America

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Arizona Shootings and the Expat Cultural Divide

January 14, 2011 in Expat Locations, Integrating Abroad, Moving Abroad Tips by Paul Allen | No comments

Last weekend’s shootings in Arizona have trained the world’s attention once more on America’s attitude to guns, and its charged political atmosphere. 

To many outsiders, me included, America’s fixation with its guns – and the ease with which people can buy them – is incomprehensible.

Gun advocates, meanwhile, argue their case by referencing America’s frontier past, their constitutional rights and the defence of freedom.

Bridging the Cultural Divide

This divergence of opinions on the issue of gun control illustrates the cultural divide expats often have to bridge when trying to make a new country their home.

For those heading to the US, the actual question of gun ownership is one aspect. But it is understanding and living with the underlying beliefs that support such positions which are likely to prove the bigger test.

Personally, I loved living in America. I loved the landscapes, its space, the optimism and can-do attitudes. And I met nothing but warm, generous, friendly people.

Nevertheless, the country’s political environment, its commitment to capitalist economics, and prevailing sentiments around healthcare, education, religion and a host of other factors may prove insurmountable obstacles for some.

Global Challenges

And it is not just America. Such political, economic and cultural considerations should feature in your decision, whatever your intended destination.

For example, Europe offers an abundance of cultural delights, with untold historical riches, beautiful architecture, and a culinary smorgasbord from which to sample. But can you cope with Italy’s red tape, French workers’ proclivity to strike, or the famous British reserve?

It is never easy to know until you are on the ground in a country, facing the life it offers day after day.

But if you ask yourself the testing questions on how suited you are to a life abroad before you go you will be better equipped for the changes ahead.

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Celebrating the Holiday Season Abroad

December 6, 2010 in Integrating Abroad, Living Abroad Pros and Cons, Living in Spain, Moving Abroad Tips by Paul Allen | No comments

The Holiday Season is well upon us. But if you live abroad you’ll need to get used to a whole different category of celebrations.

Take today, December 6. For many of us it may be another dreary Monday at work. But not everywhere …

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

December 6 is a special festival for children in many European countries, as well as some American cities – for it marks Saint Nicholas Day.

In the Netherlands in particular, Saint Nicholas’ Eve is the equivalent of Christmas Eve, when Sinterklaas (the original Santa Claus) brings gifts for all the good boys and girls. Similarly, in Germany children traditionally put a boot out for St Nicholas to fill with small presents and sweets.

Advent of Democracy

December 6 is a special holiday in Spain too, albeit for different reasons. This is Constitution Day, marking the Spanish public’s vote in 1978 to approve the Constitution of Spain, and thus the country’s formal transition to a democratic state.

As a citizen of the UK, with its long democratic history, it is easy to forget how recent the establishment of such political rights was in Spain. If I was a Spaniard, however, I would have been born in a dictatorship.

In the developed world it is easy to see democracy as a right, one we take for granted. But days like today remind me how blessed we are.

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Immigrating to America: What You Need to Know

October 20, 2010 in Expat Locations, Immigration, Moving Abroad Tips, Working Abroad by Paul Allen | No comments

The United States is one of the most popular countries in the world for businesses and families to immigrate to. With a diverse array of cultures and companies throughout the large nation, the opportunities for immigrants are virtually endless.

However, because of the strict requirements for people immigrating to the U.S., it is important to know the processes to ensure you get the right visas and documentation for a visit or smooth transition to life as an American citizen or permanent resident.

There are several ways to immigrate to the U.S. depending on the needs of your business, family, or yourself. You can choose from a work or student US visa for a temporary stay, apply for a green card if you have a spouse or relatives who are U.S. citizens, or apply for citizenship if you plan to make a permanent move to the U.S.

A green card affords permanent U.S. residency. People who hold a green card are permanently approved to work within the U.S. despite not having citizenship.

After a certain number of years people with a green card may apply for citizenship if they choose. However, it is not required – something especially important for people to know when there is any possibility of moving back to their home country.

Naturalization, or the process of obtaining American citizenship, is another option, although it applies to those who plan to make their move to the U.S. permanent. After five years of residence in the U.S., green card holders can apply for citizenship. The test required for nationalization measures knowledge of U.S. civics, as well as English language proficiency.

Overall, U.S. immigration laws change rather frequently, so it is vital to know the current regulations in advance, whether you choose to get a USA visa for work, a student visa, or you want to apply for citizenship.

This article was provided by Global Visas, the leading immigration experts for private and corporate clients locally and worldwide. 

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Taste of America

April 13, 2010 in Food Abroad by Paul Allen | 2 comments

A friend has just returned from her first trip to the States – a visit to my one-time home of New York City. Inevitably, she was bowled over by the place. And equally inevitably, one of the big attractions was the food.

Working for a US-based publisher, first in London and then in New York, I always used to get teased by my American colleagues about the quality of British cuisine.

Now, to an extent I concede they had a point. There are some wonderful eating establishments around Britain, and in particular in London. But there are some shocking places as well. And a country that boasts fish and chips as its national dish has to be on dodgy territory.

By contrast, the year I lived in the States – and I did a fair amount of travelling around during that stint – I never had one bad meal. So, grudgingly, I had to admit my colleagues had a point. Indeed, the only complaint I ever had was that the portions were too big.

Where I did have a gripe though was with American chocolate. Hershey’s! Urgh.

According to Wikipedia, Hershey’s uses a secret, more economic process in its milk chocolate that, it is speculated, produces a compound that helps stabilize the milk, but also produces a sour, “tangy” taste. Definitely not one that works for me.

America also sets lower cocoa limits: US government rules specify milk chocolate must have a minimum 10% concentration of chocolate liquor (which, says Wikipedia, is pure chocolate in its liquid form, containing approximately equal amounts of cocoa solids and cocoa butter). By contrast, European Union regulations stipulate a minimum of 25% cocoa solids.

Even the chocolate bars we were used to finding in Britain had been adulterated beyond recognition. And I won’t even get into the comparative merits of Swiss and Belgian chocolate.

In short, this is one area where America can learn a thing or two from its friends in Europe. So I only hope Kraft doesn’t ruin Cadbury’s now it has taken charge.

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Obama Inaugurates New Era For Americans Around The World

January 20, 2009 in Expat Americans by Paul Allen | No comments

After months of anticipation Barack Obama has at last been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

It is not exaggerating to say this is a day of hope, not just for millions of American citizens, but for the billions of citizens of the Earth as a whole.

The weight of expectation is enormous – too big probably, as if single-handedly and in just a few years he can solve all the deep and desperate problems facing America, and by extension much of the rest of the world. But hopefully his term(s) of office will bring real improvements nevertheless: to the global economy, to the environment, to war-ravaged Iraq and Afghanistan, to the problems of the Middle East, to relations between the Islamic world and the West.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Back To Barack?

November 7, 2008 in Expat Locations by Paul Allen | No comments

It’s been a while since my last post. I’d been meaning to write, but I’ve been busy with updating my moving abroad ebook (“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” http://expatliving101.com/amx.php?adminid=5001&tid=14003), meeting article deadlines, visiting the UK, etc and the time has just gone … you know how it is.

 

But I thought I’d post an article I’ve just sent to my newsletter subscribers, in honour of the events of this week.

 

Is America The Place To Be?

There’s no doubt Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States is a momentous – if not a defining – event in the country’s history, fostering amazing scenes of jubilation not only in the States but around the world, from Americans and non-Americans alike.

 

Of course there are millions of disappointed McCain supporters. But given the size of the turnout and the winning margin, it’s evident that Obama’s platform for change has resonated far and wide.

 

And more than that, the sense I get as an outsider is that there is a new era of hope in the US. (And believe me, the rest of us around the world are just as happy to see a switch of personnel in the White House.)

 

As for the implications of Obama’s election from a moving abroad perspective, there are a couple of points I’d like to highlight.

 

The first is how Obama has succeeded in giving new life – and colour – to the American Dream.

 

You only have to take a cursory look at his biography to see what a fascinating story his is. And in the post-election analysis people are already talking about the inspiration he is giving to their lives, and the example he is setting to their children of what is possible, that anyone in America truly can make it all the way to the top.

 

So at a time when America’s position as the world’s torch-bearer for life, liberty and opportunity – the beacon that has lured so many millions to its shores since those early settlers in the seventeenth century – was seriously guttering, Obama represents a rekindling force.

 

As such, he may help America regain its attractiveness, both for the people that already live there but had become disenchanted, and prospective immigrants.

 

The second, related, point is the widely-reported feeling that the election has made many Americans more proud of their country.

 

The Bush administrations have, without doubt, blighted America’s reputation around the world, inciting derision at best and murderous hate at worst. And from accounts I’ve read, and people I’ve spoken to, the Bush era seems to have spurred sizable numbers of Americans to move abroad, or at least want to.

 

But with the events of last Tuesday there are signs that perhaps America’s standing is back on the up. And given these times of unparalleled economic, diplomatic and military crises that is much needed, for all our sakes.

 

A blog on the Huffington Post (Expat No More? Proud to be an American Abroad, Vivian Norris de Montaigu, November 5, 2008 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vivian-norris-de-montaigu/expat-no-more-proud-to-be_b_141294.html) summed it up when the writer said how friends in the US had been threatening to leave the country if John McCain was elected, but that she was now hearing about Americans abroad who want to return to the States.

 

Perhaps America will be a pretty good place to be after all, whatever your current location and nationality.

 

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