Latest column for Expat Focus When you get the call to uproot your life and relocate to a new, foreign country, the shellshock of packing up your ‘life as you know it’ and heading into the unknown abyss, is more often than not followed by a fast and furious ‘Google’ of the new ‘home’ in question. First things first: Location: Check! (Yes it is right where you thought on the map; or Surprise! who knew it was so close to Timbuktu!?) Population: Check! (Mighty important to know what you’re dealing with here - are you one of hundreds, thousands or millions?) Language: Check! (Just how much brainpower is this assignment going to require?) So, with the basics ticked off - you’re in business. Next on the relocation agenda, the things that make your world turn - jobs, real estate, schools, medical facilities and supermarkets. If you’re a couple making the move into the expat world, usually one of you gets the job of heading into uncharted waters first and it’s usually the one with the new job. For us, it was my Hotelier husband, who arrived cold turkey in Asia’s World City. We’d both had a brief taste of the city that never sleeps in a past life but for all intents and purposes, those trips (for me) were about shopping, eating and sightseeing, not so much focused on the unknown fact that my future might involve living amongst the madness that is Asia’s Manhattan. For more click here >>> … [Read more...]
Living Overseas as an Expat: Do you adopt the local customs?
My latest column for Expat Focus... It was Father's Day in Australia this month, so we celebrated with Sunday brunch in Soho, uptown Hong Kong. Don't let that fool you; I hadn't exactly planned it around Father's Day, if you know what I mean! It was a restaurant review and I was technically "working" but hey, a hearty feast of scrambled eggs, hash browns and baked beans, washed down with a fine glass of Italian Prosecco has to be better than a poke in the eye with a burnt piece of toast, right? For the record, as an expat I'm still not quite sure which country's 'special' days you're supposed to celebrate? Your home country or the one you've temporarily adopted? Admittedly, I've failed miserably at both this year. When it was Father's Day in Hong Kong, I insisted I'd forgotten because well, it wasn't real was it?! Since when is Father's Day in June! (But just you try getting a Father's Day card here in September - ain't gonna happen sister!) So it begs the question, when you're living in a new country, just how much of those familiar traditions from home do you hang on to, no matter what the cultural climate? To continue reading, head over to Expat Focus here... … [Read more...]
8 Lessons Learned: 3 Years as an Expat in Hong Kong
My latest column for Expat Focus... Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of the victory. George S. Patton This month I've chalked up three years in the mighty Kong - my third anniversary symbolizing a colorful and (often) crazy journey towards living life as a fully-fledged, 'fair dinkum' expat! A friend said to me "You should be really proud of yourself" -- I hadn't thought about it that way, but when I cast my thoughts back to those early days when I felt like a ‘fish out of water’ in Hong Kong's fragrant harbour, to today, I am swimming with the crowds and making a few splashes…. yep! I guess I've come a long way! Looking out of my lounge window in Hong Kong, I see a similar view to that which I saw from my hotel room the day I arrived -- it never fails to jolt those initial feelings that fluttered frantically inside me (along with 16 week pregnancy hiccups). Angst, anticipation and excitement, coupled with the absolute terror of the unknown! To be honest, I didn't think we'd stay much longer than18 months - at least that's what I made my husband promise (in blood)! It was to be the great adventure - a stint overseas to shake things up a bit. Hurling me out of my comfort zone in Sydney where I was happily cruising into my tenth year at Sky News, surrounded by all the creature comforts of friends, family and familiarity (not to mention life as a fancy-free, newly-wed couple) tossing me unceremoniously into a city heaving with high-rises, humidity and high-waisted maternity clothes! To continue reading, click here for Expat Focus>>> … [Read more...]