 There
are many reasons why women expats face a different set of challenges than
men do. While expat situations for women vary
greatly, there are some common issues with which all can identify. Being
aware of these known issues is a source of power for women, because in
the end, it is up to each individual to discover the inner strength to
find ways to create a positive and satisfying life abroad. Safety - This
is an issue for all women everywhere, but of course it plays a more prominent
role in the lives of single women, and more so for single women in a foreign
country. The challenge is to find a balance between exuding self-confidence
and taking sensible precautions. One major factor that leaves a person
vulnerable in any situation is unfamiliarity, so being as perceptive to
one’s surroundings as well as to the general cultural atmosphere as possible
is one of the best precautions that a woman can take. Learning such details
as which streets and which neighborhoods are safest is one aspect of safety,
while taking a wider view of a place’s history, culture, and current social
issues is important for putting things into proper perspective. Learning
the language is another very important key to knowing what is going on
around oneself. And networking with other expats as well as locals in the
community – especially with women – will be invaluable to feeling safe
and secure in a foreign country, as this is the best way to get a grasp
of what the crime situation is really like on the ground and find out how
best to avoid being victimized. From: Challenges
Faced by Expat Women by Julie Butler |
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 Fears
About My Children Returning From a US Vacation as Bitter Expat Kids
- I’m nervous and scared. Okay, I said it out loud. I’m
feeling pretty vulnerable, second-guessing my decisions, which definitely
is not a natural state for me. My in-laws have recently, very generously
bought tickets to fly my kids, ages 10, 8 and 6, back to the US on a direct
flight for a six week vacation. In the two years since I have moved
my family down to Argentina, we have never been back to the states for
a visit. So, for a lot of obvious reasons, this is an amazing opportunity
for my kiddos and all of the extended family which I should be completely
grateful for, and in many ways I am. I get 6 weeks without kids,
(which has never, ever happened in my ten years of being a mom!!).
Six weeks of space, six weeks of quiet, yummy me-time. I have the
chance to do some solo traveling through Bolivia that I have wanted to
do for a long time, channeling my inner gypsy that has been screaming to
get out for a while now. My kids get 6 weeks hanging out with aunts,
uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, getting completely spoiled
and loved on beyond belief…and this is where I begin to think maybe way
too much… |
 Challenges
Faced By Expat Women: Part 2
- The role as mother and head of the household presents a unique set of
challenges for expat women (as well as those men who step into that role).
The work of caring for children, learning how to do the food shopping,
and keep the household humming along are undervalued enough, but when the
stress of culture shock is thrown in, the pile of work that is never done
can easily grow from molehill to mountainous proportions. Surveys show
that expat women find it more difficult to adjust to a foreign culture
than men do. Taking a look at why this is will help women find ways to
take on their challenges and achieve success in their new lives abroad.
The Trailing Spouse - This is a term refers to situations where one spouse
has been stationed overseas, and the other spouse, which may be the husband
but more often is the wife, accompanies them. Being the “trailing spouse”
is far more difficult than it sounds. Often times, this person is leaving
behind a job or career of their own in order to accompany their spouse
abroad, which is a great sacrifice to make. They must contend with a foreign
language, familiarize themselves with unknown surroundings, find where
and how to do the shopping, adjust to different daily rhythms, etc. – discovering
that such mundane tasks such as paying bills can be exceedingly frustrating
and time-consuming – and quite often, they are all on their own, without
much of a support system. Other expats who have gone through or are going
through the same experience will be invaluable aids, but of course, friendships
are not automatic occurrences, so these need to be built upon, trust needs
to be gained, and connections need to be made – and it can all be very
discouraging. |
 Domestic
Violence: A Dirty Big Secret in Expatriate Communities
- It’s a commonly quoted statistic that in the Western world, on
average one in four women fall victim to domestic violence in their lifetime
with an average of two women killed each week by a current or former male
partner… However, following detailed and extensive research into inter-personal
violence in the UK by the Home Office in 2004, it was discovered that such
violence is actually more widespread, affecting approximately one third
of the population at some time in their lives. The Home Office Research
Study found that furthermore, one in twenty women have experienced serious
sexual assault, and one in five women and one in ten men have been victims
of repeated instances of domestic violence in their lifetime. In nations
like the UK and the USA there are support groups in place for victims of
domestic violence, there are crisis telephone lines and safe houses, the
problem is openly discussed in society and despite the fact that not enough
can ever be done to protect the victims of this silent crime, people do
actively try to help. |
 Intercultural
Dating for Expats
- I had to laugh when Escape From America Magazine asked me to write
an article about intercultural dating. As a 32 year old mom-of-three
who married her teenage sweetheart, I honestly have not had much dating
experience in my life, let alone intercultural dating. I kept trying
to tell my husband that I needed to go get romanced by a few select Argentine
hotties in town for “research” on this topic, (hey, I’m a committed professional,
what can I say?) but for some reason he wasn’t convinced… Intercultural
dating is something that will probably come up eventually for single and
social expats living abroad. Some expats choose to date the locals
because they really do not connect with or mingle with the other expats.
Others, especially if they are living in a small or rural town abroad,
may not have a choice, as locals may be the only option they have.
There are a few basic things to consider if you are ready to dive into
the dating world abroad. We may have notions in our head, whether we are
consciously aware of them or not, that need to be dropped before dating
someone from a different culture. Unfortunately, not all Italian
boys will pick us up in a Ferrari to go wine tasting at their personal
vineyard, followed by an incredible night of pleasure under the stars,
ending with them, shirtless, bringing us a cappuccino in the morning. If
you are such a said Italian..I was totally kidding about the husband and
three kids, so feel free to contact me anytime! (A joke, everyone..a
joke.) |
 Expat
Relationships - Love in a Foreign Climate
- Problems arise however when a transactional relationship becomes abusive
from one side or another. I have a married acquaintance of well over 50
who went so far as to sign a legal contract with his 20 year old girlfriend
defining exactly the parameters of the relationship, what he would pay
for and what he would not, and what he expected in exchange – fidelity,
interestingly enough! But I also know of other cases where the woman involved
has been treated as little better than a sex slave, and dumped with nothing
but her shame when the expat moved on to the next overseas posting. In
other cases, married men on unaccompanied postings have engaged in a bit
of cross-cultural liaison and taken a little more than they bargained for
home to their wives, or left behind children that they may or may not opt
to continue secretly supporting. Sex tourism for women is reportedly on
the increase. Certainly here young women who may have struggled at home
to find gorgeous young men to date them, have the pick of the crop. There
is even resentment among local women of the ease with which young foreign
women come in and pick up the “cool” guys. But the reality is that many
of these relationships are just as transactional, with the guys aiming
for a ticket out of the country, opportunities to study, and a chance to
live in the lovely house the woman has allocated to her as part of her
expat package. The guys are rarely faithful, which is put down to it being
‘their culture,’ but which is also highly risky in health terms. |
 Tackling
the Temptress Threat Head On – Save Your Expat Marriage From Temptation
- Today I’m going to be talking about tackling the threat of the local
temptresses who go after expat men the minute they land in a new nation…and
who for expat men are a real predatory threat to their marriage.
It’s a well-known fact that there are certain countries in the world where
some of the local women, (and even some of the local men for that matter!),
are after a rich Western sugar daddy who’ll transport them out of their
daily drudgery and into a life of comfort and even affluence. Gringo men
are quite the catch – and no wife, girlfriend or significant other will
stand a chance of deterring a temptress as she makes a beeline for her
‘prize.’ A good friend of mine fell foul of the threat – having travelled
the world with her husband and children, she landed up in South America
and quicker than you could say ‘Buenos días’ (or perhaps, more appropriately
‘Hasta luego’), her formerly faithful man was off with the first buxom
local bird to catch his eye. She had her eyes on a passport: he had his
firmly fixed on her ‘not so natural assets.’ |
 Hot
Topic: A Dangerous Game
- I tried to warn her but she didn’t listen. Now we are sitting at
the police station recounting the sorry tale to a disinterested cop who
is smirking and clearly thinks she was asking for it. Three hours earlier
we were getting ready for a night on the South American town where I had
lived for 2 years. It was her first time in the country, it was summer,
a Friday night and we just had to go out and sample the night life. Two
“Gringas”, in our mid thirties, happy, confident and complimenting each
other on how good we looked. We had dinner first and then on to a bar.
It was still early in the evening and so there were very few other customers.
My companion made eye contact with two local guys across the room and winked
at them. That was the only invitation they needed and a few seconds later
they were at our side. I wasn´t interested and I quickly found out
that my companion didn’t like them either but simply wanted to mess with
them, get them to pay the bar tab and then we would leave. “That’s not
how it is here” I told her. “Don’t let them pay for the drinks, don’t let
them think you are even remotely interested in sleeping with them” . |
 Hot
Topic: Mail Order Brides – Exploitation or an Equal Partnership
- Is a mail order bride a prostitute selling her body and her relative
freedom for a ticket to a wealthier life in the West? Some seem to think
so and go as far as claiming that a ‘mail order bride’ as a concept amounts
to nothing more that people trafficking. However, those who have availed
themselves of the growing number of agencies and websites offering introductions
between beautiful women from nations as diverse, culturally speaking as
Russia and Thailand, would strongly disagree of course. Many men cite their
main reason for choosing a ‘wife’ in such a way as being because they find
women from their own home nations such as the US and the UK unapproachable
and too masculine in their drive, ambitions and general attitudes in life.
So perhaps Western women are responsible for the increase in the numbers
of men seeking their partners and their pleasures elsewhere? |
 Jan
Betts: Expat Visionary Artist Thriving and Painting in the Tropical Wilderness
of Costa Rica
- This is an interview with Jan Betts, a fine artist living in the
jungles of Costa Rica. I first met Jan in June of 1974, while searching
for a place to spend the coming rainy season. After driving south from
Dominical for maybe an hour, I came to where a landslide had closed the
trail for the season, and I had to stop. By coincidence, this was where
Jan and her friends were making their home in the jungle. My wife, daughter,
and I were invited to join them on their finca, and thus we got to know
each other and formed a friendship that we have nurtured to this day, sometimes
with 18 years between physical visits. J.D.: Tell us a little about your
place of origin and early life as an artist. J.B.: I was raised in Washington
D.C. USA. After high school, I went on to get a university degree, graduating
with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, which landed me a job with an international
greeting card company as an illustrator. I got married and then divorced,
all the while getting a whiff of the late 60’s, which drew me to freedom
and adventure. |
 Shopping
Overseas: Everyone loves a Bargain
- You’re not in Kansas anymore. The best way to meet the challenge
of bargaining is to know the local pricing of something. Just because the
cost of a similar necklace, weaving, bedspread or house rental in New York
City, Toronto or San Francisco is ‘X,’ you will be going into this situation
at a distinct disadvantage if you think the first price offered to you
is the best deal you have ever heard. That amount in Dallas would be a
steal – the thing is, you are not IN Dallas. You are dealing with a completely
different financial economy and pricing structure. The asking price is
always high, and reflects an out-of-the-ballpark amount that the seller
dreams to receive. To begin the bargaining process, offer him one-third
of this initial figure. To the uninitiated, that paltry amount might seem
insulting. And if you compare that price to the prices in Miami, it would
be. But the truth is, experienced buyers and sellers realize that the counter
offer is equally ridiculous. The real price lies somewhere in the middle.
The dance has begun. Don’t engage unless you are serious. This isn’t a
game. Vendors value their time too and do not take kindly to your wasting
it. Do not seriously engage the bargaining process until you are ready
to purchase. If you are on your fact-finding mission of finding local pricing,
indicate such to them. Say things like ‘I am just looking today, thank
you’ or ‘I’m curious, for example, what would this cost, if I wanted to
buy it?’ This lets them know that today is not your purchasing day and
they will not rev themselves up for deal making. They will respect you
for your honesty, and will save their energy for another customer. |
 Influential
Women in Colombia
- As we have mentioned before, it is Investment Group Colombia’s
(IGC) goal to not only promote the benefits and advantages of an expat
lifestyle, but to also “give back” to the communities that we adopt. It
has been said that there is no greater satisfaction than that of “paying
it forward”, setting your own needs and desires aside to provide for those
who are less fortunate than you. We often downplay and thereby ignore our
ability as an individual to accomplish anything of significance in such
circumstances. But the fact of the matter is that EVERYTHING begins with
one person, one thought, one idea. Wealth, power, status, or intelligence
have little influence at this point; we are all on equal ground when it
comes to formulating an idea…when it comes to having a “vision.” … if everyone
realized what could be accomplished with just a small amount of “vision”,
what a different world this would be! The vision of one can be the inspiration
for many. …and the inspiration of many can change a community, a city,
a country…even the world. So never doubt your ability to change someone’s
life for the better. YOU can actually change the world!… even if it is
only one person at a time. |
 8
Signs
that the US Government is Making it Harder For You to Become an Expat
- One of the most common reasons for wanting to expatriate from the
United States is the concern about government overreach. Many feel that
the expansion of government in recent years has been chipping away at the
freedom and liberty that the country was founded upon. What with more and
more agencies, regulations, surveillance, and mandates, the right to privacy
and self - determination is steadily shrinking right along with financial
outlooks. So, are you among the increasing number of people who feel that
the only real solution is to get out of the country? Well, using the exact
same tactics that are driving you away, the government appears intent on
preventing you from leaving. Changes that have recently been put in place
as well as proposals for future changes in rules and regulations might
be intended to discourage. But they might also drive your resolve to take
your destiny into your own hands and do whatever it takes to make your
move overseas. |
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| Subscribing
Is A Good Idea |
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 Guess
what makes Escape Dates different ?
- Single, Married, interested in growing your international
network of friends, now you can travel the world, and make money searching
for the perfect mates with EscapeDates international singles and social
networking community. EscapeDates has fused an online dating and social
networking community, with a unique income opportunity that pays members
to build their friend and social networks. Escapeartist.com, the largest
website in the world for international living and overseas jobs recently
launched EscapeDates and is well position to becoming a leader in the international
dating industry. |
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 Introducing
Spiritual Journeys - Enlightened Experiences for the Soul! By Mahira Amir
Khan -
I am honored to announce the launch of our new magazine SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS.
The birth of this online publication arrives perfectly timed for the advent
of the year 2012. The year that has been prophesied and spoken of as a
turning point in humankind's evolution. The ancient cultures of the Hopis
and the Mayans, speak of the window of divinity that opens for us now,
a shift of the ages that will activate our deepest potential. Life as we
know it today, will never be the same again. |
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| Chronicles
of the Jungle Mom |
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Travel
can become a place lived; and a place lived can be a form of travel -
This Chronicle by Michele Kohan should therefore be a Godsent to those
moms who find themselves with children but with no prospect of living any
sort of life that presents the challenge of personal and geographic exploration...
The question becomes, 'are my children safer and better off in the suburbs
where one meaningless day blurs into the next, or in a tropical rain forest
where each day presents a new challenge and a new learning experience?'
It isn't an easy task for a mom to decide on the tropical rain forest;
such decisions fly in the face of conventional wisdom... But conventional
wisdom has worn thin, today's so-called civilized suburbs with their shopping
malls and weapon-filled schools are no safer than a tropical rain forest.
Add to that the stifling intellectual atmosphere of the USA that wilts
and crushes the qualities of independent judgment that every child should
develop....
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 She
Moved To Belize and Started Her Own Company
- After raising 8 children,
(6 Adopted and 2 Biological) Macarena Rose and her youngest daughter overcame
the 4 F's (fear, family, finances and family) and moved to Belize. Eight
years later, she is President of her own company, Rainforest Realty, Past
President of the National Association of Realtors in Belize and the host
of the world renowned HGTV realty show International House Hunters. EscapeArtist
interviewed her and the interview is on YouTube. The 20 minute interview
covers: Medical Care Cost of Living Real Estate Education Retirement CLICK
HERE to watch the interview
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Two
things have ushered us into a world without borders... the end of the cold
war and the advent of the world wide web of global communications &
commerce. Today it doesn't make a great deal of
difference where in the world we are located, we can carry on some types
of commerce from anywhere; from an island in the middle of the Caribbean
to a sheep ranch in the the Australian outback. A game of global musical
chairs has begun, and we are now changing places with people willing to
go to America or the UK to work for a wage we no longer consider attractive,
while we begin to move further afield in search of greener pastures. Many
of us are now looking for what might be called a 'life.' Tomorrow, it will
make a great deal of difference where we live. But certainly not in the
same sense as we now perceive it. Tomorrow we will live where the best
real estate exists, where the least crime and repression exists, where
population pressures have not decimated the environment and where business
is encouraged and not hindered by legislation. We will live there regardless
of that place's global location or its former political posture.