Posts Tagged ‘expats’

By Chantal Panozzo

Last night I was walking to a movie theater in Zurich when I heard a group of three Americans talking loudly. Ok, loud wasn’t a surprise, but American English was. I’m always amazed how many languages I hear in Switzerland that aren’t even one of the four “official” ones. But when you’ve got a foreign population of around 20%, I guess it’s only natural to hear non-official tongues.

Sometimes I wonder why Switzerland has such a high percentage of foreigners and I’ve come up with the following conclusions:

-Good Pay. Compared to neighboring countries like France, Italy, and Germany, Swiss salaries are higher. Of course, the cost of living in Switzerland is also higher, but nevertheless, it pays to live in Switzerland.

-No Need for a Car. While public transportation is sufficient in most European cities, in Switzerland, it’s good enough even for villages. The Swiss transportation network covers the entire country, from the mountain restaurant in the middle of nowhere to the farm village twenty miles from the nearest city.

-Work/Life Balance. At least compared to the way people work in the United States, there is a much better work/life balance in Switzerland. Family time is respected and valued, and stores and businesses all close down on Sundays and for a week over Christmas.

-Accessibility of Nature. In the U.S., I had to drive to get to the closest hiking trail. But in Switzerland, there are hundreds of paths right outside my door. The Swiss know how to build cities around nature, and so the nearest outdoor adventure is always just a walk away.

-Many Neighbors. Switzerland is bordered by five countries: Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Lichtenstein. All of these countries share an official language with Switzerland, making it easier for people speaking French, German, or Italian to work and live in Switzerland.

Why do you think there are so many foreigners in Switzerland?

Chantal Panozzo is a writer and blogger in Zurich, Switzerland. She’s the author of One Big Yodel, a blog about life in Switzerland, and Writer Abroad. She also blogs for Affordable Calling Cards, a new expat community blog. This blog offers affordable calling cards in Switzerland as well as information about living abroad in Switzerland and in many other countries.

As you know, Cherrye and I (Tina) have been hard at work with the Blogging from the Boot contest. We’ve seen some very fun entries and I can’t wait to see what more is to come.

Well, we couldn’t possibly do it alone, so we’ve recruited three fabulous judges to assist us in the reading and judging of the contest entries.  And who better to judge a blogging contest than fellow bloggers?

With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to our first judge.

Michelle Fabio of Bleeding Espresso is an American freelance writer and attorney who has lived in her ancestors’ village overlooking the Ionian Sea in Calabria since 2003. She has penned a column for Italy Magazine, contributes frequently to LegalZoom.com, and is the About.com Guide to Law School.

Michelle is one of my favorite bloggers out there – someone I admire for having carved out a freelance life for herself in this beautiful country.

I asked Michelle to share a few of her favorite posts from her own blog:

• Why Would I Want to Live *There* – in which she explains the reason behind her living in Italy
• You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello – in Michelle’s words, “my decision to move here was actually quite easy”
• Conquering Evil (One Plastic Red Horn at a Time) – all about malocchio

We look forward to having her input as we select finalists!

Be sure to click here to submit material. There may be some chocolate in it for you!

Calling all expats in Italy …

All expats in Italy, please step forward.

Oh, hi there.

It’s Cherrye and Tina here and we’ve teamed up with Affordable Calling Cards to bring you the first annual Blogging from the Boot awards.

If you lived in the Bel Paese in 2009 and wrote about your expat experiences-even once-then this contest is for you. Did you write funny posts? Heartwarming stories? Love letters???

Perfect.

Here are the details.

The Blogging from the Boot awards were created as a Blog Carnival to highlight the best expat in Italy writing from 2009.

The following categories are open for submissions:

- Mangia! Food and Recipe Posts
In this category, expats in Italy will share their experiences with Italy’s other national pass time-eating!

- That’s Amore: Romance and Love
The Bel Paese is all about love and romance and any post that discusses an expat’s love affair with Italy-or her inhabitants-should be submitted to this category.

- Italianissimo: “Only in Italy” Tales from the Bel Paese
All expats have at least one “Only in Italy” story … whether funny, poignant or educational-submit those posts here.

- Mamma Mia: Parenting Stories
Rearing children in Italy is a topic near and dear to the heart of every expat parent. Posts that focus on this theme should be submitted here.

- Buon Viaggio: Living and Traveling Around the Boot
Many Italy-based expats enjoy sharing stories of their adopted hometowns, destination highlights or tips and tricks from their favorite Italian vacation spots. Any and all travel-based posts should be submitted to this category.

- Paparazzi! Expat Photography
Given the unmatched beauty of the boot, it is no surprise expats in Italy fill the Blogosphere with photos of the Bel Paese. Photo entries should be submitted here.

- Eccomi: Arrivals in 2009
New expats often have a different perspective from those who are settled into their adopted lives. This category is dedicated to expats who moved to Italy in 2009.

Rules and Deadlines:

1. To be eligible, the author must have lived in Italy at some point during 2009.

2. Submitted entries must have been published in 2009.

3. Entries must be received by 5:00 PM-Italy time on Friday, January 29, 2010.

4. There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit in any category.

Click here to submit material.

Judging will take place on January 30-31 and finalists will be announced right here on AffordableCallingCards.net on February 1.

Winners in each category will receive local Perugian chocolate-straight from the source-and a fancy new banner to showcase on their blogs, courtesy of AffordableCallingCards.net.

For more information, email bloggingfromtheboot@gmail.com.

In bocca al lupo!

—

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.

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

By Chantal Panozzo

I’ve written about this topic before on One Big Yodel, but it seems to be a popular one, so I’m going to write two follow-up posts, this one, and another piece that will run on Swisstory blog about how I’ve managed to make a few Swiss friends in the three years I’ve lived in Switzerland.

In comparison to making Swiss friends, making friends with other expats is relatively easy. “You speak English? Me to. Let’s be friends.”  That’s about all it takes when you’re so far from home. Ages, backgrounds, interests seem to matter little at the beginning when the main thing is that you’ve found someone with whom you can actually communicate in your own language.

But then there are those Swiss. Dang, they are hard to meet. Reserved and private, many Swiss tell me they are happy with their small group of close friends that they’ve known since childhood and aren’t interested in making more. The trick is to find the people that are more open.

I didn’t think my neighbor was one of them. She was 73 years old to my 28 when I met her and didn’t speak any English. And while her first words of greeting were something along the lines of “you’re doing the laundry wrong,” what I didn’t realize at the time was that this was her Swiss way of saying a friendly hello.

To make proper friends with a Swiss neighbor, you usually have to go to them first. Knock on their door and introduce yourself, perhaps bring them some chocolates or something from your home country. Even if your German/French/Italian isn’t that good yet, you may be surprised at their happiness at your efforts.

If they make an effort to criticize everything from your gardening to your laundry like my neighbor did, take that as a strange kind of compliment. At least they’re paying attention. And most Swiss like to correct you. Give them that joy and you may make a friend.

Despite our age and language differences, my neighbor and I started hanging out. We’d set the German/English dictionary on the table and have raclette together. She’d take me to flower fields in her car so we could make our own bouquets. A year after all of this, she reintroduced herself to me with her first name. It was worth the year of calling her Frau V and being strangely formal while melting cheese together.

Are you friends with your Swiss neighbors? How did you make your Swiss friends? Or what do you find most frustrating about making Swiss friends?

Up next, How to Make Friends in Switzerland, Part 2, over on Swisstory blog.

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!

Maybe you thought about studying abroad for a semester. Maybe you have already missed that boat and have wondered what it would be like to live and work in another country.

Maybe you are just bored with your current situation and are looking to inject a little je ne sais pas into your life?

Whatever it is … you might be wondering if expat life is right for you.

While it is different for each of us and the situations that motivate our international moves vary, the most satisfied expats share some characteristics and qualities that make it easier to adjust to life abroad.

I’ve spent more than four years as an expat in both Italy and France and I’ve noticed that above all, there are three things expats just don’t do.

Think you can cut it?

Read on.

Photo: TreyGuinn

Successful (read: happy) expats don’t …

- Mind being broke
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the international company of your dreams called you up and offered you a six-figure salary , but only if you’d agree to set up house in your favorite international country?

Sure, it would …

But in reality, that doesn’t really happen.

Many expats choose to live in another country, even though they know they’d make more money back “home.” They have given up years of hard work, connections and networking to live the life many people dream of living.

- Focus on material things
This may have more to do with the aforementioned trait than anything else, but the happiest expats I know don’t hyper-focus on stuff. We know that no matter how much we might love our old dresser back home, it just isn’t gonna make the move with us.

We understand that things are replaceable. People and experiences are not.

- Ever stop dreaming
Although non-expats think living in another country is a dream, real expats know the dream has just begun. We are always looking to the future and thinking about new, exciting projects and wondering what else our new countries have in store for us.

We aren’t content just living the dream. We want to make the most of that dream.

There are also some things I’ve noticed happy expats DO. Be sure to check on My Bella Vita next week for Part II of Is Expat Life Right For You?

Cherrye Moore is an American freelance writer living in southern Italy. In addition to AffordableCallingCards.net, she writes about living and traveling in Calabria on her site, My Bella Vita. Comments and messages are welcome on both sites.

Written by

Deby Novitz

I love my Sundays in Argentina.  They are much different than the Sundays I had when I lived in the USA.  When I lived in California, I wanted to be shut away from the world.  Sunday was the day when I could be alone.  No noise.  No traffic.  No clients. I would be secluded in my big house with all my things.  I could do house projects.  I would rarely leave unless it was to go to Home Depot or maybe the Ace Hardware.  If I was in a relationship,  then we would be secluded together.  What a weird attitude!  I cannot believe that I used to live such a bizarre existence.

Here I am exactly the opposite.  My Sundays are all about being with my friends and at times with their families.  Sometimes my Sundays are planned, but often times not.  Argentines can be very spontaneous.  It is what I love about living here.  I am never alone.  There is always someone who wants to do something.

My Sundays always start with Maximiliana, my demonic puppy.  She is about a year old.  She was given to me by my dog walker Juan Carlos.  He found her abandoned under a bridge.  My dog that I had come to Buenos Aires with had died.  She was 13.  I was sure I did not want another dog.  But here we are.  The demonic puppy from hell and me.  Actually she is much better now.  She has moved up from abandoned street dog to “Palermo’s most spoiled puppy.”  I suppose knowing you don’t have to scratch gum off the sidewalk to eat makes a difference.

We spend a couple hours at the dog park on Malabia and Costa Rica.  It is great for both of us.  Maxi has her friends.  She is partial to the beagle in the pink collar and the 8 month old doggo.  Of course any dog she can have chase her around the plaza is game for friendship.  I have the other doggy “mothers” to talk to.   Once Maxi is sufficiently worn out we go home.

Her afternoon (unless I have to give her bath which is another adventure altogether)consists of a snack and a nap.  Just like a 3 year old.  My afternoon is just going to start.  I have a friend coming over to bring the little demon treats from Costco and then we are going to lunch.

My friend comes just after I get home and wakes Maxi up.  She is grumpy until she realizes he has “cookies”.  Totally cool and new cookies.  He becomes her new best friend.  We give her a large biscuit and she goes back into her crate.  We take off.

I am showing my friend Palermo on our way to the restaurant. I am not cutting through either of the plazas as I know they will be a zoo.  My friend is here for tango and he is talking about it non-stop.  I am used to it.  I dance and teach tango, and I perform.  My tango life is different than the tourists who come here.  They are looking for something different.  So I just listen.  He is mesmerized by the whole scene.

We reach the Lebanese restaurant that I love. I discovered it when I first moved here.  I was so sick of Argentine food – pasta, pizza, empanadas.  Ethnic food is not exactly abundant or very good here. A friend and I found this restaurant and ate here 3 times in a week and then twice a week for 2 months.  I know the whole family.

After we find a table, I get up to go greet the mom.  I kiss her and ask her how she is doing.  Her grandson is crying.  I ask him what is wrong.  Grandma says he is an “attorante.”  (someone lazy who doesn’t want to work)  I kiss the daughter, the son-in-law, and the brother.  This is Buenos Aires, we kiss a lot here.

We eat a lovely lunch.  I ask for a hot sauce they do not have on the menu and do not tell many people about.  They also put more spices in my food.  They make it “estilo liban” for me.  I could eat their hummus all day long with tabbouli.

After lunch we walk back towards my apartment.  I tell my friend I want to check out a feria they are having near the dog park.  When they were testing the sound system it drove Maxi nearly psycho. It is a “Feria de los Judios” (A Jewish street fair) for the new year.  Too many people.  We push through and we check things out.

We decide to have a coffee near my house.  My friend is still yakking about tango.  I remember when I was that way.  Funny, how things change.  I love my tango, maybe even more so now.  But in a much different way.  It is getting cold.  We finish our cortados and go back to my apartment.  It is time for La Demonia to go out.

My friend says he will walk her with me and then take off.  He wants to go dance tonight.  Maxi is thrilled to be with the bearer of the cookies.  After a short walk we say goodbye.  It is still early, only 7:00 pm.  As we head into the building my cell rings.  It is my friend Miguel, I answer and he says “Que tal nena, que haces?”

I moved to Buenos Aires in 2004 from California. I have a small bed & breakfast for tango dancers, I write, do translations, teach English, and of course dance tango. You can find more about my life in Buenos Aires on my blog TangoSpam:LaVida Con Deby

Portrait of a Gap-Year Student

I didn’t even know what a “gap-year” was before I moved to Buenos Aires. No one in my social circle ever took them. But after moving, I have run into several young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who are taking a break for a few weeks or a few months between one of their college years, and South America is attractive due to its low cost of living. Most of my encounters with gap-years were soon after I arrived, usually when weary of hearing Spanish all day, I would strike up a conversation at the nearest table where I heard a familiar “yeah,… like… yeah, like….”and eventually end up hanging out for an evening.  But there are some lessons I have learned from cavorting with backpack-toting vagabonds 15–[ahem]–or more–years younger than me.

1. A gap-year has a greater party-endurance and shorter recovery time than I do.
20-somethings are bouncy. They have the ability to drink from five in the afternoon ‘till five in the morning, jump around on the dance floor like a jack-in-the-box, stumble home drunk, and wake up the next day with a smile and a hankering to go parasailing. I need to remember this the next time someone invites me to an all-night pub crawl. I recover from alcohol in dog years. (Or they do. I always get that mixed up.)

2. A gap-year has never had a real job.
This is related to the last one, but deserves its own subject. Even if you don’t end up drinking copious amounts of alcohol with a gap-year, you might eventually hear the phrase “What time do you have to be up in the morning?” This is ENTIRELY THE WRONG QUESTION. The right question is: “What do you have to DO in the morning?” It makes a difference whether you have to show up at eight ready to serve coffee as a barista or deliver a business proposal to a prestigious client. Or perform brain surgery. Or strap someone into a harness for parasailing.

3. They are not married.
Now, I can appreciate the “OMG, that guy (or gal) is so frickin’ gorgeous!”  as much as anybody, but…… I have the person I am going home with (or to). I don’t need to hunt. Go ahead, enjoy the hunt, but when you start talking about whether you are wearing the appropriate underwear, it’s my queue to go home. (And if you are a married man in BsAs, it’s your queue as well. I won’t expand on it, but you know what I am talking about. Call your wife and tell her you love her.)

4. Don’t have a political conversation, unless you can keep it very short, or right before you are about to leave.
Because they are ideologues. I was, wasn’t I? So are they. I wouldn’t listen to anyone when I was twenty-two. Neither will they.

5. They are poor.
Nothing against being poor, I was poor when I was twenty-two. Most of us were. Not to be snobby, but it feels slightly inappropriate to offer to pay for someone’s meal when you have just met, and a gap-year needs to watch their budget. I can only eat so many three-peso empanadas before I tire of them. And I have been living here long enough to get tired of the local cuisine, and crave something different. Something different in Buenos Aires usually means paying more for “ethnic” food.

***********

I know the above are blatant stereotypes. The differences between me and a gap-year student really say more about me than about them. I’m not as young as I used to be. I have a job, a marriage, and I don’t go cavorting as much as I used to. And I never took a gap year myself, so perhaps I am a little jealous. But I know that this experience will be a formative one for them going forward, and I really do wish all of them the very best.

The lesson here is that while socializing with those who are “finding themselves,” I found out a lot about me.

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