“Why Don’t You Just Go Home?”

No one likes a whiny expat. There are books upon books written for expats relocating to yet another new country, and one of the most common themes is “Don’t criticize”. Australians even coined the term “Whinging Poms”* for the legions

Blame It On The Host Country

I read a charming post the other day that really got me thinking. Ms. Caroline, who writes the Asia Vu blog had just returned to Seoul after spending the summer in the States. As many of us do (wherever we

Helping International Students Study In The States

UNESCO statistics reveal that the US attracts 21% of all students studying abroad. Furthermore, the US saw a 49% increase in foreign students in the decade 2000 to 2010. “The United States is the global hub of higher education,” concludes

Is Home Where The Heart Is?

The old saying “Home is where the heart is” can be a tricky one for expats. When you’ve lived almost as long in your host country as you did in your home country, you begin to wonder just where “home”

Expats These Days Have It So Easy!

Ok, ok, a deliberately provocative title I know, but really, the expat experience today compared to even twenty years ago is so easy and don’t even talk about trekking to far off lands without so much as the promise of

Expat Outer-Body Experiences

Brit Gal in the USA, a fellow British expat, recently commented on Facebook – “Every now and then I still have days when it feels odd to be living in America…”. I was nodding my head in agreement before I

Dongles and Deductibles

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

Interview With Expat Author, Emily Winslow

I recently read Emily Winslow’s new novel “The Start of Everything”. Set in Cambridge, England, this book is a real page-turner. I’m not usually attracted to thrillers but I could not put this one down. Read all about it at

Keeping The Home Fires Burning

As a Brit in the USA, married to an American, and having children all born and raised here, it’s important to me that they feel “half British” and understand where I came from. Fortunately, by dint of husband’s many air