Feeling At Home: Dispatches From Home

Posted on 19. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
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Now that you are all moved in, I am sure that you would love to put your feet up and relax.

But there is one more chore on your To-do list (there is always one more chore, isn’t there?), and it can be a big one: updating people with your new contact details, and making sure they can easily communicate with you.

Make a list

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Feeling At Home: Celebrate Your New Space

Posted on 17. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Home, Relocation
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When you relocate to a place where you don’t know a soul, move-in day can be a pretty anticlimactic affair. After all, you don’t (yet) have friends and colleagues who you can invite to a housewarming party, so how do you celebrate this new chapter in your life?

From solitary ritual to big move-in celebration, here are some suggestions to suit introverts, extroverts and everyone in between!

Design a ritual

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Feeling At Home: What Are Your Anchors?

Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Home, Relocation
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Over the years, and because I’ve always led a fairly nomadic lifestyle, I have assembled a collection of items that help me feel at home pretty much anywhere – they are my anchors, and together they form what I call my “self-care package”. (more…)

Create The Mood You Want In Your New Overseas Home

Posted on 12. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Home, Relocation
2 comments

One of my favourite subjects!

I love using decorating and interior design to create an environment that inspiress, supports and replenishes you emotionally. I used to work in this field and my greatest joy was helping architects, designers and clients create precisely the mood they wanted in their homes.

It’s fun, creative and most of all it can boost your morale like nothing else, especially when you’ve just landed in an unfamiliar place!

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Feeling At Home: Get Your Bearings

Posted on 10. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

What do you do to get your bearings in an unfamiliar city? Having moved 13 times in 15 years, I’ve had to find ways to get acquainted with a new place – fast.

Sure, leisurely strolls and chance discoveries are part of the fun of relocating somewhere new, but when you move around a lot, you may want to be a little strategic about getting oriented – your mental sanity will thank you later!

Here’s what I set out to learn about a place right after relocating there:

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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?

Don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter to get even more expat tips and resources, delivered straight to your inbox!

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
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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: Get An Early Start

Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
2 comments

There seems to be two schools of thought among expats when it comes to learning a new language:
- Some start hitting the books as soon as they learn that they will be moving soon
- Others choose to wait until they get to their destination to learn the new language.

I am in the first camp. While I entirely agree that immersing yourself in the language is the best way to become truly fluent, I would not recommend this strategy when you still have to learn the very basics.  Too overwhelming!

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The Expat Life: Do I Really Have To Learn The Language?

Posted on 06. Jul, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

You are in the process of moving, or maybe you have just moved to a new country. Should you learn the local language?

I know that learning a new language as an adult can be an intimidating process. I have met many people who swore that they did not need to learn the language because they were living in an expat enclave. And I know even more people who thought they’d pick up the language naturally once they got there, only to get completely discouraged when it didn’t come to them all that easily.

So I am not saying that this is the easiest thing in the world. It’s a big commitment. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be horribly difficult either – yet so many expats seem to think it’s completely optional…
What good could come from not learning the language?

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