2009 has FLOWN by for me. With 2010 mere hours away, I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking of a few last-minute resolutions. The truth is, I’m not a big resolution-maker, at least not in the traditional sense. I don’t go in for diet and exercise promises that get broken before Valentine’s Day, but December 31 is as good a day as any to think of some goals I’d like to accomplish in the medium-term future.

In that spirit of goals and improvements rather than regimes and punishments, I’ve come up with a few expat resolutions for 2010.

Travel more. We’ve been working on this one already, between our trip to Uruguay and reservations for our upcoming honeymoon. Travel in South America isn’t particularly cheap – there’s no Southwest or JetBlue – nor is it always feasible. It’s a big continent, and treks further afield require precious vacation days. But since I don’t plan to live in Chile forever, I want to really take advantage of the destinations that are easier to reach from Santiago than from San Francisco. Easter Island is definitely on my list, as is a safari – it may seem random, but Johannesburg is closer to Chile than to the west coast of the US.

Keep learning. In the US, there are plenty of things that I just accept because I’m used to them. I don’t know the historical background for most holidays – they just are. In Chile, however, I investigate the things I don’t understand, and there are plenty. While it’s nice to feel comfortable in my adopted home, I hope I don’t let comfort turn into complacency when it comes to exploring this culture.

Stay in touch with people at home. Between e-mail and Skype, gChat and calling cards, there is no excuse for how long I’ll let pass without talking to some of my best friends. It’s one of those things that’s just easy to let slide when life gets busy for both me and them. But the fact is that I think I should make more of an effort. I’m the one who moved to the end of the world, so I should take responsability for making sure to check in more often. I really want to make 2010 the year that I call just to say hi without scheduling a Skype date – at 2 cents a minute, I can afford to call someone’s cell phone and get the machine sometimes.

Do you have any resolutions, expat or otherwise, to add to this list? And to everyone, happy 2010!

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers.

Even a seasoned expat is always learning new things about her adopted culture. There’s plenty of stuff I don’t know about the US, so I definitely don’t expect to have Chile 100% figured out after 3 years. It turns out that the 28th of December is Día de los Inocentes, or the Chilean version of April Fool’s Day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashawolff/ / CC BY 2.0

Yesterday morning, I walked into the office to some serious gossip. A coworker told me that according to Facebook, our colleagues were having some major life changes – one was apparently leaving the company, and the other was going to become a father. We agreed that it was kind of crazy that two people would share such big news on the same day, but we could also see how someone who’d been working really long hours would leave the company and how someone in a long-term relationship would decide to have a child. In fact the strangest part of it all was when I saw the supposed dad-to-be and asked how his weekend was – not even the slightest mention of his new family member.

Wanting to respect his privacy – other coworkers were around, maybe he didn’t want them to know yet – I said nothing. And I’m glad I didn’t because it turns out that both the baby and the new job were totally made up. Feliz Día de los Inocentes!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yxejamir/ / CC BY 2.0

I just Googled information on this day, trying to find out more about its origins and am now even more confused than before. It would appear, at least according to Wikipedia, that this day of pranks relates back to the Massacre of the Innocents. Way back when, King Herod ordered the massacre of all boys under two in Judea in an attempt to kill the newborn baby Jesus. This massacre supposedly took place on December 28, although both the date and the factual nature of the incident itself are questionable.

So what do martyred little boys known as innocents have to do with pranks? I still have no idea. Wikipedia doesn’t either, and searching for “historia día de los inocentes” got me no closer to a conclusive answer. All I can tell you is that if you happen to be in Spain or Latin America next December 28, don’t be too quick to believe everything you hear. Oh, and definitely don’t lend anyone anything – supposedly money and possessions lent on Día de los Inocentes never have to be returned.

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers!

That’s right; I said it. The “C” word. Not Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings, but Christmas. Here in Chile, we don’t go in for PC, diverse, inclusive messages of holiday cheer – it’s straight-up Feliz Navidad.

Outside La Moneda, the seat of the executive branch http://www.flickr.com/photos/consumerist/ / CC BY 2.0

My dirty little secret is that I like it. I come from the San Francisco Bay Area, a bastion of all that is, well, PC, diverse and inclusive. I don’t remember when I was taught that it’s better to say one of the non-religious wintertime greetings because I think I always knew. I understand that the thinking is that while I celebrate Christmas, you may not, but I have to say I find it a little silly. If someone were to wish me a Happy Hannukah or Kwanzaa or Ramadan or whatever, I’d take it as their way of wishing me well rather than an attempt at converting me.

That’s why being in primarily Catholic Chile at this time of year is refreshing. Although the weather may not have me thinking Christmas, most apartment and office buildings have a decorated tree in the lobby. And it’s festive, damn it. I like that magical elves (or secretaries, close enough) decorated our office with garlands that have a decidedly red and green bent. They may not encompass the personal beliefs of every person in my office, but they sure brighten up grey-blue cubicle walls.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mojodenbowsphotostudio/ / CC BY 2.0

I’m not by any means saying that everyone should celebrate Christmas. I’m not religious, so I can’t get too excited about the real reason behind it all, and if you have your own favorite holiday then I wish you a very good one of those. And if I bump into you on the street, I hope you’ll understand what I mean when I say “Merry Christmas.”

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers!

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by Tina Ferrari

A Roman street

Something I like about living in Italy is that it’s relatively small and you don’t have to go very far to see something new.  Perugia is particularly fortunate in its location, being right in the middle of Italy.  I can get to Florence in just two hours on the train and Rome in three (two and a half by car).  Not only that, Umbria itself is full of interesting and beautiful towns like Orvieto, Todi and Spello to name just a few.

Saturday morning we woke up ready for a day in Rome, as I wanted to see two friends from the States who were staying there.  Since Europe had been overcome by snow overnight, we spent much of the morning wondering whether to take the train or drive to Rome.  We opted for driving, realizing we could just come back early enough to avoid icy roads.  Driving is faster and you have much more freedom to choose when to come and go.

After contending with Roman traffic and finding a parking space in the Villa Borghese lot, we met our friends at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.  There was no snow in site, and the sky was overcast with rain clouds.

I already knew where I wanted to eat lunch, so we darted underground and into the Metro (the subway), and in little time we were at a warm, crowded no-frills eatery in the neighborhood of Monti.  The waiter was the same one we’d had before.  A straniero, foreigner, upon first site, but with an accent so Roman he must have been born there.

He asked if we’d like anything to drink.  We said we’d like red wine, and he disappeared and about 5 seconds later he zestfully placed a liter of red wine on the table.  This place is no nonsense.  I ordered my favorite thing, a most Roman dish if I may say so, cacio e pepe, followed by polpette in tomato sauce – just perfect for this cold almost-winter day.

After laughing and catching up, we decided to take a walk.  We wound up at Piazza della Rotunda, where the Pantheon is located.  I forgot how much I loved this piazza.  The timeless presence of the Pantheon itself almost makes you forget what century you’re in.  That day, there was a group of four female musicians in the piazza, playing music and singing in Roman dialect.  We soaked up the music and looked up in marvel at the flocks of birds and how they moved together in a strange mass, almost seeming like a stipple painting that kept changing shape.  It was a singular magical moment.

The domed ceiling of the Pantheon

We decided to enter the Pantheon, and I had to catch my breath when I looked up at the dome with its skylight.  I forgot how magnificent this piece of architecture is. The ceiling design is so modern-looking you forget that this structure was built 1800 years ago.  A large bird flew past the skylight, slowly, and for a minute I thought I was in ancient Rome.  Well, I *was* in ancient Rome, but you know what I mean.  I find that Rome, despite being a large, bustling city, maintains a connection to nature, always.  You’re inside, but you’re outside.  This was one example.

We walked our friends to their tram stop so they could go “home” to Trastevere, and meandered through various streets on our way back to the parking garage, peeking into shop windows and eventually deciding to buy some roasted chestnuts from a street vendor to keep our hands warm before we made our way back to snowy Perugia.

What are your favorite spots for daytrips?

Tina Ferrari is an Italian-American translator, tango dancer and part-time writer based in Umbria, Italy.  In addition to AffordableCallingCards.net, Tina also writes at her own blog, Tina Tangos.  Comments are welcome!

By: Cherrye Moore

Photo: Mr. Tea on Flickr

Do you want to relocate to Italy, the land of Roman emperors, shining seas and never-ending pasta, pizza and prosciutto? Then read on. Here is a list of the best sites on the web to help would-be expats plan the move of a lifetime.

1. Expats in Italy

This website single-handedly changed my life. I moved to southern Italy with little or no advanced research on the notion that my true love would see me through. (Yes, I am that naive.)

A few months into my bella vita, I stumbled upon this website and ta daaa … I was not alone. Although I no longer frequent the site on a regular basis, the forum introduced me to many of my closest expat-in-Italy friends and blogging colleagues and for that I’ll always love them.

2. Moving2Italy2

Since September 2007, Ben and his wife, Martha have been living the dream in Monte San Savino. This site is chock-full, and when I say chock-full, I mean overflowing, with helpful links and resources for people wishing to relocate to Italy. Thinking about trying out that life in Italy before you make the plunge? Why not visit Martha and Ben at their guest house – and while you are there, pick their brains. They know a lot!

3. Blog from Italy

While Blog from Italy, written by British English teacher and Milan-based expat, Alex, isn’t tailored to future expats, he does feature apartment rentals and offer feature articles on buying an apartment in Italy. He also offers some of the most extensive news coverage in English and I often find myself “lost” on his site for hours, unwilling-or unable-to pull myself away.

4. Burnt by the Tuscan Sun

Think everything in Italy is peaches and cream-flavored gelato? If so, head over to Francesca’s blog and read up on how that marvelous Tuscan sun sometimes overheats and  leaves Italy’s inhabitants feeling, well, burned. This site offers an interesting contrast from other expat in Italy-based blogs and is a must-read for people considering a move to Italy.

5. Ms. Adventures in Italy

In addition to her award-winning photography, recipes and articles, Sara has an impressive list of other expats in Italy, listed along with their blog URL and location within the country to help you select a blogger in your preferred section of the bel paese.

This is by no means an exclusive list of sites that can help you with your move to Italy. What are your favorite sites and why?

Cherrye Moore is a freelance writer and southern Italy travel consultant living in Calabria, Italy. In addition to Affordable Calling Cards, she writes about living and traveling in Calabria at her website, My Bella Vita.

By Chantal Panozzo

As an expat in Switzerland, you know when it’s Christmastime. You can smell it. The aroma of roasted chestnusts (Marroni) fills the air. Glüwein (mulled wine) is sold just about anywhere there’s a sidewalk. And somewhere, there’s an expat like me bringing their Christmas tree home on a bus. Listed below are a few things to enjoy this Christmas in Switzerland:

1. Grill a sausage. I don’t know about your town, but Baden has the annual “grill your own sausage” fire pit. You pay CHF 2 for an uncooked sausage and a long stick, and cook it to your heart’s content in the fire pit. When you’re done, you return the stick, take a piece of bread in one hand and your sausage in another and eat your grilled masterpiece. (If you don’t like sausage, another option is to bring your own marshmallows–but be forewarned. People will stare.)

2. Eat some marroni. These roasted chestnut stands are everywhere. And trust me, the taste will grow on you. I didn’t like the nuts at first, but now I’m a marroni regular. The 80-year-old marroni seller in Baden comes to our town from his native Ticino every year from October through February specifically to sell marroni. It’s big business in Switzerland. 

3. Go to a Christmas Market. On my blog, One Big Yodel, I have a run down of some of my favorite Christmas markets. In my opinion, the biggest and best holiday market in Switzerland is the Basel Christmas Market. 

4. Eat turkey. If you’re an American and missed out over Thanksgiving, now is your chance to actually find whole turkeys for sale at the local Coop. I saw entire birds for sale today for around CHF 50. That’s a deal considering what you have to spend a month earlier for a proper Thanksgiving. 

5. Try an Italian Christmas Bread. Popular ones sold in grocery stores include Pandoro (from Verona) and Pannettone (from Milan). For an even more specific run-down on the differences between these various Italian breads, visit my post on Swisstory Blog later this week.

What Christmas traditions do you enjoy in Switzerland? For idea for gifts from Switzerland, visit Expatica.com.

Last weekend, I jetted off to the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo for a long weekend. This is one of the perks of expat life. Whereas friends back home in California might take a road-trip to Vegas, when you’re living in Paris you can Eurostar it to London. South America’s countries are bigger than European ones, so those of us on this continent can’t country-hop quite as easily as your average European expat. But from Santiago, Buenos Aires and Montevideo are each appproximately 2 hours away by plane, and you can get to Rio de Janeiro in 5. Not bad.

I’d never been to Montevideo and didn’t really know what to expect. In the end, however, I had such good experiences that I wanted to share my tips for getting to and around Uruguay’s biggest city.

Statue of General Artigas in Montevideo's Plaza Independencia http://www.flickr.com/photos/philliecasablanca/ / CC BY 2.0

Getting there

I flew Pluna non-stop. It was cheaper than LAN, and I have to say I was impressed. The little regional jets are new and nicely outfitted, and aside from a delay of about half an hour on my flight out everything went smoothly. Checked bags will run you $10 if you check-in online ($20 at the airport), food and drink have to be purchased, and you can’t book a seat until you check-in 36 hours beforehand, but in return you get far lower prices than anything else out there. Luckily for me, it looks like Pluna’s expanding service from Santiago – there’s now a non-stop to Asunción, Paraguay three days a week – so hopefully this will bring some good low-cost options to the market. If you’re traveling around South America and might want to stop in Montevideo, look into flying Pluna.

Getting around

From the airport, I took an official taxi. It was expensive – US$43. I was in a rush to get to the stadium set up on Pocitos beach to see the Chilean handball game my fiancé was playing in, so I paid up, but otherwise I probably would have taken a bus or seen if I could find one of the unofficial taxis. It took about 30 minutes to get from the airport to the city center at 6:45pm on a Friday.

Pocitos beach http://www.flickr.com/photos/37081617@N00/ / CC BY 2.0

Taxis within the city are cheap. The meters tick off numbers of credits, and every taxi has the official chart to convert that number into the amount you owe. The drivers have a reputation for being honest.

We also took buses. They cost $16 or US$0.80. We asked people what bus to take to get wherever we were trying to go, and everyone was helpful. If you speak a bit of Spanish and are on a budget, buses are a great way to get around the city.

Sleeping

I stayed at the Sur Hotel due to its price (US$38 per night for non-Uruguayans who don’t pay tax) and TripAdvisor recommendations. It’s really well located, and the staff are friendly. It’s not luxurious, but it’s a solid little boutique hotel and a great value for the price. We would stay there again.

The hotel is a remodeled old house

To read more about what we actually did in Montevideo – aside from me watching my fiancé participate in the first ever Odesur beach games as part of Chile’s beach handball team – check out my recap here. And if you ever find yourself headed for a few days there, have fun!

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers!

By: Cherrye Moore

The world-or at least Italy and America-has been talking a lot about Amanda Knox, the American college student who was accused and recently convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.

The story has all of the ingredients any Lifetime Movie could dream of – Sex, Murder, Lies and Betrayal.

Only, this is no fairytale.

A young expat is dead;

another sentenced to 26 years in a foreign prison;

and the world debating a judicial system that may-or may not be-equal to what Americans consider minimum standard, but that is, nevertheless, the governing system where Amanda Knox committed her crime.

In addition to the glowering “Don’t Murder Your Roommate Abroad” advice, there are lessons here for all of us.

Whether or not you believe Amanda Knox is guilty, expats around the world can all learn from her mistakes.

1. Expats don’t have to be gone long to understand there are major differences between their new home and the one they left behind. Remembering these differences and knowing that the judicial system will likely be very different from what you are used to might help you if you find yourself in legal trouble.

2. Speaking of differences, Americans are accustomed to having certain rights as they pertain to police questioning. These rights are not universal … another difficult difference if you find yourself in trouble abroad.

3. Language difficulties no doubt played an important role in the primary questioning of this case. If it’s not easy to go to the store and buy Q tips in a foreign language, it won’t be easy being interrogated by police who are searching for a murderer.

4. Many people-myself included-have a hard time understanding some of Amanda’s actions following the murder. While they may have felt justified in her mind, cartwheels and lingerie shopping aren’t considered appropriate grieving behavior by many people. Perhaps she was stressed or letting off steam, as some have suggested, but remembering one’s manners in a foreign city and international police station, are in your best interest.

So what do you say? What other lessons can expats learn from Amanda?

Cherrye Moore is a freelance writer and southern Italy travel consultant living in Calabria, Italy. She and her Calabrese husband own Il Cedro Bed and Breakfast in Catanzaro. Comments are welcome on both sites.

by Tina Ferrari

One of the best parts of living in a new country is getting to know the people and the little things they do that are unique to their culture.  Cherrye has discussed this a few times on her blog, and now that I’ve been back in Italy a couple of months, I’ve been reminded of a few of my favorite little things Italians say and do.

1.  Ciao – times 10.  If you’ve spent any time in Italy at all, you’ve heard it.  “Ciao, ciao-ciao, ciao-ciao-ciao, ciao-ciao.  Ciao, ciao-ciao. Ciao…ciao.”  This is a common way to say goodbye when ending a cell phone conversation.  “Ciao” is said about 10 times, before AND after disconnecting the call.  That’s right, after.  Next time you have a chance to listen in on a phone conversation in Italy (but don’t tell them I told you to), pay attention.  There is plenty of “ciao” to be said after the call is done and the phone is shut off.  It’s almost like a superstition.

2.  L’influenza.  There’s a flu that Italians always seem to get – nobody else catches it that I know of.  It’s an Italian phenomenon that usually lasts two days.  Last time I heard someone say they were “influenzato”, down with the flu, the person followed their statement with “I think it’s because I had eaten a big lunch and went outside right after.”

3.  Kindness.  On a less humorous and more humble note, the kindness of the people around me in my beautiful new home country has really touched me.  I don’t have a car and sometimes need a lift home from tango.  I didn’t know where to start when I wanted to look for an apartment and needed help.  Though I speak Italian, I didn’t understand the fast-talking lady at the phone company very well and needed someone to call for me and explain to me a little more slowly.  Every time I have said, “Thank you,” the response I’ve gotten each time has been, “Are you kidding?  It’s a pleasure, I enjoy helping you.”  And when this is said in Italian it’s oh so sweet.

Tina Ferrari is an Italian-American translator, tango dancer and part-time writer based in Umbria, Italy.  In addition to AffordableCallingCards.net, Tina can also be found at her blog, Tina Tangos.  Comments are welcome!

By Chantal Panozzo

When you first arrive in a new country, it can be stressful for many reasons: language, bureaucracy, finding your way around. But it can also be stressful because it’s hard to judge costs. Yes, things are typically more expensive in Switzerland, but how much so in relation to your salary? Will you be able to save? How will you budget?

The average Swiss salary is about CHF 68,000 (or about CHF 5,600 a month). Full-time salaries under CHF 35,000 are considered poverty level for a family of four. But if you’re a highly qualified professional like many expats in Switzerland, you can expect salaries to be double the national average, sometimes even more. Salaries also vary from canton to canton and industry to industry.

Below is a run-down of what you can expect things to cost: (all figures in CHF)

2-bedroom apartment: 2000-4000/month (depending on canton/location)

Additional apartment costs (Nebenkosten—like heating the building, etc): 5000/year

Parking spot at apartment: 180/month

Health insurance (you typically must buy this independent of an employer): 300/month (with a 2500 deductible)

Apartment insurance: 500/year

Loaf of Bread: 2

2-liters Milk: 2

10 eggs: 4

Bag of Chips: 5

Yearly Resident Permit costs: 100

Liter of Gas: 1.65

Yearly Train Pass (GA, second class): 3000

Full-price ticket for a 15-minute train ride: 10

High-speed Internet: 45/month

Phone line: 20/month

Cell phone: 25-50 cents a minute (pre-pay)

Lunch at restaurant: 20

Dinner at restaurant: 40

Beer at restaurant: 5

Water at restaurant: 6

Movie ticket: 18

Value-meal at McDonalds: 10

Starbucks drink (small): 7

Language lessons: (3 weeks, intensive) 750

Daycare: 2000-5000/month

Tuition at an international school: 30,000/year

Anyone else have anything to add about the cost of living in Switzerland?

For more on living in Switzerland, visit One Big Yodel, a blog about expat life in Switzerland.