ENGLAND - Expat Contests

Expat Blog Awards 2013

10 Fairytale Places in and Around London

Walking around London is a wonderful experience, filled with constant twists and turns, people are always different, unique angles and details, scenes that are constantly changing. I sometimes feel like Alice in Wonderland and the city takes a fantastic connotation. So I picked up 10 of the places that will give you the idea of ​​being...

Writing Contest March 2013

10 Things Expats Raising Children in England Should Know

Depending on the age of your children and how long you will be living in the country, you may be raising Third Culture Kids, or TCK for short. Find out as much information on the subject as you can. American sociologist David C. Pollock coined TCKs as “a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the...

Expat Culture Shock

From Vegemite to Marmite: The Blighty Culture Shock Experience

My initiation into the culture shock experience was my first trip out of Australia. Rather than ease my way into overseas travel like most normal people do, I jumped head first into Nepal and India starting with a 20 day trek in the Annapurna region of Nepal. It sounded good at the time and it actually was, but when I landed in the tiny...

Expat Culture Shock

HELP! There is an American in the front garden!

It is the summer of 2009 and after leaving France I am spending a month living in England with my boyfriend’s mum and step-dad before heading back to America. Today my boyfriend’s parents are at work and he has gone into town to get his hair cut, leaving me to my own devices. Although it is a beautiful day, I am inside, taking the...

Writing Contest October 2012

I'm Here To Stay

Today, I am an expat. I had to earn that title, though, through a series of time consuming (and bank account draining) visa applications, lots of time and patience, and a giant leap across the pond. Being an expat has become my identity almost, but in a good way. Like if I was to make a list about myself…. Blogger. Running enthusiast....

Education and International Schools

International Schools in UK vs USA - Expat Education

In the early nineties I attended a local primary school in England in lieu of attending the American school on base. For two years I got to experience the British school system before going back to the American DODDS schools. There are particular differences that I remember now between both education systems. Having moved back to England in...

Expat Blog Awards 2013

Main Differences Between French Men And British Men

Every time I watch a TV series, there is a French man having an affair with one of the main characters. My new favourite series, Homeland, is no exception: Saul’s wife, Mira, is falling for a French colleague. So, what makes French men so appealing? Is it a stereotype only? Come to think of it, well, I am not sure it is. I would know, I...

Expat Blog Awards 2013

My Top Ten Most Awkward Moments as an American Expat in England

Having lived abroad for about five years now, first in The Netherlands and now in England, I have certainly had my fair share of awkward moments. There was the time I ate freshly smoked eel in The Netherlands, only to gag (and almost barf) in front of a room full of disappointed Dutch folk. Or the time where I confused the term ‘grote...

Writing Contest March 2013

Ten Ways to Deal With Uncertain Future Anxiety

One of the greatest commonalities between expats is reality that there will be times of uncertainty. Over the past eight years, I have gone through so many transitions, and many periods of time when I had no idea what was next, and this became much more intense when we took the dive into an expat lifestyle. Although we are presently happily...

Writing Contest October 2012

The Accidental Expat

For as long as I could remember I’ve always wanted to leave my homeland, Trinidad. I never seemed to fit in. The fact is I’ve always read extensively and reading opened up a world that by nature I couldn’t help but want to see. However, years of living a relatively protected life put a damper on my pursuit of flight, untill I was in my...