Globe Trotter by Carolyn B. Metro. I love this girl’s art! “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark Everyone has their people; their ‘peeps’, their posse. You know, the people to whom you can talk in vague terms with and just know… Read More The X(pat) Factor
From the Article, A Global Citizenship, by Leah MacFadyen I believe that one day a passport like this will exist. Is it too much to hope that it happens in my lifetime? That would so solve all of my problems. I mean, can you imagine being allowed to legally live and work in any corner… Read More Global Citizenship, Anyone?
Sad Tree By Melonhead83 I had a friend in Japan who was one of those curious ‘between cultures’ people who didn’t identify with any one country’s beliefs or value system. She’d grown up in Tokyo, Chicago, Bangkok, Oregon, New York and Sydney and was a free-thinker, a non-conformist and completely unbothered by other’s opinions of… Read More Roots
“I’m like a bird I’ll only fly away I don’t know where my soul is I don’t know where my home is” – Nelly Furtado It’s about time I aired a little dirty laundry. I’ve got a confession to make that I’ve been keeping a secret for far too long. So here goes: I’ve recently… Read More Yes, I’m obsessed with traveling. And no, I’m not running away from my problems…
I’ve spent most of my time abroad trying to hide my culture. Just like an actress tries to hide a large nose with flattering hair styles and makeup, I tried to hide my American-ness with Canadian flag patches and bad french accents. When I lived in Germany, I was Re-AhhN-non from Paris and acquired a… Read More Trapped by My Culture
I’ve moved up in the World, folks. Quite literally. I’m now living (well, for two weeks anyway) in a deluxe apartment on the 21st floor of a sky rise in Roppongi. Here’s a picture of the view from the balcony. Yep, that’s the Tokyo tower in the distance. God, I think that the second best… Read More I’ve Got Friends in High Places…
“I think careers are a 20th century invention…And I don’t want one.” – Chris McCandless, from the film Into the Wild “So, you mean you’ve made a career out of moving to other countries?” The girl with the Katie Holmes haircut asked, frowning in a way that suggested she found that idea disturbing. We were… Read More Happily Uncareered
Photo by Jam343 Sakura is dying, my job is now hiring someone to replace me and last Monday, I moved out of the Foreigner’s Ghetto. And it’s now becoming increasingly more difficult to pretend that I’m not leaving Japan. I started packing around midnight on Sunday night…and finished about five hours later. And then at… Read More Moving Out and Moving On…
My ninth roommate, a 20-something American whom I affectionately refer to as “The Phantom White Dude” has a girlfriend…and she is really hot. This probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s familiar with expat life in Asia. After all, the whole ‘weird white dude + supermodel gorgeous girlfriend = typical relationship’ is an… Read More Breaking News: The Phantom White Dude has a Girlfriend
“No one should take themselves so seriously With many years ahead to fall in line Why would you wish that on me? I never want to act my age What’s my age again? What’s my age again?” – Blink 182 I’ve never deluded myself into believing that I’d one day be fantastically wealthy. As a… Read More Expats with REAL Jobs