I have always been one to try doing things on my own, without professional help. It is a trait inherited from my father, for better or worse. The tendency is borne of frugality and the willingness to do the research and take on the challenge of learning bureaucratic processes. For instance, I have always filled … Read more
Many of you expats must have favorite foods in your adopted country. I am lucky enough to be living in Spain, so I get to enjoy the Mediterranean diet every day. There are so many great dishes here in Spain that it is hard to narrow it down to just one favorite. However, I can … Read more
Before living in France, I had only heard of “mimosa” in reference to the cocktail made from one part champagne and one part orange juice – a delicious and refreshing aperitif. Little did I realize, at that time, that the drink’s name was based on the vibrant, yellow color of a flowering tree. The French … Read more
It’s an axiom of human-rights theory, that without freedom of speech, no other freedoms can be guaranteed. As an English colony since 1670 (British since 1707, to be pernickety), the Cayman Islands ought to be a model of free speech. But they’re not. As noted in my earlier columns, we have a wonderful variety of … Read more
I was at the mighty Mongkok Ladies Markets this week or as the locals call it “Wong Gog” – meaning ‘prosperous and crowded corner.’ Crowded is probably a slight understatement, given the Guinness World Records has named it the busiest district in the world….Yes! Just the planet! Prosperous – most definitely not an understatement – … Read more
Coming from Britain and moving to a tiny, crazy, Spanish mountain village was always going to be a bit of a culture shock for Joe and me. Despite this being our tenth year in El Hoyo, the shock has not entirely subsided. We still love our life here, have settled into the village, and adore … Read more
Some people believe networking is about going to conferences or events, being social, making conversation and when appropriate letting people know about their career or job search interests. They attend events thinking – how can these people help me get what I want? This approach to networking rarely gets the kind of results one gets … Read more
NSA spying is all over the news today. If you believe the allegations, the NSA and the FBI have been harvesting massive amounts of data from emails, social networks, phone calls and other communications for years. They say they’re only monitoring communications from overseas, not targeting US citizens. However, if you’re an expat from the … Read more
Ok, ok, a deliberately provocative title I know, but really, the expat experience today compared to even twenty years ago is so easy and don’t even talk about trekking to far off lands without so much as the promise of regular mail. When I left my home country, twenty-three years ago, there was no Internet … Read more
At first glance you wouldn’t notice anything odd about the title of this month’s column, until you realize that it’s June. Not March. Not April. Not May. It’s June, and Spring has only recently arrived here in the Netherlands. Now I don’t know whether this is a result of global warming, a one-off year of … Read more