Family Life Abroad: expatriate articles by experienced expats
Family Life Abroad
 
 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

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Gustav Klimt - Three Ages of Woman (Detail)
Three Ages of Woman (Detail)



Henri Martin - Sunny Day in Venice
Sunny Day in Venice








Articles
You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed by sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see? You hang around cafés.

It sounds like a swell life.                                       Hemingway

  • The Cat Lady of Karczmiska Drugie    ~one life at a time
  • The Blind Expat    ~it's not that you don't see, you see...it's just that you don't notice
  • Wild About Artichokes    ~it's windy, you've got goats on your roof, but you're under Ionian skies
  • Dreams in Japan    ~an ending, a beginning
  • A Woman in China    ~interview with author, Jan Alexander, on the hybrid nature of Asia
  • The Flavor of Ireland    ~Celts, horses, wild seas and Irish speak
  • The Grief of Moving On    ~moving successfully with children
  • Ugly American    ~picking potatoes in my underwear
  • Curiosity: a traveler's trait    ~education (or not!) on a daily basis: an expat's life

  • Culinary Culture Shock    ~hometown food nostalgia
  • Every Day is Children's Day!    ~happy holidays: is once a month too much?
  • Spousal satisfaction: expat spousal survey data becoming policy    ~the forgotten spouse, an expatriate victim
  • Meathead's Wife: an American in Poland (Part Three)    ~unilingual English in a tiny Polish village: how the heck do you throw a successful birthday party for your six-year old?
  • An Added Dimension: saying good-bye    ~friends leaving - an expat reality
  • American Observations on New Zealand     ~beer, boobs & samurai swords
  • On Cultural Differences - first impressions of Brussels    ~it's one fair dinkum place - give it a burl!
  • Choppin in my PJs: an expat's moment of truth     ~ever think you're living a National Geographic special?
  • The Saints in Spain     ~will the real Sinte Claas please stand up
  • Female Assignees: Lessons Learned     ~truth vs fallacy
  • French Connections     ~sex and hot water bottles
  • A Matter of Permanence     ~for now I'm here to stay
  • Back to the Wall     ~does EU enlargement mean a new Iron Curtain?
  • Taking Your Horse to the Water     ~which language shall we speak today, dear?
  • An Expatriate of Notions     ~leaving it all behind
  • Quiet Beginnings    ~ are we hurting our children?
  • Halloween in a Graveyard    ~honouring the dead
  • Do You Speak OPOL?    ~ bloomin' bilingualism
  • Going Postal on Providenciales    ~the speed of conversation
  • The Flavor of Ireland    ~ preserving Irish culture in the U.S.
  • Safe Air Travel with Children    ~tips from the source
  • Kimch'i in Bangkok    ~ interview with author, Tim Leffel
  • Bilingual Betrayal    ~speaking in tongues and eavesdropping
  • Taking out the Garbage    ~some things never change
  • The Stubborn Expat    ~ persistent humour
  • The Importance of being Edith    ~ environmentally limited language skills
  • Push Not the River    ~a book by James Conroyd Martin author interview
  • Parenting Abroad    ~absolutes quicksand
  • Adaptability: an expat necessity    ~it's a matter of attitude and acceptance
  • Meathead's Wife: an American in Poland (Part One)    ~first impressions
  • America in a Box: perfect gifts for the expatriate    ~sometimes it's the little things you miss most of all
  • MOM! There's a Dinosaur in the Bathroom! (a homeschooling adventure)    ~home pre-school takes on a whole new meaning when you're living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, Poland
  • Saved by the Net: the expatriate lifeline     ~homesick? call home - culturally isolated? get on the Net!
  • Emily's Hot-Pink Umbrella: a child's story    ~helping your child overcome cultural and language barriers is part of the expatriate package -- but conquering a mad rooster was a bit out of my scope
  • Staring Contest: expatriates changing to fit in     ~starched white lace curtains in tar-paper shacks: it's all about appearance
  • Fat Cats: perception of America's wealth abroad     ~the envy behind the hatred of America
  • The Global Village    ~does living overseas make us more sophisticated?
  • Meathead's Wife: an American in Poland (Part Two)    ~do you cut YOUR grass with an instrument of death?
  • Hopping and Hoping    ~and you thought avoiding pot holes was hard!
  • The Witches' Market    ~Bolivia: where you too can buy a dried llama foetus for protection from evil spirits
  • Living on High Alert    ~having children brings the terror closer


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    Travel Tips:
    "Worried about losing the kids in the crush? Dress the family in identical bright colors with emergency-only whistle-necklaces. Laminated ID cards sewn onto canvas sneakers will get you reunited should you get separated."
    "Take a (deflated) beachball in the carry-on. The kids can play at the airport during an interminable lay-over; it won't hurt anyone or get lost and you can let the air out when your flight's (finally!) called."
    ~
    "Let toddlers run off steam in the terminal during your lay-over. (Who says you can only ride once on the moveable sidewalk?) London's Heathrow, for instance, has some activities for little ones (free face-painting and washable tatoos plus a small play area) where yours can meet up with other kids and play a little. I wish there were indoor playgrounds for some energetic play, but I haven't found that yet. Keep posted!"
    ~



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