February 3, 2006Sadly, we see attacks by some Muslims as attacks by Islam, and it just isn’t so. But we are left to wonder, what do they have against us? Here’s what, in brief: Continue Reading
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…
Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky is on leave from his post as coach of the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL to visit his ailing mother in Brantford, Ontario. We wish her well. Several questions are raised by such an event, and I hope you can provide answers. 1. When does an expat athlete become an…
Matt Ellsworth January 30, 2006 Let this be the first entry in a growing review of Mexico from the expat perspective. I want your comments. I don’t want to hear from tourists about their week in Cancún. I want to hear from businesspeople, diplomats, evangelists,… Continue Reading
Shortly into your stay overseas, you’ll find yourself moaning about the lack of chocolate chips, or marshmallows, or barbecue sauce, or any of hundreds of other niceties you enjoyed at home. (I’d love to hear yours.) This melancholy pops up occasionally. Fortunately, it is offset by the realization, usually made during a trip home, that…
It is always a good idea to register with the Embassy, even if you’ll only be in the country a short time. The State Department in Washington, D.C. receives calls every day asking, “Is my son/daughter/husband, etc. all right? I haven’t heard from them for a while.” These calls, called “welfare and whereabouts” cases, are…
Who wasn’t moved to see the extraordinary efforts of Iraqis in the United States and elsewhere (out of Iraq) to vote for their new government? The article in the Detroit Free Press says that nearly 10,000 Iraqi expatriates voted in Michigan alone and that a total of about 28,500 voted in the five polling places set…