About blueskies2008

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Female

Currently Lives:

Asia side, Istanbul, Turkey

Citizen Of:

United States

Past Expat Posts:

Myanmar

Serbia

Kazakhstan

Advice for New Expats

Listen more than talk. Watch more than talk. Laugh with others and cry privately. It is wonderful and stressful and it all changes. What I thought was the way to do it turns out to be only one way to do it. What offends may be culturally based. Try to understand more than be understood. Take less than you think you need but keep some of your "roots" with you. Set up internet accounts that can keep you connected to home(s) and friends. Have your finances cleared and ready to be done online. Have a good friend or family member receive your mail and begin to get it all online. Find the common ground and the good. Keep a log of your impressions and opinions along with your photos. Bring comfortable shoes.

HR/Relo
Professional:

Provider of Expat-Related Services & Products

Favorite Cuisine:

Spicy

Favorite Museum:

Art and History

Some Forum Posts:

Burma: US citizen entering Burma from Thailand?:

Bangkok has a Myanmar Embassy and issues visas to travel to Myanmar for work, tourism, and spiritual/meditation. Each has restrictions of duration. You can show up and line up early in the morning and have a visa by afternoon usually. It might take another day. New Dehli also can issue visas but you drop it off one day and pick it up the next day..hopefully.

Bangladesh: Tourism in Bangladesh:

What are the places to see and what are the things to do in Dhaka and other places in Bangladesh? How do you arrange a trip to Bhutan from Bangladesh?

Turkey: Motorhome Rental:

Gas and insurance can be expensive and trafffic horrible in Istanbul. Most people fly and then rent a car locally as the hotels are cheap to expensive your choice. Food is wonderful and cheap. Others take the bus which are modern and comfortable. I don't think I have ever seen an RV here come to think of it.

Kazakhstan: Life in Almaty:

I just moved here and am amazed at the cost of living given the lack of amenities. Health club-ranges from $20 to swim an hour and up. Head of cabbage-$4.00. Typical grocery bill for a single is 100 a week. Eating out is expensive. They ticket yellow tagged cars ...rather repeatedly get bribes for no traffic error if you are an expat. The air is polluted so you can only see the mountains in the spring and fall...convection pressure keeps the pollution in the city other times. I have lived in isolated places but they usually are not this pricey. HOpe you got a supplmental income as I did not get it for hardship situation....I am looking for new work and will stay only if I don't like the new offers.

Date Joined:

3/3/2008

Total Posts:

4

Posts/Day:

0.00