I was in an online ‘expat’ conversation the other day when someone suggested we do our children a disservice when we don’t assimilate to our host country. I agree with her, and go one further to ask if perhaps, even when we try to instill a “bit of the old country”, it might not help? … Read more
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 of Brits who’d go out there and then complain about everything from the heat to … Read more
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 live) she was having a bit of a moan, and recognized that, like many expats, … Read more
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 senior policy analyst Neil Ruiz of the non-profit think tank Brookings Institution. The problem is, … Read more
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” really is. What used to be familiar on your visits home, now makes you feel … Read more
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 regular mail. When I left my home country, twenty-three years ago, there was no Internet … Read more
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 even reached the end of her sentence. She’s been here for about seven years but … Read more
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 (“hummus and Pitta bread”) hadn’t even existed in the English language when she left England, … Read more
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 the web site – www.emilywinslow.com Emily is an American married to a Brit; they currently … Read more
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 miles, we are able to visit England every summer for several weeks, if not months. … Read more