With the rise of reputable self-publishing systems we have also seen a rise in expat publications: novels, autobiographies, and how-to books are filling the virtual shelves. Our expat lives are often so full of adventure and unique experiences that I can see exactly why someone might feel the desire to record their life for others … Read more
A recent column I wrote at the BBC America web site, touched on “going native” and switching over to the habits or pronunciations of your host country. A commenter noted that a couple of the words I’d been talking about (“hummus and Pitta bread”) hadn’t even existed in the English language when she left England, … Read more
In our part of Andalucia, we’re lucky. We’ve never suffered from a water shortage as natural springs abound. Just outside El Hoyo is a place where locals fill their water containers, and in the next village is a spring, still surrounded by cement basins and washboards where villagers once washed their laundry and exchanged news … Read more
We’ve seen the amazingly glorious results on Glee (well, I have anyways) when two different songs of totally unrelated genres are combined in a ‘mash-up’ of vocal styling and creative manipulations of music scores. It’s not so pretty when the ‘mash-up’ is a combo of expats, tourists and locals buzzing around a busy island on … Read more
Years ago, wallowing in the despair of an unexpected divorce, I remember complaining to a friend. My son (five years old at the time) was not behaving well. So, naturally, I blamed the divorce. My friend tolerated my ranting for a while. Eventually she said quietly, “You know, it’s pretty common for five-year-old kids to … Read more
“How did the interview go?” It’s a question that peppers conversations daily across the island and beyond, here in The Kong. You probably think I’m talking about a job interview – for a grown-up right? Wrong! I’m talking about interviewing a two year old. Yes – a very small person who can barely communicate (verbally … Read more
For the first 25 years or so after we left Canada in 1967, Linda & I received our respective salaries free of all deductions. It was a very comfortable feeling, to be so self-reliant. In the three Offshore tax havens we lived in during those years, there was no Income Tax, no contributions towards our … Read more
After so many years living abroad in Spain, I can’t keep bringing my family and friends the same souvenirs. It would be easy enough to walk into any souvenir shop on calle Mayor—the main drag in Madrid which connects Puerta del Sol to Plaza Mayor—and pick up a couple of bull knick-knacks. Now, magnets, key … Read more
Expat life took me by surprise but it’s only because I wasn’t paying attention. It was probably an obvious destination all along. Some people are expats because they fell in love with a person from another country and followed them there. That’s part of my story, but not all of it. When I was very … Read more
It’s been a year now. One brief, fast-moving year since I landed at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City with my mountain of luggage, the first step in my expat life. As with any anniversary there’s a certain amount of looking back, reassessment and measuring. So how has the time here in Panama measured up … Read more