Post Tagged with "expats"

Take another look at Kazakhstan

Kazakh Nomad shows ‘A Westerner’s view of Kazakhstan’. It’s written by American teacher who would like to help other Westerners understand more about Kazakhstan and its history, traditions and culture.

There’s a lot of reading here for anyone who wants to get to know Kazakhstan. You could start with these photo posts: Kazakh faces, Kazakh costumes and yurts.

Next, discover the meanings behind some Kazakh names and proverbs. By now you might be planning your trip. Make your mind up with these recommendations from Kazakh students on why you should visit Almaty. And if you can’t make it, console yourself with the abundance of other facts and opinions you’ll find on Kazakh Nomad.

Thanks to KZ Blog for recommending this site.

Read more:
As Kazakhstan changes, so do its musicians
Doing business, Afghan style
Stroll around a Kyrgyz bazaar

An American expat blogging from Necochea

Katie Alley is a Philadelphia native who moved to the seaside town of Necochea –Argentina- after maintaining a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Daniel for over two years. For both personal and work-related reasons, they decided that it would be more feasible for her to make the move to Argentina instead of Daniel moving to the United States.

Katie started her blog Seashells and Sunflowers as a way to chronicle her adventures and experiences in Argentina and as a means of connecting with other expats. It’s also been a great way to keep friends and family back in the United States up to date.

Katie’s passion for photography shows in her photos. She also loves cooking and writing about recipes and ingredients that are unique to Argentina, like cornalitos fritos or locro.

Katie also writes about cultural differences and how she has adapted to life in a new country, like the time she joined a choir or was “rechristened” at the immigrations office.

Not only is Seashells and Sunflowers a treasure trove of information about Argentina; its blogrolls are extensive and cover diverse topics from food to news to links for expats.

Read more:
More Blogs from Argentina on Blogs of the World
Stories of cross-cultural relationships
Cafe culture in Buenos Aires

100 blogs on living abroad

Today we’re writing about not one blog but a hundred!

Lexiophiles language blog has been running a survey to find the best worldwide blogs on the theme of living abroad.

The people writing the blogs below come from all over the world. They are either high school or university exchange students, young interns working abroad, people who support these students and interns from behind the scenes or expats who have moved abroad for several other reasons. The common bond is that all of them are living, learning, exploring and experiencing a foreign country and blogging about it!

It’s a diverse and international list – the top ten blogs cover six different countries and are written in four different languages. Whatever your nationality and interest you must be able to find a kindred spirit here.

Browse the full top 100 list here.

Read more:
What is a global citizen? We asked, you answered
Immigrants: citizens of the world: thoughts from a Mexican in Canada
Can you recommend a Blog of the World? Tell us about it here

The Dutch way

“Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg”

Act normally, that is crazy enough – is a favorite Dutch expression.

The Dutch landscape extends beyond the tulips, cheese, dykes, canals and windmills as anyone living in The Netherlands for some time would vouch for.

Having spent the last 1.4 years here in expatriation, I have come across many of the traits from the Dutch character set – some apparent, some needing an observing eye.

The Dutch Way

• The Dutch are firm believers in equality in all spheres of life. Nobody has an undue advantage over the other.

• They are friendly people – kind, polite and helpful to tourists. They become your guiding force during the initial days of expatriation.

• Moderation is the key to a successful living for the Dutch. Show-offs are not encouraged in any field.

• There are probably more bikes than people in Holland. It is the most prized possession of the Dutch. This reflects well in their fitness and healthy lifestyle.

• The Dutch are very good planners – week days as well as the week ends are planned, well in advance.

• The Dutch lifestyle is regulated by diaries. It is probably the single most popular gift on the new year!! Everything is jotted down religiously in the diaries from meetings to leisure time.

• The Dutch seek consensus whether it be a meeting or discussion. They live by the principle of agreement and harmony.

• The Dutch enjoy a great family life and firmly believe that money cannot buy happiness. The personal and professional lives are kept separate.

• They are a private bunch and emotions are kept under check during dealings with strangers.

• Weather is the most discussed topic in short conversations. The Netherlands weather definitely merits this, what with it showing all colours from snow, to rain, to wind, to sun.

• The Dutch like to practice their English. As soon as you start off in your broken Dutch, they start speaking to you in English.

• Thanks to their spirit of openness and frankness, humour resonates well with most of them.

• ‘Koninginnedag‘ (Queen’s Day), and ‘Zomer Carnaval‘ (Summer Carnival) are the most awaited holidays, perhaps for their colourful splendour and unique attributes.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

This is Arwa’s first post for PocketCultures and we’re very pleased to welcome her to the team. Arwa is originally from India and is now based in the Netherlands.

We’re looking forward to reading more about Arwa’s comparisons between Indian and Dutch culture. In the meantime you can find her on her blog Orangesplaash.

Read more:
The famous Italian cappuccino rule: fact or fiction?
There’s life outside Istanbul: what do you think about Turkey?
Navigating Chicago’s cultural stew: diverse cultures of Chicago