Posts Tagged ‘expat life’

By Chantal Panozzo

While living in Switzerland, I have devoured many books about the living abroad lifestyle. Books about a British woman involved with too many French men. Books about an American man trying to buy something as simple as a bay leaf in France to disastrous results. And books about an Australian journalist who can’t help but run out in her sweat pants to buy a baguette to the horror of her chic Parisian neighbors.

Below I’ve listed some of my favorites—and as you’ll see, I have an affinity for books taking place in France. Am I a traitor? I don’t think so. Because right now, I can’t seem to find any memoirs about living in Switzerland, even though the country has a foreign population of 20%. But no matter. Because the experience of living abroad and reinventing one’s self is a universal theme no matter the location. And because most of the books below have reinvention abroad as a major theme, I can relate to them all—and I think maybe you will too.

Petite Anglaise by Catherine Sanderson is a memoir about life in Paris with a modern, digital twist. What happens when your blog messes with your love life and gets you fired from your job? This British author and expat has the answer.

I’ll Never Be French by Mark Greenside is a hilarious account of what happens when an American man buys a house in Brittany. It’s fun and lighthearted and makes me want to move to France.

A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke is an international bestseller, “almost memoir”, about a British businessman who takes a job in Paris. It’s an entertaining and humorous book that deals with the realities of life and work abroad.

GenXPat by Margaret Malewski and A Moveable Marriage by Robin Pascoe are both excellent informational and practical guidebooks books on living abroad.

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull is a bestseller in Turnbull’s native Australia and deals with a young woman trying to discover a new identity abroad.

But enough about what I like. What are your favorite books about life abroad?

Chantal Panozzo is a writer in Switzerland who has written for a variety of publications on two continents. She’s the author of One Big Yodel, a blog about life in Switzerland and moving abroad, and also discusses living abroad as a freelancer at Writer Abroad.

by Tina Ferrari

The slow life: a relaxing stroll in Tuscany

Those of us who choose to move to Italy – or even just visit – do so in part because there are so many aspects of Italian life that we find so endearing and special.  The way families actually take time to eat together, the different shops you go to in order to buy various foods, the way people are naturally more affectionate with each other than Americans.

Once you settle into life in the bel paese, however, a lot of things that were once cute either become a part of your routine that you barely notice, or they become the opposite of cute. For me, two things come to mind:

- The long lunches.  On one hand, it’s really impressive to me how at least here in Umbria, a lot of people close up shop and go home to eat lunch with their families.  Since I’ve been using my boyfriend’s office for his internet while I wait for mine, I’ve been partaking in this.  We leave the office a little after 1, and come back just after 3:30.  It’s enjoyable because lunch is always balanced, and the day is broken up by some rest and time spent with loved ones.  In general, I think this is a good habit.

However, it’s aggravating when you need to run an errand and the only time you have to do so is on your lunch break.  Everyone else in town is at lunch, hence everything is closed!  The break also feels a bit too long when you have clients waiting to hear from you or if you have a tight deadline.

- The slow life.  Things take time here.  There’s no need to rush.  You learn to slow your pace down to match that of the land around you.  You go about your personal life and make your way to where you need to be, and you get to things when you have time to.  It’s really quite refreshing just to slow down and not rush yourself or be in too much of a hurry.

Unfortunately, the phone company has the same attitude.  If you need a fixed phone line, be prepared to wait at least a month, if not more.  Be prepared to get transferred to various computer-generated voices when you call, only to be hung up on when you finally do reach a person.  Be prepared not to reach anybody during the holidays.  And get a cell phone in the meantime.  When I complain to friends here about the runaround I’m getting from a certain telephone company, they all say, “Welcome to Italy!”

It all comes down to this: when you choose to live in a country, you’re choosing both the good and the bad. And I think for most of us expats, even when we complain, the positives still outweigh the negatives.  I wonder what’s for lunch tomorrow…

Tina Ferrari is a translator, writer and tango dancer based in Umbria, Italy. She writes at AffordableCallingCards.net as well as on her own blog, Tina Tangos. Comments are always welcome!

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!

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.

Buying gifts for expats is never an easy task, especially if that expat lives in a country, like Italy, for example, where mail is often lost, stolen or held hostage in customs. Confusion arises about what presents relatives can send, where to send them and most of all, what to buy.

While I can’t speak for every expat … not even all of those here in Italy … I can say there are a few things I never mind receiving. So, family members and friends, here are five gift ideas for expats in Italy.

Photo: Wysz on Flickr

1. Amazon Gift Cards

Or to be more exact, Amazon.UK gift cards because well, they ship to Italy. Amazon.UK has quickly become my best friend in Italy and with their wide selection of items, European plugs and English-language site, you really can’t go wrong. They even refund your money if the Magic Bullet you ordered never arrives.

What?

It was just an example!

2. Food and Toiletries

While it may be the least fancy gift on your list, most expats in Italy I know are still attached to food and toiletries from back home. If your favorite expat usually stocks up on Ziploc bags, Velveeta Cheese and Lady Mitchum deodorant (Hi, Mom!) then go ahead and fill her stocking-or a box-with her favorite goodies.

3. Books Galore!

English-language literature is expensive and hard to find, especially in southern Italy, so if your expat is a bookworm, ask her for a list of books and help her stock up. Keep in mind that paperback books are easier for you to ship and lighter for her to carry if she is traveling.

4. GCs and More GCs

If the expat on your list is traveling home for the holidays, then help them with their hometown shopping by getting them a gift certificate to their favorite clothing store. Other gift certificate ideas for home-bound expats include cards to their favorite restaurants or cafes, the movies or theater or the ever-popular Walmart.

5. Online Classes

One of my favorite-and most useful gifts-I ever received was an online writing class my mother found for my birthday. If you are shopping for an expat who loves to learn, then consider offering him a online course or even offering to pay for continuing education classes in his new town.

What other gift ideas do you think expats would like?

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

Here’s a summary of what’s been going on this month on a few of the expat blogs that I follow:

My favorite post from Voices in Español (not an expat blog exactly, but an excellent blog on the Spanish language and has a great podcast): The most annoying phrase in Spanish. Who knew there was a phrase that foreign speakers tend to say that annoys Spanish speakers? I won’t ruin in and tell you what it is– you have to go look. There is also a great post about the phrase “It’s all Greek to me” in English and how that is translated into different languages. For some languages, the incomprehensible language is Chinese, and for some, it’s Spanish!

Frank Alameda makes and sells his wonderful brand of cookies throughout Buenos Aires. His cookies and his blog are called Sugar & Spice, where he talks about his business and raising his children here in BsAs. This month, Frank talks about his 7-year old comparing the life expectancy of a whale to that of Michael Jackson, updates us about where his cookies can now be bought in the city, and a list of other expat entrepreneurs in Buenos Aires.

Paddy in BA is now no longer in Buenos Aires, he’s in Asia, blogging about his adventures hiking in the Philippines with a few side notes about keeping his body hair in check. He always writes with his wry sense of Irish humor.

Tracy has been blogging about love and relationships over on Last Tango in Buenos Aires. She also has a book coming out, part of which can be read online. Congrats, Tracy!

And last but certainly not least, you MUST see Cate Kelly’s photos of the South American Sumo Wrestling tournament that recently took place. amazing. She’s an awesome photographer, and chooses unique subjects.

Julia Evans wrote this article forAffordableCallingCards.net where she blogs about her life as an expat.  She also writes a personal blog Evans’ Gateabout living as an American expat in Buenos Aires, where she lives with her husband.  Comments on both blogs welcome!

Expat experts say one of the worst things you can do when you move to a new country is constantly compare things from your home country to things in your new life.

And it is true. It is a recipe for despair.

Once I stopped let up on that, things got easier for me and I began understanding and appreciating the differences. That being said, there are some things I don’t think I’ll ever get used to – and here are three of them.

-  Not receiving mail
The Italian postal service is notoriously ineffective-packages are lost, misplaced or stolen on a regular basis and every expat I know has had at least one run-in with the mail system. Just over the last two months, I’ve had two packages from Amazon gone astray and a small package I sent never reach Rome. Packages are often held hostage in customs and the recipients are forced to pay a ransom to get them.

To combat this problem: I have asked people not to send me packages.

-  Walking into a doctor’s office and smelling smoke
A few years ago my hometown in Texas went smoke-free (no smoking inside buildings) and non –smokers like myself relished in our fresh air and clean lungs.

Not so much the case here in Italy.

Two days ago I went to the doctor’s office, walked under the sign that said “no smoking,” and was greeted inside by a wave of smoke.

To combat this problem: I have purchased a surgeon’s mask to wear when I am in public.

- Kids riding in the front seat – without a car seat
The first time I saw this, my mouth dropped ajar and I stared dumbfounded into the passing car. A one time thing? Oh, but no.

Children regularly ride in the front seat, oftentimes without a car seat and more than once I’ve ridden in the backseat, while a pint-size toddler took the front.

To combat this problem: I look away.

What are three things you will never get used to about your new country?

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

Photos from flickr: maxinnaberlin, marqez and Rebecca and Bernhard

I know this sounds uppity, but I LOVE having a maid. It’s one of the perks of moving from a rich country to a poor one. Antonia, our “household angel,” as I refer to her, does more than clean the house. She cooks, sews, does laundry, even runs errands. But it hasn’t been easy for me, because I did not grow up with household help, and I am not used to it. (I know, I know, this is a problem you would LIKE to have… but it is an issue with many expats nonetheless.)

First, there is the guilt. To me, having someone do the chores that I don’t want to do seems naturally exploitive. I have a hard tome telling Antonia what to do. It makes me feel bad. But taking care of a house is a job she is good at, qualified for, and we pay her at the top of the market rate for her services. (She actually owns her own house, so I guess she has not done to poorly in her vocation.) As long as there is equal exchange of value for value, it is fair. She genuinely appreciates the work, and I don’t ask her to do anything i wouldn’t do were I to have the same job.

The next issue is not one that I was prepared for. I’m in charge of Antonia. I give her a list of things to do when she comes, pay her, call her when there is a problem with scheduling, etc.  Rob and I both work, but Antonia comes to me for direction, because I am the woman of the house. When Rob has a problem with her work (rarely), he tells me, and I tell her. At first, I was very resentful of this. But then I realized that to change it would be to fly in the face of a cultural norm, one that Antonia is probably comfortable with. She likes Rob, but she would probably be uncomfortable having him as a “boss.”

The other realization was one of a North American norm that I think goes unsaid: whoever makes the least amount of money takes care of the house. Although Rob and I both work, he makes at least three times my salary. We could survive without my job, but we could not survive without his. Therefore, I need to support him. If the situation were reversed, he would support me (how it would work with Antonia, I don’t know, but he would be willing). That’s a reality. I didn’t chase the high-paying career, he did. I take care of the food/shelter/clothing stuff, he makes sure our future is financially secure.

Antonia’s life is the way it is partly as a result of her living in a country with less opportunity; I have no excuse. There is no room for resentment in a life that I chose for myself.

When I write that best-selling book, or land a job with someone willing to pay oodles for my talent, Rob can manage the household. For now, I will. But at least I have help.

Julia Evans wrote this article forAffordableCallingCards.net where she blogs about her life as an expat.  She also writes a personal blog Evans’ Gateabout living as an American expat in Buenos Aires, where she lives with her husband.  Comments on both blogs welcome!