RSS Feed
Search I Was An Expat Wife
-
Most Popular Posts
Archives
Pages
Tag Archives: Canadian
Missing the Parade of Nations this UN Day
UN Day just isn’t the same without the Parade of Nations. Today, October 24th, marks the 66th anniversary of the ratification of the Charter of the United Nations. I confess I’d never even heard of UN Day until we moved … Continue reading
Posted in Identity, Singapore, Third Culture Kids
Tagged Canadian, culture, expat life, identity, Parade of Nations, Singapore, TCKs, UN Day
10 Comments
Canadian English spoken here
Writing Monday’s post about Singlish reminded me of all the times I’ve put my foot in my mouth trying to make myself understood in a foreign country. (In my defence, the French words for highlights and ugly people differ by … Continue reading
Posted in Identity, Language
Tagged Canada, Canadian, English, French, Great Big Sea, language
14 Comments
Working abroad? Beware the “small talk” trap
The business press is rife with horror stories about the disastrous results of intercultural miscommunication. Even when they speak the local language, expat employees are often frustrated by their inability to understand and be understood in a foreign corporate environment. … Continue reading
Posted in Adjustment, Culture Shock, Identity, Singapore
Tagged adjustment, Canadian, communication, culture, expat, locals, Singapore, small talk
16 Comments
What am I, Canadian?
Mike and Toni, who blog together at Pond Parleys, have a pretty cool set-up. He’s an American living in Britain, she’s a Briton living in America, and they regularly engage in he said/she said banter about the cultural differences they … Continue reading
Posted in Culture Shock, Identity
Tagged adjustment, Canada, Canadian, culture, culture shock, England, English, home, identity, immigrant, language
3 Comments
No paparazzi please, we’re Canadian
All over Asia, people are talking about me. And my family, of course — especially blonde, blue-eyed Younger Daughter. Long before I moved to Singapore — before I had kids, even — Japanese tourists would occasionally stop me on the … Continue reading
Posted in China, Culture Shock, Identity, Singapore, Third Culture Kids
Tagged Asia, Canada, Canadian, culture shock, expat life, expatriation, locals, Mandarin, Photos, Singapore
5 Comments
A snowstorm in Singapore
I wasn’t always Canadian. I wasn’t born here; I don’t have any Canadian blood in me. Maybe that’s why I hate winter so much: the English/Irish blood I inherited from my parents isn’t thick enough to protect me from the … Continue reading
What my unknown soldier taught me about remembrance
I’ve dutifully observed Remembrance Day my entire life. When I was young, I understood perfectly well its origins and its purpose, but I didn’t feel, in my guts, any real connection to the people I was supposed to be memorializing. … Continue reading
Posted in France
Tagged Caen, Canadian, English, France, French, kiss, Normandy, Remembrance Day
Leave a comment
Lessons learned at the table (hint: it’s not about the food)
Living abroad has changed me in many ways: I’m more open-minded, less judgmental, more conscious of differing perspectives. But here’s the thing: I’m kind of flighty. (“Surely not,” I hear you object. Alas, it’s true.) Being easily distracted by random … Continue reading
