Columnists Archives - Page 39 of 86

It Must Be Nice Being An Expat Wife In South Africa

“It must be nice being an expat wife. I mean, you get to have like a 2-year vacation, huh?” I was surprised and a little more than hurt to hear these words from a South African I’ve gotten to know.

A Month in the Life of an English Writer in Tuscany – September Reflections

The continuing adventures of June Finnigan, her Man, and Farty Barty the cat. Benvenuti to all my Loyal and New Followers Big fat juicy grapes, noisy tractors and trailers thundering past the villa, the air full of the smell of

Expat in a New Country? My Top Ten Survival Tips

I’ve been living in the middle of China for almost a month now. It’s my second expat posting, so while I’m not a newbie to “expat life”, having bandied about the term ‘culture shock’ on this column many times, I’ve

5 Things I’ve Learnt In My First Year As An Expat Dad

I made it through the first year and my hair still hasn’t gone grey. My son was one last week, it’s amazing how the year has flown by, but at the same time I’ve learnt loads being an expat Dad.

Sweden’s Other Season

Here in Stockholm, when Swedes start discussing the ‘changing seasons’ we ex-pats look at one another knowingly and have a secret giggle. Why? Seasons in Sweden are broken down into ‘cold’ and ‘not so cold’. Not to say that we

Uncertainty In Expatriation: The Case Of Ebola

On 25 July, news of the death from Ebola of one Liberian man in a private clinic in Lagos sent shockwaves through the country. The Liberian had withheld from the medical staff the fact that he had been in contact

Terry Fox – A True Canadian Hero

I confess I’d never heard of Terry Fox before we came to Canada – yet another reminder of just how distinctive cultural identity is (even within broadly similar societies), that something so significant to one nation can be relatively unknown

‘Paperasserie’ – The French Equivalent Of Red Tape

After nine years living in rural Burgundy, we are philosophical about paperasserie – the French equivalent of red tape. French bureaucracy has an appalling reputation, but some French paperasserie is actually easier to deal with than British red tape. Let’s

An Extended Stay

Let me be frank: repatriation is harder than you think. I’m learning firsthand that when it comes to repatriating, there are many hurdles to be faced: some are expected, others not. We’re busy building a new life in what is

The Culture Shock Of Repatriation To The USA

“Repatriation is a bitch,” I’d been warned. Somehow I suspected it might be. After two and a half years in Las Tablas, Panama, my husband and I and our two dogs arrived back in the US. It wasn’t something we