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Searching for a Better Life Abroad?

June 22, 2010 in Dream Lifestyle by Paul Allen | No comments

For sports fans it’s a month of heaven. The World Cup. The US Open golf tournament, soon to be followed by The (British) Open. And now the start of Wimbledon. The quandary of what to watch? So this is what it must be like year-round for reality TV talent show aficionados.

For me, the World Cup is the big treat. Once every four years I get to feast on a daily banquet of football, and if I’m lucky some of it may even prove sumptuous.

But alongside the games there is a more serious side to this year’s tournament. I don’t know what the coverage is like in other countries, but in Britain the matches have been followed by reports on what impact the World Cup is having on South Africa, and the problems there that still need tackling.

These short insights offer an eye-opening comparison between the footballer haves, and the country’s millions of have-nots. More importantly, it reminds me of what I have and how fortunate I am, and but for a fate of birth how different life could be.

For most of us expats and prospective expats moving abroad is about pursuing the dream of a better life. Nothing wrong with that. Still, at times it’s worth remembering what we have already, and being thankful for it.

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Football: The Way to a Nation’s Heart

June 18, 2010 in Moving Abroad Tips by Paul Allen | No comments

England, my home country, is playing its second World Cup match today. St. George’s flags are everywhere, and there is a palpable excitement in the air as the nation wills its players on to glory.

For the last game against the USA some 20+ million people tuned in to watch the match on TV – not bad, considering the population of England is only 51 million, and that of the UK as a whole 61 million. And if England do well and progress through the competition that number will keep on rising.

True, not everyone likes football. But in Britain – and indeed in many other countries around the world – you’d be hard pushed to find a more common cultural reference point.

And when it comes to moving abroad these cultural landmarks are crucial. National obsessions – whether they are sports or politics or music – are important parts of the social fabric. As an expat, learning something about them helps you understand the mentality of the people around you. It helps you integrate with them. It’s a way to strike up conversations, make friends, feel involved. And hopefully have a good time.

So take an interest in whatever fixates the population of your chosen country. You’ll find it a huge help.

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Euro 2008

June 13, 2008 in Living in Spain by Paul Allen | No comments

At last, the European Championships have got under way. Of course, as an English football fan it is with a tinge of regret … I’m still wondering how England didn’t manage to qualify! Still, this is no time for harping on about past disappointments.

 

Instead, I shall be focusing on the fortunes of my adopted country, Spain. I’ve put money on Spain in major football tournaments and been disappointed too many times in the past to get carried away. All the Spaniards I’ve spoken to seem to feel the same way, recognising their team as the perennial underachievers.

 

Still, the eternal optimist inside me can’t help but wonder if this year may really be the one. Many of Britain’s football pundits seem to think so too.

 

Individual talent has never been in question. It’s that cohesiveness as a unit that lets them down … and the reason why Germany always seem to do so well, even when they have a dearth of individual brilliance.

 

So is the Spaniards’ failing down to a lack of organisation, of belief? Quite possibly. It’s certainly something the German team never seem to be in short supply of.

 

Commitment? Maybe that too. There were reports in years gone by of severe divisions and antagonism in the Spanish camp, particularly between the Real Madrid and Barcelona players, who carry the burden of their great team rivalry and its political backdrop.

 

I read not long ago that FC Barcelona defender Oleguer Presas, a radical Catalan nationalist, didn’t want to play for the Spanish national squad and only agreed to join up with them when invited in 2005 because of pressure from the Barça president and the threat of not being able to play for his club. Can you imagine an English player being so antipathetic to representing his country?

 

And it is a not uncommon attitude among the wider Catalan population, many of whom refuse to cheer the Spanish national side. Centuries of centralist “repression” have left their mark!

 

Hopefully there is more unity and more belief in the Spanish squad this year though. And I, for one, will be cheering them on to the final.

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Barca vs Man U – Split Loyalties?

April 23, 2008 in Uncategorized by Paul Allen | No comments

So, this is my first post of a new blog that will offer up some (hopefully) useful thoughts and tips on the ups and downs of living abroad. And what a day to start with the invasion of the Red Devils to my Spanish neck of the woods!

Promises to be a cracking tie between two of the most entertaining teams in the world, and with arguably two of the world’s best attacking players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Barca haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season, and have had a poor run of form lately, but remain dangerous opponents. As for the Man Utd, they have been sublime at times this season (much as it pains me to say it as a Hammers fan!).

But who to support? Man U for a guaranteed English winner of this season’s Champions’ League? Or the local heroes?

Having been a resident of Catalunya for the last five years I know how much FC Barcelona means to the Catalans – this isn’t just a football team, it’s a symbol of their way of life. And now they’re out of the domestic race, thwarted once again by their arch-enemies Real Madrid, the Barca faithful will be desperate to win tonight and set up that dream final place. Yep, got to deny the English patriotism and root for my adopted home team. Come on the Barca!

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