April 25, 2005 Sponsor: Resume Edge Article: Building an Expat Identity: Who am I if I'm not from here? Sponsor: Access USA Mail Forwarding Quiz of the Week Job Opportunities Article: Measures for the Administration of Commercial Franchise Operations Property of the Week Travel Warnings Hot Topics on the Forums Subscribe/Unsubscribe Building an Expat Identity: Who am I if I'm not from here? View Full Article By Dina Zavrski-Makaric "Historians and archaeologists will one day discover that the ads of our time are the richest and most faithful reflections that any society ever made of its entire range of activities." - Marshall McLuhan SPONSOR: Resume Edge - Resume & Cover Letter Assistance By providing powerful, distinctive resumes that consistently win interviews, our hand-picked team of certified resume writers have helped thousands of clients articulate their qualifications and land jobs at the nation's top employers, from Microsoft, Cisco, and Goldman Sachs to McKinsey, AT&T, and the federal government. Click now for details. Who am I if I'm not from here? View Full Article By Dina Zavrski-Makaric, Challenging Directions I am an expatriate, and will remain one, unless I am in my country of birth, in which case I am a repatriate. I guess, once you move countries, you acquire a tag of some kind to being a 'patriate'. I landed in Sydney on 13th November 1988. I was 30 years old, with two children, 1 and 2 years old, and 5 suitcases. I was greeted by temperature in low thirties, humidity close to a 100% and my husband, who arrived in Sydney two weeks before, to 'settle us in'. In line with research studies, the first 3 months were a honeymoon. Everything was new and exciting; the weather was great, beaches beautiful. (Read More) SPONSOR: Access USA Mail Forwarding Have your own private U.S. Street Address! Access USA is a "Best of Breed" mail forwarding, consolidation & re-shipping company with thousands of customers all over the world. International consumers often can recognize a savings of 50% or greater on retail international shipping rates. Click here for more information or to sign up! Test Your Global IQ with our Weekly Quiz. To check your answers, Click Here. 1.) Approximately how far are the Galapagos Islands from mainland Ecuador? 2.) Ceviche is: A.) Hot coffee drink with a touch of coconut milk. B.) Traditional dance of the Shuar people. C.) Seafood dish marinated in lemon and onions. D.) Music that accompanies a funeral procession. 3.) Avenida Amazonas is located in which city/town? A.) Quito B.) Cuenca C.) Otavalo D.) Mishahualli 4.) True or False? Ecuador was controlled by the Aztec Indians prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. 5.) Simon Bolivar's Birthday, July 24th, is observed in Ecuador and what other country? A.) Colombia B.) Venezuela C.) Chile D.) Spain Advertise to 100,000 Worldwide! ExpatExchange.com welcomes 90-120,000 visitors per month. Our site and newsletter are great places to advertise to expats, future transferees, international employers and relocation professionals. For a copy of our Media Kit & Advertising Rate Card, please click here or e-mail us at advertising@expatexchange.com. Is your company listed in our Resource Guide? Click here to add your listing. View All Job Listings | Add Listing (15 day free trial period) Mystery Shopper View Details Multisearch GmbH (Sweden) University Sports Coordinator View Details Marquee (China) Sign Up Here for our bi-weekly Job & Classified Update e-mail to receive new job listings and classifieds by e-mail. Measures for the Administration of Commercial Franchise Operations View Full Article By Greg Sy, Lehman, Lee & Xu China Lawyers On December 31, 2004 the Ministry of Commerce promulgated the Measures for the Administration of Commercial Franchise Operations, which became effective on February 1, 2005. These Measures replace the 1997 Interim Measures for the Regulation of Commercial Franchise Operations. The new Measures, although criticized as tedious and burdensome, at a minimum, clarify the requirements, qualification and obligations of both franchisors and franchisees. Necessary qualifications of franchisor: 1. Operation of two company-owned stores for a period of one year in China; 2. Be an enterprise or other incorporated organization; 3. Own business resources such as trademarks, trade names, and business operation models, which they have rights to authorize others' use; 4. Ability to provide franchisees with long-term business guidance and training services; 5. Where the supply of goods is required by Franchise, franchisor must have a stable supply system in which quality is assured; (Read More) View All Property Listings (Sale & Rental) | Add Rental | Add Property For Sale (15 day free trial period) 2 Bedroom Apartment Near Palazzo Corsini Rome, Italy Entering this unique and special apartment on the 2nd floor of the former Museo Torlonia you find the 2 bedrooms (each with Queen size beds) and two complete bathrooms with shower-tubs. There is a balcony off of the bedrooms facing the garden. On the upper floor is the dining room, living room, separate fully equiped kitchen (with dishwasher and washing machine) and a terrace facing the Gianicolo Hill. (Full Details) Sign Up Here for our bi-weekly Real Estate & Job Classified Update e-mail to receive new rentals, properties for sale and job listings by e-mail. View all Travel Warnings Lebanon (04/21/05) Chad (04/21/05) Nicaragua (04/21/05) Central African Republic (04/20/05) Sign up for Critical Expat News to receive travel warnings as they are published by the US State Department. Panama Living in David, Panama Q: My wife and I are considering purchasing a condo in David. Does anyone know anything about the community? Are there many Americans living in David? How can I find information on the Canadian company that is building the condos? Cyprus Transporting furniture Q: Can anyone who has moved from the UK to Cyprus recommend a shipping company who can transport our furniture from our house in England to our new one in Larnaca. Preferably one that will take less than 4 weeks - I'm not sure how realistic that will be as we've been quoted at least 6 weeks. Thanks. Switzerland Moving to Lausanne w/toddler Q: My family will be moving to Lausanne for a year at the end of July. We're looking for a furnished 2 bedroom apartment for rent. Any recommendations? I'm also interested in finding groups who have scheduled play dates for moms and toddlers if anyone knows of any groups. Lastly, how hard will it be to function in day to day activities with beginner French? Thanks! Spain Moving to Valencia Q: Hoping to move to Spain in Summer 2005. Have 3 year old son and 18 year old daughter at University. Is accommodation rental very high? Can anyone suggest good neighbourhood. How easy is it to find work? Sorry about so many questions. Would love feedback from others who have moved here. Thanks. Egypt British curriculum schools in Cairo Q: Can anyone give me any feedback on either The British International School, Cairo or The New Cairo British Intenational School. We are moving to Cairo soon and will be sending our teenage children to one of these schools. Interested in any comments both good or bad. Peru Business in Peru - Advice? Q: I am considering starting a business in Peru. I have heard some warnings about starting a business overseas (i.e. locals stealing the business, barriers, etc.). I have also studied up on the payroll rules when employing Peruvians (AFP, labor laws, etc.). However, I am open to hearing any more advice or given an resources. I would certainly LOVE to speak with someone that has started a business in Peru. As with any entrepreneur, I am putting a lot of my life savings on the line to do something adventurous. Thank you! Copyright 2005 Burlingame Interactive