ExpatExchange Blog

One might think that it’s easy for Australian artists to make their mark in the U.S., especially given the impact that Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and more have made there. But it’s not so easy for musicians, according to singer Guy Sebastian. Obviously, there’s a lot of thought that goes into marketing artists, and some managers have decided to not label their clients as Australians at all:

“I don’t want to push the Australian angle when I’m breaking bands in America or in England,” Donovan said. When I took Grinspoon over to the UK we actually did deals with our promoters not to put us on backpacker shows, not to promote us in TNT, the Aussie backpacker magazine, and keep us away from all that. Otherwise the English view us as just a backpacker band to perform to the expats.”

Read more about Aussie Expat Bands

A British expat couple that was attacked by a man with a machete at his home are now recovering. The man, Peter Green, who moved there with his wife a few years ago, is now conscious, breathing on his own and recovering from his wounds. His wife has already gone home for appropriate medical care. Crime is a problem in the area, and there have been other attacks on foreigners there recently. The attack took place on August 1st.

One of the realities of living in another country is that there are often members of any society that may not appreciate the prospect of foreigners moving there. We all know this. While this could have been a simple robbery, it involves an expat and it is another reminder to everyone that moves abroad that precautions have to be taken. While we all are aware that there are dangers in our own societies, there are local, cultural and geopolitical realities that one must take into account before moving overseas. Do your homework, even if you have been living overseas for a while now!

As interconnected as the world has grown to be, one can be certain that the various economies throughout the world will not recover at the same time. We’ve been keeping an eye out to see what pops up on the various news websites that will offer a hint at what’s finally coming around. Here’s an article from Timesonline.co.uk that indicates that the property market in London is warming up once again.

While it’s certainly not a glowing report, it does make one think that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

For anyone that is WSJ.com subscriber, here is another article that indicates the same thing about the London property market, which should be good for potential expats interested in buying there.

What are expats in the U.K. seeing or hearing? We’d love to know!

There have been numerous articles written recently about expats and US health care reform. Many of these articles tell the stories of US expats in the UK and their personal experiences with the National Health Services (N.H.S.). An August 15th article in the New York Times, Health Care in Britain: Expat Goes for a Checkup, by Sarah Lyall, a London correspondent for The Times and author of “The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British.” She explains, “For me, the health service was a godsend when my husband suffered a severe stroke in the 1990s. He got exemplary critical care; I did not get a bill.” Soon after his stroke, they learned that they did have private insurance through her husband’s employer. With that, they realized that they received much speedier care with private insurance. When he needed a sophisticated blood test, they were told that he would have to wait four months for the test. When they mentioned that they had private insurance, the nurse said that he could come in the next day. The stories have been so numerous that a Twitter campaign was launched - We Love the NHS. The campaign is helped both by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Conservative Party leader David Cameron.

Let’s get our own discussion rolling on the health care debate… what are your experiences as expats with public and private health care systems around the world? What type of health care reform do you feel would work best in the United States? Do you use public health care services abroad? Be sure to mention what country you reside in when you post a comment!

In a shrinking world with a contracting job market, people are more and more willing to go where the opportunities are. Even if that means leaving the (perceived) security of one’s own country. NYTimes.com recently posted an article about young Americans - those in school or just out - taking jobs in China.

As young Americans begin to take in the fastest growing market in the world, one begins to wonder how long the trend will continue. Is this something that will continue for a year? A few years? Decades?

The reasons for the Americans going to China varies, from wanting to do something “off the beaten path” to finding opportunities that aren’t ordinarily available to someone in their early twenties.

And there are benefits for the employers, too. Those mentioned in the article include the new hires having the abililty to communicate with and navigate western markets, and an ability to seek opportunities take initiative rather than just take orders.

It will be interesting to see what comes of young American expats in China.

One of the obvious topics that revolves around expats is the impact that they can have on the host country’s culture. Typically, we don’t read a lot of posts on our forums that center on religion. For that reason, here’s an interesting article about the use of French Catholic chapels by expatriate English Anglicans:

“An English Anglican has the right to take Holy Communion in a French Roman Catholic church, which is not allowed anywhere else,” added Reverend Paul Vrolijk, Chaplain of the regional Anglican Diocese and unofficial diplomat.

“An important factor for this peaceful cohabitation is a long if tangled mutual history that includes the Hundred Years War in the Middle Ages, and a more recent ban on churches poaching each other’s followers.

“We are not trying to steal their sheep,” said Dutch-born Vrolijk. “Our mission is very clear — it only includes English-speakers.”

Any opinions or observations expats living in France would be welcome on our forum for Expats in France

Perhaps more than anyone else, single expats are confronted with the opporunity to marry someone from another country. What are the implications of an expat marrying someone from another culture?

A somewhat related study reports that, based upon a certain methodology, that men from certain countries produce men that are more likely to pitch in around the house, thus making for happier homes:

Economist and Researcher Almudena Sevilla-Sanz from Oxford University said that the “study shows that in egalitarian countries there is less social stigma attached to men doing what was traditionally women’s work. This leads to men in egalitarian societies taking on more of a domestic role so the likelihood of forming a harmonious household becomes greater, resulting in a higher proportion of couples setting up households in these countries.”

Even from those that are married abroad, it would be very interesting to hear the opinions of expatriates on this study.

One wonders though, does the study’s author have one view of what makes a happy home? As a therapist, one of the first things you learn to do is check your values at the door. Interesting that it’s an economist that produced this study, and not someone with formal training in family dynamics or something similar. It will be interesting to read the full published article.

For those interested in learning more about the study’s author and her organization at Oxford, visit the Centre for Time Use Research web site.

According to Live and Invest Overseas recent article, The World’s Top 12 Overseas Retirement Havens, La Barra, Uruguay is the best place for sophisticated seaside retirement. “This is oceanside living that’s also cosmopolitan and international. La Barra is a tidy town of neat white houses perched on a peninsula that stretches into the clear blue Atlantic. It’s a small, walkable city that boasts the comforts, amenities, services, distractions, and entertainments of much bigger ocean resort communities, minus the high-rises and the tourist trappings. The beaches are among the best in Uruguay. The cost of living is low. Yes, you could live for a little less elsewhere in Uruguay–in Atlántida or Salto, for example–but, in La Barra, you’re buying a higher standard of living. La Barra is this country’s (and one of the worlds’) best seaside choices,” writes Kathleen Peddicord.