Feeling At Home: Build Your Networks Online

Posted on 07. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation, Tools & Resources
1 comment

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and al are the modern-day equivalent of the letters of introduction that well-connected travellers used to carry.

These sites allow you to build and grow networks anywhere in the world, so put them to good use!

Contrary to popular opinion, this is not about “making friends” – it’s about tapping into a worldwide network of people who have the answers to your questions. It’s about making contact with local people whom you may never have met otherwise.

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Feeling At Home: Take A Walking Tour

Posted on 05. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
2 comments

I have always enjoyed playing tourist in my own city. I also happen to love walking, and it is my favourite way to explore a new place.

The slower pace allows you to notice all sorts of details. All your senses are stimulated. You get to fully experience your environment. This little shop has beautiful fruit – I’ll have to come back. Funny, this street feels much safer than the one I just left – good to know. And oh, what smells so good? Is there a bakery around the corner?

If you live in a larger city or in a touristic area, why not join a guided walking tour?

I cannot think of a better way to become acquainted with your new city. You will learn about local history and the different neighbourhoods. You can ask your guide all sorts of questions. Who knows, other participants may even be fellow newcomers and potential friends!

As an added bonus, guided tours allow you to explore safely – a big plus if crime is at all an issue where you are, or if you find it intimidating to venture into unknown areas.

Vancouver boasts a wide variety of walking tours, designed around themes as diverse as heritage gardens, gourmet shops and haunted houses. The one that recently caught my eye is an architectural tour of our local Chinatown – maybe I’ll go next week.

Have you ever been on a walking tour? What side of your new city would you love to explore? If no such tours are available, what about making your own itinerary?

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Emmanuelle

Images by AlBakker (top) and I am I.A.M. (bottom), both via Flickr Creative Commons

Good Quotes: On Feeling At Home

Posted on 03. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Musings & Inspiration
0 comments

Peace – that was the other name for home. ~Kathleen Norris

Where thou art – that – is Home. ~Emily Dickinson

I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself. ~Maya Angelou

This month, we will be exploring ways for you to feel at home – anywhere in the world!

I am currently on vacation, but thanks to the magic of pre-posting, you will still get your regularly scheduled expat tips and resources while I am away. Answering emails and comments may take me a little longer than usual, though.

Have a fantastic month of August!

Emmanuelle

Image by kismet_art via Flickr Creative Commons

Language Learning: Sound (Almost) Like A Native Speaker

Posted on 01. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation, Tools & Resources
5 comments

Expat fantasy: mastering the local language so well that people wonder if you were brought up bilingual. And that’s not just for the bragging rights – for many long-term expats, sounding like a native speaker is the ultimate in fitting in and being fully integrated.

I entertain this fantasy on a regular basis myself. I am not quite there yet. Although my English is completely fluent, someone recently described my accent as “continental” – as in, I get you’re from somewhere in Europe, but whether that’s France, Sweden or The Netherlands is anyone’s guess!

So I am still working on it – and here are some of the techniques I use to keep improving my language skills:

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