Here are a few thoughts about expat Christmas time that I thought were interesting. Expat kids believe in Santa longer. According to Mary Mimouma of Expat Abroad: "My daughter believed in Santa (and the tooth fairy) until she was ten. I found that in most expat families that have “Santa,” all the expat kids continue to believe in him until much older ages than the kids back home. I have hardly heard of anyone whose children stopped believing in Santa before the ages of eight, or even nine." …
The Holiday: Expat Movie Review
Well, it’s not exactly an expat movie, although various characters do travel to and stay in other countries. But it’s a sweet Christmas-time romantic comedy, so I thought it worthy of a review at this sentimental time of year. It also features an unusual character – the Home Exchange website, a great place to arrange for low-cost living arrangements in another country. The film was written and Directed by Nancy Meyers, and stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law. It's about …
Death In The Andamans: Expat Book Review
Death in the Andamans by MM Kaye takes place over Christmas in the late 1930s. Copper Randal’s school chum Valerie has invited Copper (christened Caroline Olivia Phoebe Elizabeth) to stay with her in the tropics. Valerie’s stepfather, Sir Lionel Masson, is the Chief Commissioner of the Andaman Islands, a group of islands governed by the British in the Bay of Bengal. Copper has spent the previous two years working in drab London: “… at about the time that Valerie was setting sail for the …
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Top 10 Retirement Havens
Live and Invest Overseas publisher Kathleen Peddicord has named the Top 10 Retirement Havens for 2010, and the list includes some surprises. Panama occupies the top spot, and Peddicord comments that "this country manages to become more appealing all the time." Her Top 10 picks include: Panama France "World's best quality of life, world's best health care, world's best infrastructure, world's most romantic city" Uruguay for "The banking, residency, and tax advantages of Panama without the …
Finance Your Life Overseas by Starting a Business
In previous posts, we looked at financing your new life overseas by teaching English as a second language, or by writing. These are a couple of very popular ways to earn money in your new country. There are many other options as well, including starting a business. Shelter Offshore advises that you must be sure your business idea is unique, but “not so unique that it is totally unlikely to succeed.” They point out that self-employment is a tough road in any case, and if you haven’t been …
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Americans Totally Want a Public Health Care Option
According to information released today by Sen. Dick Durbin, Americans overwhelmingly want a strong public option to be part of health care reform here in the US. Eighty percent of poll respondents fully support a 50-state public option, and 65% of respondents were completely opposed to the so-called "trigger" option. In the meantime, until the US finally comes to its senses, we will have better choices as expats in many countries. An update on our own Future Expats poll shows a slight …
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