Who? Why? How?

We’re here to look at who decides to live overseas, why they do, and how they accomplish it. There are probably as many reasons to live outside of your native country as there are people who do so. In my case, my husband and I realized several years ago that, if we stay here, we will never be able to afford to retire. Add to this my lifelong desire to spend significant time in another country, and we began looking at the possibilities of retiring overseas. But that’s not the only reason, not by a long shot! More

A Video Look at Some Expat Destinations

For a change of pace today, I thought I’d share with you some YouTube videos about expats and their new homes. A quick YouTube search of “expat” turns up over 4,000 videos. As you’d expect, some are good, some are terrible and most are in between. Some are slick, commercially produced efforts, most

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A Hundred Million Miracles

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This entry is part 15 of 19 in the series Expat Books and Movies

A Review of the Movie Flower Drum Song

“A hundred million miracles are happening every day.”

That’s the opening song in the movie, Flower Drum Song, and the theme that sparkles throughout the entire musical. Flower Drum Song is also the story of cultures on collision courses with each other – East vs. West, traditional

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Where in the World Do Employees Get the Most Time Off?

According to a survey by Mercer, it’s not who you might think! By looking at a country’s statutory annual leave, statutory holidays and public holidays, they compiled a list of where employees get the most time off. One caveat: it’s based on what an employee working a five-day week for 10 years is

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End-of-Year Lists

International Living’s annual Quality of Life Index. Every year, IL produces a Quality of Life index, which usually differs quite a bit from their recommendations on best places to retire. France has topped the list for several years running.

France (was #1 last year as well)
Australia (moved up from #5 in 2009)
Switzerland (down one

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First Impressions - China

Desi Downey is the author of the book NiHowdy, her recently published account of her six years in China as a trailing spouse. We appreciate Desi sharing her first impression of her adopted country. Scroll down for a link to purchase the book.

Five Stages of Culture Shock

I just finished reading a truly excellent article over at Expat Exchange. In Culture Shock: It’s the Little Things that Count in the Biggest Ways, author Desi Downey identifies five stages of culture shock:

  • Honeymoon/Tourist
  • Irritation-to-Anger
  • Rejection/Regression
  • Integration/Assimilation
  • Reverse or

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