Here are some highlights from a Culture Shock Report from Roquebrun, France:

What are some things you appreciate most about the new culture?

Pace of life in the village, availability of high quality fresh food and wine, friendliness of the people and willingness to work with my language shortcomings, lack of rampant materialism compared to the US, secular nature of the society, ongoing traditions. I am in a winemaking village in the Languedoc.

What are the most challenging aspects of the new culture?

Becoming fluent in French and being patient with the inordinate amount of time bureaucratic things take to be accomplished. Dealing with the utility companies, internet, etc. is very frustrating, as it takes months to get some things taken care of that would take hours or days in the U.S.

Did you “commit” any embarrassing or humorous cultural blunders? If you did and you’d like to share them, please do tell!

Several times I have mistaken one word for another in French, so gave a funny response. Everyone finds it amusing, but it has been funny rather than embarrassing. Best one was at the notaires, I’m buying a house and was there with the seller and we are talking with the notaire about the transaction. He confirms that I am paying cash, and I reply yes I am contented. There is an expression for paying cash that sounds exactly like, Are you contented? – I was unfamiliar with that terminology, so we all had a good laugh about that.

Please take the time to provide your culture shock report for anywhere (and everywhere!) that you have lived abroad. Remember how challenging it was when you moved abroad – this first hand information is what expats appreciate most while they prepare themselves to take the expatriate plunge!

Health care is one of the most important aspects of an expatriate adventure. It does not matter if you are working abroad for a corporation or trekking through the Alps writing a novel. It is foolhardy to ignore it.

Telegraph.co.uk has added an article for expats about the Canadian health care system, and British expats in particular will find it useful as it compares it to the British system:

Britons emigrating to Canada do not necessarily need to show evidence of medical insurance at port of entry, unlike many countries. But they are expected to buy temporary private insurance within five days of arriving in their province or territory. If this deadline is overlooked, insurance companies may refuse coverage.

The officially recommended period for which temporary cover should be bought is three months. To avoid a long period before you can use medicare, you should apply on arrival for a state medical card from your province or territory.

This level of specificity is very helpful for expats, and those that take the time to read the article will find a great deal more to get primed for what they’ll need to do to manage their health care in Canada.

One of the key factors for parents when they evaluate whether or not to accept an expatriate assignment is the impact that it will have on their children. And for good reason. Family issues rank atop the list of problems that cause expatriate assignment failure.

Peter Foster, Telegraph.co.uk’s Beijing correspondent, wonders aloud in an interesting article as to whether or not the expat life should be “inflicted” on children. One thing he confesses are his motivations:

So why did we come? Well, I know why I came. I was lured by the challenge of reporting on the story of the century: the great conundrum that is China and its role in the emerging post-Cold War order. No foreign correspondent worth his expenses would pass up that assignment. But it’s also fair to ask what’s in it for my wife and children, beyond a lungful of soot particles and a life cooped up like battery hens in a Beijing high-rise.

Whatever the motivation, the reality is that some children will benefit from the experience and some will look back on it with total disdain. Of course, that’s a very black-and-white analysis, and there will be many more former expats that will fall somewhere between these extremes when they assess their life abroad as kids. Mr. Foster’s telling of his experience is interesting and informative. But he is one man telling one expatriate family’s story. Our experience on ExpatExchange.com over the course of the last 13 years and interacting with thousands of expats has been that has been exactly what is stated above – some love it, some hate it, and some think it’s just okay!

English expats in New York are not a rare sighting. You’ll encounter them all over the city doing as many different things as you would any old run-of-the-mill American. The BBC.co.uk has a wonderful slide show about British expats in New York City that focuses on the work of photographer Jason Bell:

His [Bell's] photographic results – published in a new book ‘An Englishman in New York’ – are on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London. BBC Radio 4’s magazine programme Broadcasting House travelled to the US – and caught up with Jason, and some of his subjects.

My favorite part of this slide show is the variation of professions that are represented. It would be interesting to hear the perspectives of Americans and British with regard to the views expressed about New York City. American expats in London who would like a taste of home might find this a great way to spend an afternoon!

Future or current expats: imagine having to live on the streets of a Middle Eastern city. Many expats think that this could never happen to them. Without careful attention to details, local laws and customs, this CAN happen to anyone:

Nicholas Warner, a British man who has been living rough on the streets of Dubai, is travelling back to the UK.

With help from locals and an expat sponsor, he obtained the release of his passport from the authorities.

Mr Warner had been sleeping in parks and public places around the city for nearly 12 weeks.

He said his problems began when he got into a dispute with his bank, Emirates NBD, initially over whether his credit card repayments had been made.

The U.A.E. in particular has seen so many expats from all over the world flee their debt, it is not surprising that something like this could happen. It’s unlikely that Mr. Warner is the only person that has been put in this situation. As the article doesn’t delve into the details over the dispute, what’s clear is that as an individual expat Mr. Warner was powerless to garner the release of his passport for a long period of time.

We’ve received incredible insight over the years from the experienced expats that have shared their knowledge on ExpatExchange. Many of these expats have lived in a handful of countries and are well respected by those that are considering a move abroad or those that have only lived overseas for a short period of time.

Even these experienced expats pale in comparison to Heidi, who has written about her LONG expat journey on Telegraph.co.uk:

Travel well and truly forced its way into my bloodstream and I have continued to incorporate this transient lifestyle into my adulthood. Since leaving home, I have lived as an expat in America, Canada, Thailand, India and New Zealand, being anything from a secretary to an orphanage volunteer. I have been to more than 42 countries (and counting) and never stayed anywhere for more than four years.

Everyone else just seems to be a rookie compared to Heidi, don’t they?

Culture Shock exists on a spectrum. Some expats get a little, some expats get a lot, and there are a lot of people that fall somewhere in between the extremes.

So, there will be people that simply are not prepared or unable to cope with what they encounter when they move to a new country and culture. And just because someone happens to do well on one assignment does not mean they will be able to adjust to another.

Here’s an example of one expatriate’s reaction to Saudi Arabia, which can be found in his Saudi Arabia Culture Shock Report for the cities of Dammam, Riyadh, Najran, Khafji:

How significant was the culture shock you experienced when you moved abroad?

Mind Boggling

Did you receive any cross-cultural training for your move abroad? If yes, was it before or after the move?

Yes, before I have lived and worked all over the U.S. and Korea while traveling to Japan, Viet Nam, Thailand and now I live in The Philippines.

What are the most challenging aspects of the new culture?

[I] found it very frustrating to be always “negotiating” more time off with the students. On one hand I was required to teach and on the other hand, not to push the students too hard because they would report my efforts at maintaining classroom decorum as being “culturally insensitive.”

Share your Culture Shock Report on ExpatExchange.com!

Culture shock. On some level every expat experiences it. Yet, one of the more interesting aspects of the expatriate experience is Reverse Culture Shock. You know…the reality that the adjustment to one’s native culture can be just as difficult as the tranistion abroad in the first place.

A slightly different take on Reverse Culture Shock popped up on the Expat Blog on Telegraph.co.uk. Instead of a focus on a move home, it addresses what one British expat noticed on a trip home:

After 12 years in Dubai, driving on the M25 was as civilised an experience as a visit to the opera. There was no under-cutting, no lane-swerving, no mad camera-dodging; none of the random driving that you see every day in Dubai. Kids were even in car seats. The words “Stay in lane” actually meant something. People queued in the right lanes – nobody forged up the hard shoulder and barged in at the top.

We’ve addressed Reverse Culture Shock in the past on the ExpatExchange Blog, and here’s another article on the topic of Repatriation. And here’s one more for good measure: a Reverse Culture Shock Checklist.

It’s always of great interest to hear the things that shock an expat upon return. Feel free to share your thoughts here or to this post about Reverse Culture Shock on our Expat Global Forum.

Expats often feel there is little to love about how they are regarded – legally – by their native countries. While living abroad, many feel they are treated like second-class citizens in terms of things like taxes, voting, citizenship and other issues. Each nation is a little different, and this article from The Globe And Mail about the Downside of Expat Life for Canadian citizens highlights that reality:

Kenny Zhang, a researcher with the Vancouver-based Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, argues that government policies punish so-called transnational Canadians. For example, naturalized Canadian citizens living abroad can not pass on citizenship to children born outside the country. Also, a Canadian who lives abroad for more than five years is no longer permitted to vote in federal elections.

The article also highlights some high profile Canadian expats. The article notes the importance stated by surveyed expats with regard to maintaining their Canadian identity. The vast majority also indicate that they intend to return to Canada.

Interesting to note that Rugby will be added to the Olympic slate in 2016, when the games will be hosted in Rio. Not only have expat women been playing Rugby in Asia, but one has even played on some of the men’s teams there!

Alana Padilla, 30, is a Filipino expat who has lived in Hangzhou, China for three years:

She was instrumental in making the Hangzhou Harlequins Men’s 15s side a competitive team, after it was originally founded by Brit Simon Whitton in 2006. She plays in the men’s 15s matches. She also plays for Shanghai’s women’s sevens team, Shanghai Sharks. She said she was “honoured” to play in the first ever Philippines national women’s team. She added: “I am very proud that we shut out the four teams we faced on Sunday.”

It will be very exciting to see Rugby added in the Olympics in 2016. Now, is American Football next!?