ExpatExchange Blog

Family issues likely will always be a complication for people moving abroad. As a recent article in the International Herald Tribune points out, if an overseas employee’s family is unable to adapt to their new life, the chance of an assignment failure significantly increases. What’s more interesting, or frustrating, is that there is such a low percentage of companies that mandate cross-cultural training. There are many things that can be learned in this type of training that can enhance a family’s capacity to manage the stressors faced on an assignment. We’d love to hear feedback from anyone that has utilized cross-cultural training and what it has or has not done for them!

A new survey by ECA International, a London company, indicates that Angola’s capital, Luanda, is the costliest destination for expatriates. London and Seoul have plummeted on the list due to the depreciation of their currencies over the course of the last year.

There have been two new additions to Alan Paul’s column “The Expat Life” on WSJ.com. In the first, Alan writes about preparing to end his assignment and return home. The second is a great piece about the variety of “Chinese Food” that is much more broad and delectable than what one tends to encounter in Chinese restaurants in the U.S.

The two British citizens arrested in Dubai for having sex on a beach have dodged jail time and will instead be deported from the U.A.E.

In Kearney, NJ, thousands of Scots are excited to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day in the United States. With a strong history for Scottish expats, this community in Northern New Jersey provides the next best thing to actually going home. It’s relatively common in the United States to have a principal ethnic group or nationality in specific areas or communities. How about where you are living abroad? Anyone living in an area that is dominated by a particular group or nationality of expats? What is that like?

With the new fiscal environment created by the international financial crisis, many expats are forced to explore new avenues to land credit for housing. . Wherever in the world you currently live, what are you seeing affected by the current financial climate there?

Every time I think that Alan Paul’s blog on the WSJ, the Expat Life, couldn’t get any more interesting, it gets more and more insightful. In this recent post, he describes the U.S. Presidential Election in China, and also ads political and historical context to what it has meant to live abroad while Bush has been in office these last several years. Every time I post about this blog, I find I have to state again what a shame it is that Alan will be moving home soon and unable to continue his column from China. He will leave big shoes for the WSJ to fill.

Missing Expat Mystery

The remains of a British expat that went missing in 1979 were recently searched for in Australia. Unfortunately, the search will have to continue, as the remains found ended up being those of a sheep.

Returning Home From Paris

Another WSJ Article describes what it has been like returning to the U.S. from Paris. Interestingly, the author, Matthew Kaminski writes that “the horror stories about painful returns [he'd] heard, the so-called reverse culture shock, aren’t coming true.” As someone who is both a licensed counselor and psychotherapist that has also worked with expats for many years now, I wonder how long he has been home. Not everyone will experience reverse culture shock, but sometimes it takes a while to set in - what do you think?

Well, if you thought that Barack Obama’s big win was going to lure expats back to the good ole U.S.A., this article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer found the opposite sentiment amongst many expats that made the hop in the last few years.

Pantagraph.com has explored the world of expatriates with an article about Third-Culture Kids. Will the kids grow to be cultivated global citizens, or will they instead resent the globe-trotting inclinations of their parents as they struggle to find a way to develop effective interpersonal skills? We hear vastly differing opinions from former expat kids that are now adults. What’s your take?

Just when you thought that you could predict most of the impact of the financial crisis, there’s always a new angle you hadn’t thought of… in terms of romance. Times Online put together a piece about the romances that aren’t to be in Japan due to expats that have received pink slips and have had to return home.

Lastly, as a fan of James Bond, I would be remiss not to mention the latest installment of the series, Quantum of Solace, which is to be released this week in the U.S. Even my wife, who didn’t grow up loving the series as I did, finds the escapism of the international locations to be alluring. You can find the international release dates here on IMDb. Here is a review from MSNBC, and also the full profile for the film on IMDb.

Unfortunately, there is most likely not going to be a quick economic recovery. For people of retirement age or nearing that age, it’s terrible timing. Many have seen significant retirement savings losses.

I anticipate that many new retirees who previously planned to relocate to warmer climates may now be changing their dream destinations from places like Florida, Arizona or Portugal to more exotic, lower cost-of-living locations in Mexico, Nicaragua or Ecuador.

Do you think that retiring abroad will become more popular in the coming years? Have you changed your retirement relocation plans because of the economy? Where would you like to retire and why? Post your comments please!

Well, it’s finally here. Election day. News stations all over the world are wall-to-wall with coverage of the U.S. presidential election, as well as key races in the U.S. Congress. From Australia to India to Canada, American expats have drawn the attention of these outlets.

As the night wears on, view what’s happening on the web at:

The Wall Street Journal
The New York Times
Foxnews.com
CNN.com

If you have thoughts you want to share about the election, let us know by responding to our blog or posting it on our forums (please CLICK HERE to join our free online community for expatriates).

Early voting is well underway in the United States. Are you wondering about some of the battleground states?

What are your thoughts going into election week? This historic race has been going on for what seems like years (oh, wait, it has been years), and it will all be over soon.

Have you ever wanted to take the kids on an adventure travel excursion? Check out Alan Paul’s entry in his Wall Street Journal blog, The Expat Life, which tackles the issue with another wonderful entry. Follow Alan’s blog while he is still living abroad!

If you have thoughts you want to share about the election or Alan Paul’s column, let us know by responding to our blog or posting it on our forums (please CLICK HERE to join our free online community for expatriates).

Today we continue to keep our focus on the impact that the financial crisis will have on expats.

This article in U.S. News & World Report provides the opinion of the financial crisis from the point of view of an American expat that used to work on Wall Street.

What are your thoughts about the text? What do you see abroad that supports or detracts from what Ms. Debeljak has written?

If you see or hear anything in your day-to-day life that you think is indicative of what expats will face - or the change they will create - please let us know by responding to our blog or posting it on our forums (please CLICK HERE to join our free online community for expatriates).

Over the course of the foreseeable future, there will be considerable financial consequences all over the world for expatriates. As they are impacted, what changes will they impart to other populations? Here’s one story that reports that Aussie expats that have lived in places such as London and Singapore are returning to Australia and are buying up property all across the nation.

If you see or hear anything in your day-to-day life that you think is indicative of what expats will face - or the change they will create - please let us know by responding to our blog or posting it on our forums (please CLICK HERE to join our free online community for expatriates).