With a country of 3.5 million and at least half of that population living in the country’s capital, it’s no wonder Panama City is so horny…the honking type of horny that is. The traffic might not follow you out of the city, but the horns will. Beeping the horn when behind the wheel is a … Read more
In last month's column (my first) I mentioned the tendency of expats of all classes and origins to feel an affinity with one another. We share a contempt for the anti-immigrant policies and attitudes of what I call The Immigration Monster – the Civil Service Immigration Department, the Committees and Boards packed with political cronies, … Read more
This month will mark twenty-two years of living in the States! I can’t really believe it, and yet somehow I still don’t feel like a native. While I don’t mind using American vocabulary, there are still some things I don’t think I’ll ever get used to: Like men being called “Dana” (pronounced Day-na). It wasn’t … Read more
All these years I’ve believed that, underneath it all, people are the same. Now it seems there’s some research to back me up. Oh, I know. You’re probably thinking that the human core – heart, mind, spirit – may be similar, but certainly the circumstances in which we are born, live and die serve to … Read more
Without conducting regular check ups on your personal brand, career management and international job search activities, you run the risk of wasting time, energy and resources doing things that are not in support of (or even worse working against) you achieving your professional goals. Building your personal brand to support your efforts to land new … Read more
I’ve met people who, on hearing about all the countries my family have lived in, suggest that I should be worried that our children are doomed to an adult life spent in therapy to recover from their peripatetic childhoods. In reality the things my husband and I worry about for our children are no different … Read more
Our swallows are finally here. They kept us waiting until the 1st of May this year, much later than normal. We were beginning to wonder if they were going to turn up at all. Swallows have been known to arrive in Limousin as early as the 21st of January (in 1991 and 2002), but usually … Read more
As an expat in Canada, finding affordable car insurance can be like trying to shift those last few pounds to reach your target weight. You’ve come so far; found somewhere to live, started in the new job and worked out the recycled waste collection schedule. You’ve decided on the car you want and the monthly … Read more
I woke up this morning, made myself a cup of tea (or two!), pulled a sweatshirt from my university days on over my head, and felt very thankful for warm, woolly socks made right here in New Zealand. I had to confirm to my husband that, yes, it is too chilly for Joe, our 10 … Read more
On 20 May the Dominican Republic will vote for a new president, a process which happens every four years. Even though the elections are every four years, many presidents seem to have managed to last a long time. Rafael Trujillo was a particularly nasty chap who murdered anyone who he didn’t like, and he lasted … Read more