It’s the exam season. All three of my children have either had or are having tests, orals or exams of various sorts at school. First up, ten-year-old Ruadhrí. He’s in CM2, the final year of primary school, and he has recently sat his évaluations nationales (national evaluations). The tests were taken between the 21st and … Read more
Is it time to pull the plug on Ontario’s government-funded faith schools? There’s a struggle taking place in Ontario that pits Canada’s most cherished freedoms against one another and could potentially change the face of education in the province. Ontario politicians are attempting to amend the province’s Education Act, brought in last November to provide … Read more
You may have recently heard about the 3 Boston University students that were killed while in New Zealand. They were part of a caravan on their way to the Tongariro Crossing, an absolutely beautiful walk in the North Island of New Zealand, when their van swerved onto the shoulder, overcorrected, and crashed. In addition to … Read more
Last week I had to travel to Sosua on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic in order to sort a new lap top. The old one was dying, two of the letters kept pinging off, the touchpad mouse no longer worked, back space didn’t work and it got so hot I was burning my … Read more
Last month I wrote about the 5 things my children have gained from living peripatetic lives in multiple countries and cultures. I realise that in writing the article, I ran the risk of sounding a little smug about our parenting decisions. But as any expat parent will confirm, we are constantly second-guessing whether or our … Read more
Your online identity is what the results say about you when you type your name into a search engine. Not important? Think again. Building and maintaining a strong branded online presence is critical to success for the expat professional, executive and entrepreneur. Studies have shown that just under three quarters of employers through out North … Read more
I’ve always been a smiley person. Not much gets me down and there are loads of simple every day things that make me smile – a dragonfly floating by, a spectacular sunset, baby birds being born outside my window… that kind of thing. It may sound simple but that’s just me. I find that attitude … Read more
In my last article I mentioned that one of the reasons I did not live living in Dubai is the fact that some of the expatriates are disrespectful of the local customs and culture. Well, just within the last week a flurry of controversy has arisen about what is acceptable to wear and what is … Read more
Spring has most definitely sprung. In our valley, Joe and I can see and hear the frantic activity all around us. The birds are at their noisiest and busiest, building nests, finding mates and packing as much as they can into each day. Sparrows, bee-eaters, a pair of kestrels, swallows, cuckoos, owls, all in our … Read more
I know we’re not really supposed to admit to it, but I also know there are a lot of us expats who prefer living overseas to living in our home country–no matter how much we may go on and on about what we miss from home. An American friend of mine who lived in Germany … Read more