, including:

• Connecting publishing experts with authors through She Writes Services
• Offering classes through the She Writes Studio
• Classifieds for monetizing business transactions on the site
• Strategic partnerships
• Curation and publishing of original content
• Book club services

The partner will be responsible for She Reads/She Writes financial planning and analysis, day-to-day operations, fundraising and business development. Compensation will include base salary, bonus potential and equity participation and will be sufficient to attract an outstanding candidate.”

2. BellaOnline is looking for Editors

No pay, but perhaps a great opportunity to build your profile and portfolio of experience.

“Our editors have both knowledge and passion about a subject. Our editors are a diverse network of women and men, from all age groups, all lifestyles, all races, colors, and creeds. Our mission is to represent and speak to women from all over the world and from all walks of life.

Most content sites require their writers to be well known professional writers who already have every skill necessary. BellaOnline is a training system. We have the focus of bringing in women who dream about writing and providing the training, the instructors and the support to help them achieve their goals.”

Follow me on Twitter and find out what I find out, when I find it out. Andrea :-)

Passport Career Still Looking For Expats & Repats For Short-Term Research Work

Hi Everyone, For more than one year now, we have been helping Susan Musich to find short-term researchers for the construction of her new site (launched August 2009): Passport Career. Many of you have helped out, and for that, we are sincerely grateful.

Ongoing Expansion

Passport Career now has 70 countries covered (which includes 170+ locations). Susan is currently expanding this to 100 countries and she is looking for interested expatriates and repatriates (female or male) to undertake 25-35 hour (approximate) research assignments for the locations listed below. If you are keen, ready to help and can commit to finishing your assignment (in return for a small honorarium), please email 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.

Background

"Passport CareerTM is the first-ever, comprehensive, online global job search support system for international professionals [and their spouses] moving to or living in unique and challenging destinations around the world."

"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."

U.S. Locations Needing Researchers

Albuquerque NM, Baltimore MD, Buffalo NY, Charlotte NC, Cincinnati OH, Cleveland OH, Columbus OH, Fairfield/Stamford/Norwalk CT, Hartford CT, Indianapolis IN, Jacksonville FL, Kansas City MO, Little Rock AR, Louisville KY, Memphis TN, Milwaukee WI, Nashville TN, New Orleans LA, Orlando FL, Palo Alto CA, Phoenix AZ, Pittsburgh PA, Portland OR, Richmond VA, Rochester NY, Salt Like City UT, San Antonio TX, San Jose CA, St Louis MO, Tulsa/Oklahoma City OK and Wilmington DE.

Non U.S. Locations Needing Researchers

Bahrain, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, Nicaragua, Oman, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, South Africa (Cape Town), Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Uruguay.

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!

Top 30 Young Entrepreneur Blogs

Hi Everyone, Another great article I found on Unstrapp'd this week: Top 30 Young Entrepreneur Blogs of 2009. These women and men are amazing. The question now is... which blogs to follow, to gain regular doses of their inspiration and useful advice... Andrea.

10 Twitter Tips For Your Brand

Hi Everyone, Being newly-interested in Twitter, I found this Unstrapp'd article very worthwhile: 10 Overlooked Twitter Tweaks That Can Mean Big Things For Your Brand. Maybe you might too.

Here's a quick overview of their tips:

1. Name, Please!;
2. Be Cautious With Automatic Tweets;
3. Profile Picture;
4. Get Listed on Twitter Lists;
5. Write a Catchy Bio;
6. It’s In Your Backyard;
7. Don’t Link to Sales Pages;
8. Remove the “www.”;
9. Share Photos;
10. Brand Your Background; and

...Bonus Tip: Don’t Protect Your Tweets!

But the detail (and the whole Unstrapp'd website, actually) is much more interesting.

Amazon 2010 Breakthrough Novel Award

Hi Everyone, Amazon.com have announced that along with the Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace, they have launched the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. This is an international competition seeking the next popular novel.

"For the first time, the competition will award two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. The 2010 competition will also now be open to novels that have previously been self-published. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.

Congratulations to last year's Breakthrough Novel Award winner, James King, whose winning novel, Bill Warrington's Last Chance, will be published by Viking in August 2010. Bill Loehfelm's Fresh Kills, the 2008 winner, is now available in paperback.

The Breakthrough Novel Award brings together talented writers, reviewers, and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction. If you're an author with an unpublished or previously self-published novel waiting to be discovered, visit CreateSpace to learn more about the next Breakthrough Novel Award and sign up for regular updates on the contest. Open submissions for manuscripts will begin on January 25, 2010 through February 7, 2010.

See the official contest rules for more information on how to enter."

Tweet, Tweet...

Hi Everyone, Just a quick note to let you know that I have finally been convinced to join Twitter, so that I can try to share links to interesting news/articles/sites as soon as I find them. If you would like to follow me (and I promise not to over-tweet), please follow @andreaexpat.

Warmest thanks and best wishes for your day/evening, Andrea. :-)

Expat Women January Newsletter

Hi Everyone, Our apologies that our Expat Women January newsletter is slightly delayed. First, we were waiting for everyone to return from holidays. Then, we sent 3,000 today, but realised we had made a grammatical error (so sorry to Tess Johnston, our Success Story woman this month!) and are now resending those 3,000, plus sending the additional 3,500. We are hoping this process will be finished by the weekend, but if you would like to see it now, we invite you to view the newsletter online instead. Thanks.

Expat Women: Happy Birthday Blog Shout-Out Competition

Hello Everyone, This Saturday, 16 January 2010, is ExpatWomen's 3rd birthday online. To celebrate, we are randomly giving away a US$100 Amazon.com voucher to one lucky blogger who gives us a positive, happy birthday shout-out on their blog.

To enter is as easy as 1-2-3:
(1) Say good things about our site and wish us a happy birthday for January 16;
(2) Remember to include a link in your shout-out back to ExpatWomen.com; and
(3) Email us your blog URL (in an email entitled something like “Blog Competition”) by 6pm Tuesday 19 January 2010 (New York time).

Blog shout-outs help us a lot, so thank you and good luck! Andrea

Potentially useful text for your shout-out:
ExpatWomen.com is a comprehensive, global website helping women living overseas. The site displays 1,000+ content pages, 1,000+ expat women blogs, 200+ readers' stories, invaluable country resource pages, interviews with successful expat women, loads of motivational articles and an inspirational blog and newsletter.

What Is A Tiny URL?

Hi Everyone, Finally, someone explained to me yesterday why we are increasingly seeing links that look something like this: http://tinyurl.com/ylhjuex - with the "tiny url" text in them.

There is actually a site, Tiny URL, that can convert a long URL/website address into a smaller one for you, all at no charge.

Useful if you are sending messages on Twitter. Useful if you are sending newsletters that often have long links cut off.

It is so simple, that I cannot believe I did not understand what these were about a year or two ago! Andrea

Postscript (20 Jan 2010): Another popular site for this purpose is: bit.ly.

Expat Women in the UAE: New 2010 Dubai Resident Guide Released

Hi Everyone, If you are an expatriate woman in the United Arab Emirates, check out the new 2010 Dubai Explorer, in stores now, or available via the website of our friends at Explorer Publishing. I have a copy on my desk and it is excellent! Check it out now here.

Note: You can save thousands of Dirhams with their Explorer Member Card - free with the brand new Dubai Explorer.

Research: Female Minority Expatriates

Hi Everyone, IOR Global Services is conducting research on the experiences of female minority expatriates to be presented at Families in Global Transition conference in March 2010.

If you consider yourself a minority female, you have been sent on an international assignment and you would like to help with this research, please take the short confidential online survey here.

Please contact Charisse Kosova for any questions or to register your interest for the results. Many thanks.

Background: "Recent studies, and IOR Global Service’s own observations, have revealed that an increasing number of women, and particularly minority women, are accepting expatriate assignments. IOR is conducting research to highlight this demographic shift and to capture the important observations that expatriate minority women have made in both the selection process and during the expatriate experience.

Qualitative data collection will take place in two parts:
(1) completion of this 5-minute survey; and
(2) a 30-minute interview with participants.
The 30 minute interview is not mandatory.
All responses will remain completely anonymous."

Survey Participants Needed: Study Of Emotional Well-Being Of International Mobility Versus Residential Stability

Hi Everyone, Katarina Tova is doing the following research study for her Master's thesis and needs the help of willing participants please:

"If you are between the ages of 22 and 35 and are proficient in English language, then you are invited to participate in a research study that investigates the emotional well being of individuals who were internationally mobile during childhood and/or adolescence.

Please note, the study excludes those whose mobility was primarily determined by their parents' work as missionaries, military personnel or those who have had a legal status as refugees.

The purpose of this study is to deepen our understanding of the impact on emotional well being of international mobility versus residential stability."

Click here to participate. Or if you have questions, please email Katarina directly. Thanks.

"Questions about your rights as a human subject may be directed to Jane Calhoun, Harvard Committee on the Use of Human Subjects, , 617 495 5459 or 617 495 5459. This study has been reviewed and approved by the IRB office at Harvard University."

Expat Women January 2010 Home Page

Hello and Happy New Year Everyone, We hope you enjoyed some down-time over the holiday season and that you have come back with renewed energy for this exciting new decade!

We have some great new January home page features for you, so please take a look (and please Tweet these for us):

Success Story
Tess Johnston
Author, Researcher, Lecturer & Retired Diplomat
More than 45 years ago, Tess Johnston left the security of her life in Virginia, United States, to become an American diplomat abroad. She spent seven years in Germany (both East and West), seven years for USAID in Vietnam during the war, then returned to the Foreign Service, living in India, France and China...
Read more…

Business Idea
Kampung Club
Susie Harvey
Susie Harvey is a Brit who started life as an expat in the beautiful beach area of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, as a newlywed of four days. Four years and two children later, she moved with her young family to Lombok, Indonesia, where she and a friend started a children’s clothing business...
Read more…

Social Media
Creative Entrepreneurship Through Social Media
Anastasia Ashman and Tara Lutman Agacayak are expat Women entrepreneurs who have used social media to successfully grow their businesses and online profiles. We asked these two progressive business women to share their experiences...
Read more…

International Abduction
International Abduction or 'Kidnapping': Is It Ever Okay?
Candida Purser
What happens if parents who are expatriates separate and if one of them wants to 'go home' with the children? Is it okay for them to do it even if the other parent does not want them to? "Can I just go?"...
Read more…

Expat Confession
Confused About Money
Expat Women Girlfriend
My husband has been offered the possibility of a position overseas. We are seriously considering it but we are a little unclear on the financial aspect. The contract looks healthy, but I am wondering about the 'hidden costs' of living and earning abroad...
Read more…

Happiness Abroad
The Expat Pursuit of Happiness
Piercarla Garusi
Why is it that expats go abroad? From my experience, one of the reasons why many people become expatriates is that they were "restless" at home. They decided to move abroad in search of that ‘something’ that would deliver them greater happiness...
Read more…

Not A Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our Expat Women monthly newsletters. To receive our newsletter next week and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing's Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com.

Thank You
Thank you so much for your ongoing support and best wishes for a sensational 2010! Andrea

A Thank You, A Holiday Wish, A Laptop-Free Vacation & Adieu Until 2010!

Hi Everyone, I am signing out for a much-needed, laptop-free (yes!) vacation until January and I would like to wholeheartedly thank all of you for your support and readership this year. I hope that whatever you do over this holiday season, you take time out for just you - to reflect on 2009 and to dream big for the year ahead. :-)

Don't think you can 'turn off' these holidays to give yourself time to relax and reflect? Well, that's normally how I think too... but my husband and I have bitten the bullet this year and decided that we will detox (yes, sad that it's come to this) completely and not take even one laptop on vacation with us this year... and if a family (of 2 adults and 2 small children) that usually has 7 (!) laptops in the house can do it... anyone can.

A side-effect of this brave experiment, is that I have proved to myself that achieving bold goals is possible if you commit to them. I never would have thought it would be possible to finish all of my critical, monthly tasks two weeks earlier than normal. But, I've done it - and it feels so fantastic that I'm starting to think about setting some wildly bold goals for next year as well.

Maybe you should join me and set (and commit to) some bold goals for 2010 too? It's going to be a new decade: a new chance to shine and achieve more than you ever did before. Think about it. :-)

Warmest wishes for the holidays.

I look forward to seeing you again in 2010!

Andrea. x

Registrations Now Open For Globe Women Summit in Beijing, China, May 20-22, 2010

Hi Everyone, A quick shout-out for the Globe Women Summit coming up in May 2010.

"The 2010 Summit theme 'Women at the Forefront of Change' illustrates our cause for celebration as the Summit enters the next decade of the leadership role that women are playing in addressing the critical issues that women—and men—face worldwide. The Summit will feature women who have led best practices and policies, which are improving women’s economic status worldwide.

Please note that we are limiting participants to 1,000 at the 2010 Summit and we expect to reach full capacity far in advance of the Summit opening so we encourage you to register early."

The Summit will take place at the Marriott City Wall Hotel in Beijing, China.

Registrations are now open and you can learn more online here.

2010 Families In Global Transition Conference Sessions Announced

Hi Everyone, What a fantastic Families in Global Transition (FIGT) conference the Board has lined up for March 4-6 in Houston next year! The conference sessions have just been announced and we've summarised them for you here:

Plenary Sessions

Encouraging the Courage of Children, Robert Ivany

Whether we serve in the corporate, non profit or military fields, relocating our families remains the largest single challenge for most professionals. With the hindsight of 24 moves in 34 years and the experience of school systems ranging from parochial to international, private to public, the Ivany family has benefitted from diverse communities. In order to reap the advantages on a global environment and a nomadic lifestyle, however, a significant amount of preparation is essential. Dr. Ivany and his lovely wife, Marianne, will share antidotes and insights into the joy and challenge of raising four children in unique surroundings. They believe that a positive attitude, love for each other and an appreciation of the national culture can combine to create mature, young adults ready to face the changes of the modern world.

ATCK: And Then Came Kate, Apple Gidley

Apple Gidley's closing keynote address will discuss the many transitions that have been a part of her life: from multiple school changes and finally boarding school; to segueing from expat brat to expat wife and expat mother; to finding fulfilling roles both in the voluntary and commercial sector. It will discuss how twenty-six relocations throughout twelve countries have intrinsically given her a deep awareness, and understanding, of many cultures. Apple will also talk briefly about the attitudes encountered along the way of expatriates, their sponsoring organizations, and the host countries. Recognition of expat terminology is becoming more widely accepted in the HR world, and with it a greater understanding of what a global upbringing can bring to the workforce. These and other relevant issues will be touched on, with Apple drawing on her many experiences to highlight certain points.

Cross Sector Panel: "Learning Across Sectors"
Three veteran FIGT participants will make up this panel that will share practices learned from their colleagues in different sectors. A lively interaction will take place among panel members as they share examples of adapting practices learned from the experiences of others' sector successes or failures. The audience will be challenged to continue the conversation at their own table and throughout the conference.

Teen/Parent Panel: "Relative Distance"Moderator: Lois J. Bushong
Teens and their parents will discuss in a lively and interactive manner some of the challenges of being internationally mobile. Our format will highlight the ways perceptions can vary between teens and parents and within families who have purportedly witnessed the same events. It will be entertaining to see how the perceptions vary between the teen and their parent, hence the distance - emotional as well as geographical.

Concurrent Sessions

• The Multicultural Self in the Intercultural World, Janet Bennett
• Transitions and Work: Your Relocation, Reinvention, and Resilience as an Accompanying Spouse or Partner, Jennifer Bradley
• Global Nomadic Leaders (ATCKs): Tomorrow's Leaders in a Global World, Katrina Burrus
• Emotional Intelligence: Key to Successful Cultural Adaptation, Laura Celis Black
• The Impact of Expatriation on Children, Simone Torres Costa Eriksson
• Global Mobility Programs & Trends, Sarah De Hayes
• Business Plan: "The Path Forward", Deniz Demirors
• Challenge to Fulfillment: Midlife Transition for Accompanying Spouses and Partners, Diane Endo
• Expat Finances: Considerations for an Overseas Assignment, Andrew Fisher
• Crossing Oceans and Borders: Take Your School With You, Marilyn Mosley Gordanier
• The Expat Experience through the Arts, Alaine Handa
• The Positive & Negative Impact of Technology & Social Networking on Expat Family Life, Anne-Claude Lambelet, Michelle Sandlin and Leslie Sjurseth
• Transition Saturation© Kids Struggling in Deep Waters: Too Many Changes/Too Few Adaptive Skills, Linda Maguire
• Helping People Through: The Gap…Between Two Worlds, Kevin McNulty
• Just Another Expat? Insights and Strategies of Female Minority Expatriates, Kendra Mirasol and Charisse Kosova
• Cross-Cultural Coaching: Tools for Successful Cultural Adjustment, Andrew L. Miser & Oshikan Sjodin-Bunse
• Coaching Expatriates/Repatriates for Improved Transitions, Colleen Mizuki
• Top 5 Uncommon International Job Search Strategies for Spouses/Partners, Susan Musich
• Out of the Boxes, Jo Parfitt
• Writing and Publishing a Book 101, Jo Parfitt
• Choosing a School for an Expat Child: A How-To Guide for Parents and Sending Agencies, Liz Perelstein and Laila Plamondon
• Supporting Spouses /Partners and Families: The Recipe for Success, Yvonne Quahe, Anne Folliet and Catherine Mathieu
• International Schools' Policies and Programs Supporting the International Student - 2009 Survey Results, Mary Rabbitt and Elizabeth Sawyer
• Keeping Our Children Bilingual, Virginie Raguenaud
• Exploring Multiculturalism and Identity in Children's Literature, Laura Sicola
• Re-occurring Cycle or Full Speed Ahead? - Should Families Return "Home" between Assignments?, Julia L. Simens
• Home is Where the Heart Is? Oshikan Sjodin-Bunse
• Purposeful Leadership: Using your Global Experience to Lead from Within, Sandy Thomas
• Teaching Locally, Thinking Globally: Helping School Educators Understand the Third Culture Kid Experience, Ruth Van Reken
• Military Families: Understanding and Bridging the Parent-Child Cultural Divide, Mary Edwards Wertsch

Cracker Barrels

• Outcomes of a Summer Program for Gifted Student, Tatiana Behrmann
• Global Mobility Talent Management - Expat Coaching, Sarah De Hayes
• 10 Things to Know Before Starting Your Own Business, Deniz Demirors
• Ensuring Educational Continuity: Tips for Families Who Experience Multiple International Relocations, Heather Dickmeyer
• Optimizing Repatriation - Positive Experiences of Going Home, Madeleine Dobson
• From Third Culture Kids to Geographical Itinerancy, Deniz Gyger Gaspoz
• 10 Things You Should Know Before Choosing A Distance Learning Program, Marilyn Mosley Gordanier
• A Short Screening of "I am a TCK", Alaine Handa
• Are Missionary Kids (MKs) Less Religious Than the American Public? Nancy Henderson-James
• Awesome Leadership Opportunities for Youth! Tonya Kay King
• How International Schools Can Support Students' Native-Language Needs, Andrew Kittell
• Using your MBTI Score to Help You Plan for a Successful Integration, Anne-Claude Lambelet
• 10 Considerations When Sending Minority Women Abroad, Kendra Mirasol and Charisse Kosova
• Learning, Changing and Growing…Inside The Gap Between Two Worlds, Kevin McNulty
• The Coaches Corner, Andrew L. Miser
• Social Networking Strategies for Spouses on an International Job Search, Susan Musich
• Building Beneficial TCK Communities, Darci Nealeigh and Candy Hart
• Choosing a School for an Expat Child: A How-To Guide for Parents and Sending Agencies, Liz Perelstein and Laila Plamondon
• Top 10 Issues of TCKs Repatriating for University, Tina Quick and Julia L. Simens
• Multicultural Children's Literature, Laura Sicola
• Moving for Love? Be Sure to Pack These Quick Tips, Oshikan Sjodin-Bunse
• Learn the ABC's of Resilience to Master the Hard Days, Oshikan Sjodin-Bunse
• Understanding our Attachment Needs: Tips to Boost Emotional Resilience, Laura Stephens
  Positioning your Corporation as a Leader in Expatriate Community Support, Thomas Speckhardt and Caitlin Morse
• Births Abroad: Practical Tips for Service Providers Working with Growing Global Families, Marian Valia
• Culturally Complicated Childhoods: A Bane or Blessing? Ruth E. Van Reken
• Belonging: Impossible Dream? Mary Edwards Wertsch
• Quiet Space and Reflection, Lois J. Bushong
• Researchers' Forum, Becky Powell and Ann Baker Cottrell
• Cost-Effective Approaches to Supporting the Expatriate FamilyPresented by a group of FIGT Leaders
• TCKs Repatriating for University:Confronting the Challenges and Building Communities, Tina Quick, Darci Nealeigh, and Candy Hart
• "Portable Stability"© for Families in Turbulent TimesLifeboats & Lifelines to Secure Families & Strengthen Organizations, Joyce Blake and Linda Maguire
• Cross-cultural Coaching: Tools for Successful Cultural Adjustment, Andrew Miser and Oshikan Sjodin-Bunse

Click Here to learn more about attending the 2010 Families in Global Transition conference in Houston, Texas. Conference fees range from only US$350 - US$750.

I'm a big supporter of FIGT, having loved the two conferences I have attended. The sessions are great, but it is the people that you meet that truly make the event memorable. If you have never gone, but would like to go... maybe 2010 is your year.... Think about it.

Enjoy your day/evening! Andrea.

Six Reasons Why Americans Living Abroad Need To Keep Their Investments Onshore And In The United States*

Hi Everyone, David Kuenzi, CFP® from Thun Financial Advisors has kindly contributed the following article for our American followers:

Six Reasons Why Americans Living Abroad Need To Keep Their Investments Onshore And In The United States*

If you are American and deciding about financial mattters, you might like to take a read of David's article, in which he talks about fees, commissions, the IRS, children's education, retirement accounts, financial planning, taxes, record-keeping, security and more.

We also have a range of other money articles for expats on our Money Matters section, so American or not, if you are concerned about your expat finances you might like to check out our Money Matters section. Thanks.

* This article was voluntarily contributed by David Kuenzi, CFP® for the interests of our audience. It does not necessarily reflect the views of ExpatWomen.com. Individuals should always seek their own financial counsel (tailored to their individual circumstances) before making decisions about their finances.

ExpatFinder.com & 3D Mirror World Twinity Create First Expat Virtual Relocation Service

Hi Everyone, Our friends at Expat Finder last week announced that they have partnered with Twinity to launch what they are calling the first supportive virtual world relocation service to help expats and relocating individuals prior to, or during, their relocation abroad.

They are starting out with Berlin, and free guided expat relocation tours of Berlin are being offered every Wednesday at 2pm GMT 1. (Berlin: 2pm; New York: 8am ; Singapore: 9pm)

"Those considering to move to real Berlin can now join free pre-arrival tours and expat meet ups organized in a designated area of its virtual counterpart. From a home or office computer, expats and their families can download a free guide, meet at a personal guided tour and get an idea of the layout of the city, the distances involved and the amenities in the new location before they arrive. With Twinity expats can become acquainted with local networking groups and community meet-ups prior to arrival.

Pre-arrival tours of host destinations are already an established relocation tool and popular with expats and their families as a means of familiarizing themselves with their new location, but the partnership offers the chance to get a feel for a city or neighborhood without leaving home. Expats, their employers, service providers and local companies all have something to gain from the true to scale virtual world experience. "

Visit now to download Twinity and join the virtual world and/or download your free (and very good, I might add) Berlin Expat City Guide. Best wishes, Andrea.

Expats: Will Your Kindle Work Abroad?

Hi Everyone, I visited Mary Mimouna's Expat Abroad blog last week and read her interesting post about which countries support Amazon's Kindle.

Now, I could go to Amazon and find the link with this information as well, but I always think that if a blogger is clever enough to construct a useful blog post, they should get a shout-out about it.

So if you are thinking of buying a Kindle, drop by Mary's site to see if an Amazon Kindle will work in your expat location. :-)

Expat Infidelity Support Group

Hi Everyone, An ex-expat wife has set up a Yahoo group to connect with (and encourage mutual support and encouragement to) those dealing with expat infidelity issues. If you would like to join, here is the link to the expat infidelity support group. Thanks.

Expat Women December Newsletter

Hi Everyone, If you are an Expat Women member and you did not receive this week our Newsletter for December 2009, please let us know here. If you have not signed up yet, please do so.

What's in the newsletter this month? Well, in addition to our December Expat Women Home Page features, our newsletter includes:

• The name of our Explorer Publishing mini-guide pack winner;
• Our winning story by Expat Women member Serena in Mexico, Expat Paranoia Syndrome; and
• Our free E-Book of our site's winning readers' stories, from February 2007 to December 2009 inclusive.

Looking forward, we are always interested in receiving quality contributions to our newsletter. If you are interested in contributing, please send your article (or a detailed outline of your ideas) here.

Finally, if you still need to send holiday cards, please check out one of this month's newsletter advertisers, Silver Line Ink, who will print and mail them for you!

Many thanks and enjoy your day/evening! Andrea

Expat Women December Home Page

***** If you are on Twitter, please Tweet this for us. Thanks! *****

Hi Everyone, We have just uploaded our Expat Women December home page and we invite you to take a look at our new features:

Success Story
Michelle Greene
Johnson Controls
Michelle Greene is the IT Director at Johnson Controls. She has also been honored as one of the Most Important Blacks in Technology (MIBiT). Michelle shares with us her career advice and talks about how her assignment in Sweden helped to get her to where she is today...
Read more…

Business Idea
Events & Company
Rachel Kaplan
Rachel Kaplan is an expat woman in France who has tremendous energy and business nous. She oversees five successful businesses specializing in customized tours, events and concierge services. She has hosted Hollywood celebrities, a former US President and more...
Read more…

26 Travel Tips
Making Friends On The Road
Evelyn Hannon
Evelyn's travel website, JourneyWoman.com, connects 67,500 women in 128 countries around the world. Evelyn kindly shares with us her top 26 tips for traveling solo, so you can make plenty of friends on the open road...
Read more…

Career Help Abroad
Finding Professional Career Help Abroad (For Accompanying Spouses)
Jennifer Bradley
You have arrived in your new location and the whirlwind of moving is starting to settle. Now your thoughts can turn to some of the issues that you have had to shelve while you addressed other urgent issues, such as "What about my career?"...
Read more…

Global Nomads & College
A Global Nomad's Guide To College Applications
Kristina Dooley
Families whose children have spent their school-age years living abroad can often reach a state of frustration or panic when embarking on the college application process. Questions abound such as: "Will my child's transcripts make sense to the admissions committee?", "Will they understand why my son has not completed the full IB diploma?", or "Will the fact that my daughter has not been a club president be viewed negatively?"...
Read more…

Expat Women Confession
Special Needs Children
Expat Women Girlfriend
We are considering taking on an expatriate posting. My question is about special needs education. We have two young children: our 4 year old has dyslexia and the youngest, 2½, has just been diagnosed with autism. I am torn with guilt between wanting to go abroad and jeopardising our children’s education. Is it unrealistic for us to consider an expat posting...
Read more…

Not A Member Yet?
Just a reminder that our blog is separate from our main site, so if you are only subscribed to our blog, you will not automatically receive our ExpatWomen.com monthly newsletters.

To receive our newsletters and to go in the running to win our monthly prize of a complete set of Explorer Publishing's Mini-Guides, please sign up today to our main site, ExpatWomen.com.

Note: In this month's newsletter, we will also be giving away our free, updated E-Book which compiles our winning stories from February 2007 to December 2009. So, join today. :-)

Thank you very much and we wish you a fabulous day/evening! Andrea

Julie & Julia: The Movie For Expat Women

Hi Everyone, If ever there was a movie that expat women could relate to, I think Julie & Julia might just be it. Aside from it being a delightful way to spend your afternoon, this movie has just the right ingredients (pardon the pun) for anyone who has ever:

* Trailled their partner abroad

* Come up with crazy ideas to keep active/fulfilled abroad

* Been in a boring day job

* Started a project that seemed impossible

* Considered themselves a wannabe-chef

* Started a blog and hoped people would read it

* Struggled to figure out their place and passion(s) in life

For those of you unfamiliar with the story, here's the background from Wikipedia:

"Julie & Julia is a drama comedy film written and directed by Nora Ephron. The film depicts events in the life of chef Julia Child in the early years in her culinary career, contrasting her life with Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook during a single year.

Ephron's screenplay is adapted from two books: My Life in France, Child's autobiography, written with Alex Prud'homme, and a memoir by Julie Powell. In August 2002, Powell started documenting online her daily experiences cooking each of the 524 recipes in Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she later began reworking that blog, The Julie/Julia Project.[2] Both of these books were written and published in the same time frame of 2004 to 2006. The film is the first major motion picture based on a blog.[3]

Ephron began filming Julie & Julia in March 2008. Meryl Streep portrays Julia Child, and Amy Adams appears as Julie Powell. The film officially premiered on July 30, 2009 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City and opened throughout North America on August 7, 2009.[4]"

Click here to watch the Julie & Julia trailer and/or click here to read Julie Powell's blog. I highly recommend it.

Enjoy the movie and enjoy your week! Andrea

Fifty Percent Of New Expats Leave China Early

Hi Everyone, There was an interesting article of this title by Lara Farrar in the China Daily/Asia News Network recently. It starts...

"Almost half of new expatriates leave China early because they have difficulty adjusting to the lifestyle, a consultancy firm said.

China Transition Institute (CTI) president David Israel-Rosen said most foreigners are unprepared for what life will be like when they arrive in China. "It is moving from the West to the East," he said. "It is not like moving from Chicago to Denver."

"If you look at the literature, between 30 percent and 50 percent of expats go home early. The failure rates are astonishing."

Alan Kahn, vice president of marketing and communications for United Family Healthcare, said identity loss and depression are more widespread than many people realize.

"These are very real issues and they do have a significant impact," Kahn said. "It is very hard to ever fit in fully and that can cause lots of serious problems," he said."

Click here to read more.

Deadline Reminder - 30 November: Scholarship Applications Due For IE Business School

Hi Everyone, If you have thought about enquiring and/or applying for the four half-scholarships that the IE Business School is offering to qualified women in our expat women network... you only have just over one week left to do so, as the deadline for applications is 30 November 2009.

To learn (or refresh your memory) about this fantastic opportunity, please read (or re-read) our previous blog post for further details.

Then if you are both interested and qualified, please contact Yvonne Sanchez, their Associate Director of Top Management Programs.

Thank you and good luck!

Researcher In The UK Looking For Expatriate Survey Participants

Hi Everyone, Another research request today... This time for Bruno Arba who is studying International Human Resources Management at the London South Bank University.

Bruno's dissertation is about the management of expatriates and expatriate family issues by MNCs. He is looking for expats who can spare 10-15 minutes to complete his 2-page (Microsoft Word document) questionnaire. If you can help, please kindly request the survey documents directly from Bruno here.

Completed surveys need to be submitted by 30 November. Thanks.

Expat Mini-Survey For Trailing Spouses

Hi Everyone, Job and Career Transition coach Jennifer Bradley, Ph.D. is seeking input for her presentation for the upcoming Families in Global Transition Conference in March 2010.

If you are a trailing spouse (accompanying partner), have 5-10 minutes to spare and would like to help Jennifer by completing her quick, online survey about your experiences abroad, please click here or email Jennifer directly if you have questions. Thanks.

2009 Winners: The Stevie Awards For Women In Business

Hi Everyone, If you are looking for a motivational kick-start to your week, check out the newly-announced winners of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Jump onto the websites of the women that spike your interest, and whallah... get inspired by some fantastic women.

Have a sensational week, Andrea.

Global Giving's "Give More - Get More Challenge"

Hi Everyone, It's our pleasure to give a shout-out again this year to Global Giving - a wonderful site making it relatively easy for needy projects to promote themselves to donors, and for donations (large and small) to reach needy projects around the world.

Right now, Global Giving have a "Give More - Get More Challenge" that runs through December 1. Donate to your favorite projects - the more they raise, the more matching funds they can earn. Projects that raise the most money, or get the most donations, can win bonus funding as well.

"GlobalGiving is changing the way people give, offering donors a transparent, high-impact giving experience. You choose where you want your money to go, and we get it there, quickly and efficiently. Locally-run projects with creative ideas that would never be funded through traditional structures also have access to new sources of funds. And finally, we make sure donors get feedback about how their contributions have been put to work and the results achieved - with satisfaction guaranteed through the GlobalGiving Guarantee."

And if you find it all a little overwhelming, Paula Lucas (a previous success story interviewee on our main Expat Women site) would gladly welcome any donation you could make to the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center via the Global Giving program.

Thanks and have a wonderful day/evening! Andrea

Expat Women November Newsletter

Hi Everyone, If you are a member of our main site, ExpatWomen.com, and you did not receive our newsletter for November 2009 this week, please let us know here. If you have not signed up to Expat Women yet, please do so now. Your support really does make a difference when we are trying to raise money from sponsors and advertisers to keep Expat Women growing strong.

November Newsletter

In addition to our home page features, our newsletter includes:

• The name of our Explorer Publishing mini-guide pack winner;
• Our winning story Round and Round It Goes...Which Country Nobody Knows, from Liz - an American in Spain; as well as
• The names of our two lucky winners in Malaysia who signed up at the KL expo last month.

Article Contributions

If you would like to contribute an article for potential inclusion on our site and/or in our newsletter, please send us your new, original, 1000-word, quality article for us to review, anytime.

Story Submissions

Our Read The Stories section of ExpatWomen.com is one of the most-read sections of our site, but we are always in need of more quality stories from wonderful women like you. Please consider helping us by submitting a story. Story guidelines are available here.

Thank You

Thank you very, very much Everyone! Andrea

Goodhealth Worldwide is now Aetna Global Benefits

Hi Everyone, You may have noticed a new name on our site today: Aetna Global Benefits. This is in fact our loyal Gold Sponsor, Goodhealth Worldwide, but with a new name. Aetna Global Benefits took over Goodhealth Worldwide a little while ago and the rebranding has just taken place.

"Aetna Global Benefits (AGB) is a specialist provider of international health insurance for expatriates. We offer a full range of worldwide health insurance plans and whether you are looking for individual, family, group or company cover, we have an international medical insurance plan to suit your requirements. Aetna Global Benefits makes sure you have access to the finest medical facilities worldwide, enabling you to obtain the best possible treatment whenever and wherever you need it.

As experienced specialists in international health insurance, we understand that, living abroad, expatriates require comprehensive worldwide medical insurance. Our international travel medical insurance plans ensure you are not faced with large medical bills, and provide a valuable range of additional international healthcare services."

The good news is that Aetna Global Benefits is still proudly supporting Expat Women! So in return, if you need international health insurance, please consider supporting Aetna by making an enquiry and/or receiving a personal quote today.

Thank you muchly, Andrea.