Culture Shock Or Smooth Sailing?

Posted on 11. Sep, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
9 comments

Culture shock. We’ve all heard about it, and chances are, we’ve all experienced it to some degree during our expat adventures.

On her Swedish Blog, Anna recently questioned whether Westerners could get culture shock when relocating to Sweden.

I can see her point. After all, if you’re moving from one developed country to another, how big could the difference be, right?

However, back when I was in Sweden some 15 years ago (yikes!), I saw enough fellow French and British students suffer from full-blown culture shock to know that things are not that simple.

I don’t believe that culture shock has much to do with the objective differences between two countries. It all happens on the emotional level.

You’re headed for culture shock when you: (more…)

Feeling At Home: Take A Break

Posted on 28. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

Since you’ve arrived in your host country, you’ve been running around like a recently relocated, headless chicken. Now that you’re mostly settled, it’s time to take a well-deserved break.

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Feeling At Home: How Are Your Language Skills Coming Along?

Posted on 26. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
0 comments

You may remember that last month was Language Learning month here at Winning Away.

We learned how to overcome blocks, and I shared tips to help you boost your language skills, whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student.

So, how is it going?

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Feeling At Home: Friends And Acquaintances

Posted on 24. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

Have you begun making friends in your host country? How are your new friendships coming along?

Friendships are such a personal thing, the only rule about them… is that there are no rules.

Expats or locals?

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Feeling At Home: Plan For (Personal) Growth

Posted on 21. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
1 comment

So you’ve relocated to a new country, and you have settled in your new home. You’re finally seeing the end of all the paperwork you had to deal with, and you’ve started your new job.

Now what?

The post-relocation slump

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Feeling At Home: Dispatches From Home

Posted on 19. Aug, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation
0 comments

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
0 comments

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
4 comments

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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