Tag Archives: expat wife

Not-so-diplomatic incidents

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

I was sitting in Starbucks, waiting for Younger Daughter’s riding lesson to end, and I’d brought along a book to help pass the time. When the first laugh popped out, it took me by surprise. I checked to see if … Continue reading →

Posted in Book review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Career-planning tips for expat stay-at-home moms

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

Many expat moms decide to re-establish a career while living overseas. Careful planning is the key to a smooth transition from stay-at-home mom to working woman. Expatriate wives who are stay-at-home mothers might find that re-entering the workforce after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Working Overseas | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Loving “The Expat”

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

“Why would we move to Luxembourg?” “To make a lot of money, and travel around Europe all the time.” That’s not the opening of The Expats, a new thriller by Chris Pavone. But to most of us who are (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Book review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Families adjust better to expatriate life with support from HR

Posted on March 1, 2012 by

HR’s obligations to expatriates don’t end once they relocate abroad. Ongoing effort is required to support the family throughout the overseas assignment. Trailing spouses constantly strive for emotional homeostasis: a delicate balancing act between appreciating what they’ve gained through expat … Continue reading →

Posted in Adjustment, Culture Shock | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Le pick-up artiste

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

I was wading through my very clogged inbox yesterday and found an email I’d sent to a friend on May 11, 2006. I’d all but forgotten about this interesting encounter in the aisles of my local Auchan supermarket, but I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, France | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sh*t Expat Women Say

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

I am an expert procrastinator. I have four articles due on Thursday and another four due next week. So how did I spend my weekend? Watching “Shit X Say” videos on YouTube. Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere, … Continue reading →

Posted in Identity | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Sunshine Soup is delish!

Posted on October 20, 2011 by

Have you checked out Jo Parfitt’s new book yet? Her first novel, Sunshine Soup, is hot off the presses, and I just spent several weeks anxiously awaiting its delivery.* Partly because I promised Jo I’d write about the book during her launch … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Food | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The rise and fall of a pseudo expat tai tai

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

I once made a group of Singaporean estheticians cry, and it was all Lihong’s fault. Lihong, my Mandarin tutor, was a Chinese national with a graduate degree in Chinese language and literature. Unfortunately, she’d only been living in Singapore a … Continue reading →

Posted in Adjustment, China, Culture Shock, Language, Singapore | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Maids are mothers, too

Posted on May 8, 2011 by

For many expat spouses, the decision to employ affordable live-in help is a no-brainer. It frees up a lot of time that would be otherwise spent on household drudgery and childcare — time that could arguably be better spent elsewhere. … Continue reading →

Posted in Identity, Singapore | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

A former expat wife confesses: I’m a bad haggler

Posted on April 28, 2011 by

Most expats, from what I’ve seen, think of haggling as a game. As long as the players abide by the rules and try not to let the negotiations descend into abject ugliness, it can be a lot of fun. Or … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock | Tagged , , | 23 Comments