archives: Living Abroad
The Symbol Factory
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Moving around so often, I’ve found that what I take with me are symbols that have formed semi-consciously in my mind. More »
The Tricky Process Of Being and Becoming Mexican
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The tricky part of moving to a country where you have 'roots' but no family and very little knowledge of the culture is that you just come across as w More »
One Frenzied Weekend In Fes
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Stunned silence, and some obvious disbelief, hung in the air. As if it proved anything, Denny reassured us, “It’s true. Just heard it.” More »
Looking Back On The First Year In Paris
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My decision to leave Los Angeles for Paris came from a desire to try on a different personality in a place where no one would be able to pick out, lik More »
My Day Of African Justice
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My housemate Nicole and I were Peace Corps teachers living in an isolated desert region of Namibia. On that day, we experienced an eye-opening brush w More »
Cooking in Lahore: An American Woman In A Pakistani Kitchen
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An American expat in Lahore gets a glimpse into the lives of Pakistani women. More »
Life As An Expat In Havana, Cuba
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As those determined or loca enough to try and live here know, it becomes all too clear, all too fast, that taking up residence in Cuba is anything but More »
The Origin of The Ugly American
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Exploring the history of the ugly American abroad. More »
Group and Ceremony: One Expat’s Experience With Japanese Culture
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Group and ceremony. They have been the hardest part of adjusting to life in Japan. More »
Burakku: Black Culture In Japan
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“Kokujin kakkoii!” is what I was often told whenever I asked what was behind the admiration of black people. Basically, I was cool, simply for bei More »
Tales From The Frontier Of Expat Life: A Memsahib In Pakistan
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It is in Pakistan that I have had to come to grips with the inherent advantages and disadvantages of historical and cultural white privilege. More »
Metric Map: Which Countries Don’t Belong With The Others?
Popular 60 Comments
An outmoded system of measurement means Americans are often at a loss abroad. More »
Curses! Kikokushijo Foiled Again by Jun-Japanese Women
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Apparently, it's not easy for a Japanese woman-of-the-world to pair up with even the most progressive Japanese man. More »
15 Signs You Might Have Been In Oman Too Long
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You accept one word answers like ‘haram,’ ‘Muscat’ or ‘change’ as legitimate responses to the question of ‘why?’ More »
Call for Submissions: Tales From The Frontier of Expat Life
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I'm looking for stories about expats exploring the complicated terrain of cultural differences, attempting to come into some sort of a mutual understa More »
Expat Artists: How Living Abroad Facilitates The Creative Life
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There's the sense of creative abandon abroad, the liberation from whatever aesthetic, social, cultural norms might reign in the artist in at home. To More »
A Day In The Life of An Expat In Thailand
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A day in the life of an English teacher in Thailand. More »
Gringos In Mexico And That Elusive Quest for Authenticity
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We got out of the bus in Mitla, blinking, stumbling, little swirls of dust rising around our feet, plunk, plunk, plunk, one gringo after another plunk More »
A Day in the Life of an Expat in Osaka, Japan
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A day in the life of an English teacher in Osaka, Japan. More »
The Foreigner Nod
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Every day I get called out as a foreigner, and as a result, I'm no stranger to The Nod. More »
How To Be A Vegetarian In Korea
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There is no word in Korean for vegetarian and the concept is often quite foreign to Koreans. There is also no such thing as "hold the shrimp" or "ca More »
Being Foreign
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For the real exile, foreignness is not an adventure but a test of endurance. More »
A Day In The Life Of An Expat In Santiago, Chile
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A day in the life of a writer, translator, teacher, editor, blogger, photographer and community outreach ninja in Santiago, Chile. More »
Culture Shock: When, Where, And How Has It Hit You?
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The inevitable and varied experience of culture shock. More »
A Day in the Life of an Expat in Gunpo City, South Korea
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A day in the life of a teacher, writer and musician living in South Korea. More »
Hiking In Korea Is Like Raving, Only Better
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Hiking creates surrogate families, postmodern mountain tribes, linked not by biology, but by the mountain spirits, or San-shin. More »
Do You Represent Your Country When You Travel?
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The most seemingly insignificant interactions count. More »
A Day In The Life of An Expat in Istanbul, Turkey
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A day in the life of an English teacher in Istanbul. More »
What Do You Miss Most Overseas?
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The top five things this Peace Corps volunteer craved during her two years in Togo. More »
A Day in the Life of An Expat in Copenhagen, Denmark
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The Danes call this hygge: the art of cozying up with your significant other (or friends and family) to ward off winter. More »
A Day in the Life of an Au Pair in Breukelen, The Netherlands
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A day in the life of an American au pair in The Netherlands. More »
A Day in the Life of an Expat in Kagoshima, Japan
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A day in the life of an American working in Japan. More »
A Day in the Life of A Writer in Zagreb, Croatia
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Cafes, coffee, flower markets, and a slight hint of discomfort- a day in the life of an expat in Croatia. More »
A Day in the Life of An Expat in Suwon, Korea
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A day in the life of an American in Korea. More »
A Day in the Life of An Expat in Sydney, Australia
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From flat whites to kangaroo BBQ's - the average day of an American in Sydney. More »
A Day in the Life of an Expat in Salta, Argentina
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Even the smell of the cleaner in the bathroom is different. More »
A Day in the Life of An Expat in Oaxaca, Mexico
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What's a typical day in the life of an expat? A tour through a routine day of this Mex-pat in Oaxaca, and a call for submissions on the theme of "a d More »
The Expat Conundrum: The Longer You Stay, The More You Complain
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Why all the bitching? And why does it increase the longer one is away from home, when one should supposedly be increasingly tolerant of cultural diffe More »
The Greatest Thing About Traveling: Routine
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Settling into a routine is one of the most gratifying and revealing processes that unfolds after moving to a new place.
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7 Facts of Expat Life in Bolivia
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Whether you've arranged a volunteer gig or just plan on bummin' it up on the La Paz-Uyuni-Sucre circuit, here are some things to keep in mind about So More »
Tourists, Expats, and That Fragile Sense of Belonging
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Expat treatment of tourists ranges from gentle condescension, as if the tourists were dense, pitiful, overweight children, to outright contempt, as if More »
The Bizarre Politics of Speaking English Overseas
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Why, I wonder, are foreigners so often insulted when other foreigners speak to them in English? I've never understood the purpose of having a tedious More »
Foreign Spouses of Americans Forced to Immigrate to the U.S
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“You must immigrate,” she said.
“But I don’t want to immigrate! I want to visit.” More »
10 Tips for Dealing with Pregnancy in Rural Japan
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The first few months of pregnancy can be quite daunting for any new mother. Put a hemisphere between you and your familiar homeland, and pregnancy ca More »
Should People of Color Go To Russia?
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A graduate student who studied in Moscow addresses the risks for people of color traveling to Russia. More »
10 Ways to Keep Active while Deployed with the U.S. Military
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Helpful tips and ideas for military members who are stationed overseas. More »
The Educational Value of Long Term Travel with Kids
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Extended travel is possible with a family in tow, and it can even be an enriching experience for everyone involved. More »
20 Interesting Expats To Follow On Twitter
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Thinking of living abroad? Follow these twitterers! More »
How To Move To Saigon
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Living and working in Ho Chi Minh City this past year has allowed me to pay rent, travel, and live comfortably within my own means. More »
How To Get A Job Teaching English In Korea
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Come join the best and brightest of a generation and teach English in South Korea! More »
Why Would Anyone Ever Want To Leave America?!?
Popular 25 Comments
I’d love this country if it weren’t populated with total idiots… More »
16 Tips For Yoga Travel Bliss
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Travel is most fun when you feel healthy, and most profound when you take time to pay attention to detail and enjoy peace of mind. More »
How To Raise Successful Kids While Living Overseas
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Comprehensive advice on raising Third Culture kids while living abroad. More »
Mercer’s Best Places to Live in 2009: Quality of Life?
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What really determines quality of life? More »
How To Stay In Touch With Kids While Traveling
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Staying in touch with little ones takes some extra special effort. More »
Chaos, Culture and Kim Chi: A Korean Cafeteria
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School cafeterias offer a window into the evolving culture of Korea. More »
Abram Plaut Gives You 5 Years in Japan in 3 Minutes
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Meet one of Matador's Japan experts, Abram Plaut. More »
Introducing: Baxter Jackson
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Meet Matador member Baxter Jackson, a skateboarder from Texas living in Oman. More »
Introducing: Okinawa Wildlife Photographer
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Matador member Ryukyu Mike is a wildlife photographer living in Okinawa, Japan. More »
6 Products That Would Never Sell in the U.S.
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Real Products that could never enjoy success in the U.S. market. More »
Confessions of a Serial Couchsurfer
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I have become seriously addicted to couchsurfing and have a dire need to discuss this dependency with others. More »
How Much Does it Cost to Live in China?
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Your dollar by dollar guide to living in China. More »
Studying Medicine in the Caribbean
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There’s a reason doctors in training at the Caribbean’s numerous medical schools don’t talk about their studies. More »
Finca Bellavista: Moving to Costa Rica with a Dream
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A portrait of Finca Bellavista, a community of people building a life close to the land in Costa Rica. More »
