As a follow-up to yesterday’s entry about kids abroad, I thought I should say a few things about foreign sports. First, as an element of local culture, sporting events shouldn’t be missed. Whether it’s dragon boat racing, or goat grabs, or camel races, these are the events that show the local populace as it really…
I have again received a comment from an anonymous source, and once again I have let it stay because it is pertinent and well-reasoned. While I prefer for sources to name themselves, I’ll happily accept knowledge from any source. I must, however, take exception to the suggestion made by Anonymous that all comments should be…
The Associated Press reported on December 14 that Wal-Mart has bought 140 stores in Brazil from a Portuguese conglomerate, adding to stores it owns in Argentina, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. They also own a 33 percent share of a Costa Rica-based chain with stores in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. My question…
One week into the Winter Olympics I’m prompted to ask, are there any out there who were fortunate/unfortunate enough to be living as expats in the Torino (Turin) area at the time of the Games? I’d love to hear descriptions of what the Games and the crowds have meant to the quality of life. I’m…
The Associated Press distributed a story today that was carried on the front page of the East Valley Tribune, a large-circulation daily in the booming suburbs east of Phoenix. It was printed under the title “12% in U.S. born outside borders”. It tells of a recent report by the Center for Immigration Studies. No mention is…
I want to share a personal story to alert you to things you might encounter during your stay abroad that you will find new and odd. It involves the Abu Dhabi water system. Abu Dhabi–the city–is on a sandy island in the Persian/Arabian Gulf. It’s only a few feet above sea level, and it gets…
I’m asking for input from expats with experience in India, especially from those who have been there for several years. My interest is in knowing if there have been significant improvements in conditions (sanitation, health care, public services, care for the indigent, etc.) in recent years. The Associated Press reported on January 29 in an…
Some comments are OK left to their own devices, but one arrived today that I want to highlight. In reply to my entry of this morning concerning president-elect Evo Morales in Bolivia, a commenter named Eduardo says: “Ex-pats should not be concerned. All indications are that Morales will be more moderate. In fact, they are…
Estimates on the number of ExPats in the United States illegally range from 10 million to 25 million. Why so many? Why don’t they just come in legally? Well, the short answer is “if they could, they would.” There are huge incentives to draw people to America. It’s a rich country with lots of opportunities…
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