I recently had a conversation with Toni Hargis, another Expat Focus columnist, about the lonely position we sometimes find ourselves in as expats. I’m not lonely because I’m the only American in the area, and I’m not lonely because I’m the only person who doesn’t share the cultural history in a group of people at … Read more
If there’s one aspect of living abroad that reminds you you’re an expat, it’s the kids’ school. At this time of year many British parents in the USA are in shock at the three months of summer thing, – and then you get the school supply list. After a 15-year career as a school parent, … Read more
I’m always surprised to read and hear grumbles from expats about the temporary nature of friendships they make in their temporary homes. “We no sooner get friendly with people than we or they up-sticks and head off to somewhere else!” Especially in these days of easy worldwide communications, that kind of thinking doesn’t make sense. … Read more
Isn’t technology wonderful? When we first moved to our tiny Spanish village in 2004, we were lucky to have one of the only two telephone landlines in the valley. We even had access to the Internet, albeit an unreliable, grindingly-slow dial-up connection. Back in 2004, a fast Internet connection would have been nice, but it … Read more
I have vivid memories of the brutal snowstorms of my childhood; I have clung to my cat while hunkered down in my bathroom listening to the howling winds of hurricane Katrina in Florida; I’ve sheltered my eyes from the stinging sands of the shamal of Dubai and, lo’ and behold, now we’ve got the monsoons … Read more
The strictly legislated summer sales finished a few days ago so all the grandes surfaces (large supermarkets) are now fully geared up for the rentreé – the return to school. Mind you, it’s still called la rentrée even if it’s your first time there. It is big, big business. From maternelle upwards, parents are issued … Read more
A record-breaking start to the year We’ve been experiencing some record-breaking temperatures here in Ontario this year. Our last winter was incredibly mild and spring got off to a flying start with the first record temperature occurring in March, when many parts of Canada saw temperatures in double-digits. The last day of snow was March … Read more
I used to consider myself a fairly good cook back when we lived in the States. I made dinner almost every night, even if it was nothing more than putting something in the crock-pot before heading to work. Nevertheless, moving to New Zealand made me realize that, in fact, I wasn’t a good cook. I … Read more
The hurricane season starts on June 1 and runs through until the end of November. The Dominican Republic is right in the middle of the hurricane belt, so every year we check weather websites daily and try and predict if and when a hurricane will arrive. We look at squiggles and blobs coming off the … Read more
A dry weekend in Mexico – yes, hell had frozen over. In a country of all night cantinas, beer for breakfast and tequila all day, the government decreed that no alcohol would be sold from Friday at midnight to Monday morning the weekend of July 1st, the day of the presidential election. They come every … Read more