Tag: expat living
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Why Become a Part-Time Expat?
Pop quiz: What creature do you see below? OK, now what other creature can you see? Originally printed in a German humor magazine in 1892, this sketch has become a litmus test of mental flexibility. By now you’ve probably noticed it can be viewed as either a rabbit or a duck. (If you’ve identified any other…
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Meeting People & Making Friends Overseas
I love this greeting card but have to admit I’m puzzled; who are you supposed to send it to? A friend or relative who identifies as a psychopath? Your barista, with a note thanking her for not shooting your companion when he actually did order a quad shot, non fat, vanilla soy, extra foam light…
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Pets on a Plane: the Good, the Bad & the Goofy
Our pets are, of course, cherished members of the family, and bringing them with us when we move adds a whole extra layer of excitement. I’ll never forget the sensation Rich caused in the security line at Chicago O’Hare Airport when he revealed his tote bag held live goldfish, swimming around in a plastic water…
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Preparing for Your Year Abroad: a Checklist
“And suddenly you just know… it’s time to start something new and trust in the magic of new beginnings.” — Meister Eckhart, 13th century German mystic Eckhart’s sentiment seems intensely romantic, especially in a flourishing font superimposed over an exotic landscape. Cast your fate to the winds! Live your life, take chances, don’t wait! Leap and…
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Homecoming: It’s Always Something
There’s a splendid, dizzying moment, known to every expat and many travelers, when you arrive back in your home country and see it with fresh eyes. You become a bedazzled stranger in your own neighborhood, an intrepid explorer in your own backyard. Stepping across your familiar threshold, you feel like Neil Armstrong setting the first…
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Learning a Second Language at Age 77
A few days ago Rich bellowed “Karen!” with an urgency I haven’t heard since that time the pine tree in our front yard caught on fire. I raced down the hall to find him holding up a small, irregular piece of cardboard. It was the missing piece from a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, which we’d recently…
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In a Medical Emergency Abroad, Where Do You Go?
How is 2025 treating you so far? I ask because my year’s off to an extremely dubious start. Minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve, I opened a can of the traditional 12 lucky grapes that MUST be eaten as the clock chimes … and found 11 grapes. Hard not to read that as an…
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There’s No Place Like This for the Holidays
What holiday songs do you find teeth-grindingly irritating? Is there one that makes you want to clap your hands over your ears and run screaming out of the department store? The public-spirited editors of USA Today compiled a list of the worst of the worst, the top ten most horrible yuletide carols of all time.…