As the Mayan calendar finishes one of its great cycles the end of the world, as we know it, is nigh. According to Wikipedia “A New Age interpretation of this transition is that the date marks the start of time in which Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and … Read more
Another mark on the door-frame of expat growth Expats are a tough bunch to please – trapped as they are between worlds. Here I am in Canada, so a white Christmas is practically a given, but for me, a Canadian one still leaves a thing or two to be desired. It’s funny how we can … Read more
We’re back in New Zealand after having spent a wonderful 2 months in the United Kingdom. We travelled there for my husband, as he needed to do some work at one of the universities, and it worked out that our son and I were able to accompany him. It was a great time and we … Read more
To contact Tom for a free, no-obligation discussion of your financial situation please use our US expat investment enquiry form. I have just returned from the town of Ajijic, a half hour out of Guadalajara, Mexico and home to about 10,000, mostly retired, Americans (as well as a large number of Canadians and even the … Read more
I was chatting to a friend of mine the other day, a fellow Brit, who also lives here in the Dominican Republic, and he was telling me that sometimes the frustrations of living here become too much and he just wants to go back to good old Blighty. It got me thinking as although of … Read more
Not everyone loves living overseas and even people who do will still find a few difficulties from time to time. These are the top 5 things I found most difficult: 1. Understanding that his friends are not necessarily my friends I hear a lot of expats complain that they have no network or find it … Read more
I wrote in in my last piece that no matter how long you’re an expat, there are things you’ll never quite get used to in your host country. The other side of the coin is that on going “home”, you often see things through a different lens. Take pizza. Although I ranted last month about … Read more
With relief, I finished the last chapter of ‘Two Old Fools on a Camel’ just before the Gin Twins arrived for their annual Spanish visit. Now I could really enjoy their company without worrying about writing deadlines. As usual, they came laden with gifts from the UK, including everything one could ever need to celebrate … Read more
Do you feel like you are on a hamster wheel? Running faster and faster but going nowhere. Most people experience this at some point in their lives and expats are no different. In fact, we might even be more prone than the average person to this overwhelmed feeling as, each time we move, we are … Read more
Pinch me! I’m really living on an island. It’s been a dream of mine for a very long time. I actually grew up in a small province of Canada called Nova Scotia that is almost an island except for the swatch of land connecting it to New Brunswick. For the first half of my life … Read more