Expat interviews
Japan
Eugénie was born to a French mom but grew up in Quebec. She has lived in many countries, including Australia and Paraguay, before relocating to the Philippines, where she met her Japanese husband. Finally, they decided to settle in Japan for a new start amid the Covid pandemic. She talks to us about her life experiences and career.
Everyday life
Madrid is known to be a land of opportunities, and Alice and Emilie cannot deny it. They both moved to Spain in 2018 as trailing spouses. Today, they are their own boss and are part of a network of women entrepreneurs. Alice and Emilie look back on their expat journey and tell us about their everyday life in the Spanish capital.
Brazil
It's been 3 years since Laurence settled in a small village in the northeast of Brazil, where she owns a beach house. After 13 years as sales and administrative manager for a perfume designer in France, a great disappointment made her want to leave everything and move to the other side of the world. She thus embarked on a new life-changing adventure. Here's her story.
Everyday life
Alix was only 18 when she fell in love with New York City. In 2014, the young French expat decided to settle there and start her career in the audiovisual industry. Today, she is married, is a green card holder and is now working as a freelancer. Alix shares her experience with Expat.com.
Argentina
Lorraine has always loved travelling and started living abroad when she was barely 20 years old. However, she had never thought that one day she would be working with horses in the heart of Patagonia. She talks to Expat.com about her adventure in Argentina, from her arrival in Buenos Aires to settling in a small Southern village surrounded by nature.
Everyday life
Asafe Kerven from Paraíba, Brazil, has a passion for football. He has already worked in several sporting events around the globe as a volunteer and today lives in the UK. Coming from a poor region, he shares a bit of his experience moving abroad and how expatriates with low income can succeed in their goals.
USA
Geraldine, who is originally from France, fell in love with the United States when she was very young, and a complicated personal journey led her to move to New York State. She initially wanted to take the time to rebuild herself, but in the end, she never left. Geraldine talks to us about how she obtained the authorization to stay in the USA, what life is like in rural New York State and what she likes the most in her country of adoption.
Everyday life
Arrived in autumn 2021, amidst the pandemic, Hanna Lindl, from Germany, shares her experience as a physics intern living in Madrid. Besides the blue sky, she tells what are the pros and cons of being an expatriate during the Covid-19 pandemic, gives some advice and more!
Everyday life
Alicia has lived in different countries on different continents and had a taste of different working cultures -- which made her realize that she needed to work towards something more meaningful. She has always had a passion for couture, so she decided to earn a living from it. Now an expat in Barcelona, she talks to Expat.com about her journey and the challenges of being an entrepreneur in a new country, especially when you don't speak the language perfectly.
Netherlands
Originally from the Netherlands, Angelique had been an expat in Belgium since 2008 until she moved to Taiwan in 2017. As her husband's two-year contract was renewed, she stayed for two more years until August 2021 when they finally moved back to their home country. She talks to us about the challenges of returning home, especially amid the pandemic, and the positive side of it.
Everyday life
Maëva has been in love with Quebec for nearly twenty years, but she only decided to take the leap of faith during the pandemic, looking for a better quality of life. She talks to us about her expat experience with her partner and their two children and the many opportunities available in this Canadian province for expatriates.
Everyday life
Mégane landed for the first time in Mauritius in 2018 for an internship, but she quickly fell in love with the island's beauty. So back in France in 2019, she decided to go back and settle down in Mauritius for good. Today, she is an entrepreneur and social media influencer and talks to us about her journey as an expat.
Everyday life
Diagnosed with calpainopathy at the age of 14, Irina has always been thirsty for adventure. Enrolling for Erasmus, she first flies to Ireland. After that, she lived in London and California before returning to France. Today, she shares her experience of moving abroad with a disability.
Everyday life
Roxana has had wanderlust since a very young age. While Zanzibar has been the land of her dreams, she finally ended up in Mexico after staying in New York. A single expat mum, she keeps herself busy in taking care of her daughter and an educational initiative dedicated to making linguistic education accessible for marginalized communities.
Everyday life
Although Carmen misses Hong Kong, her home country, she is not ready to go back. She actually took the leap to Madrid, Spain, for a better future for her son, who was only two years old at that time. Her quest for a better life took her to the land of her dreams, where she is an entrepreneur and remote worker.
Everyday life
Kasia was born in Poland but moved to Canada with her parents at the age of 8. After growing up in Canada, she travelled to Australia in her late 20s and stayed there for 15 years, and worked in the Asia Pacific region for 6 years before going back to Canada. Today, Kasia is an International Leadership & Career Coach who helps expat entrepreneurs become the leaders of tomorrow.
Everyday life
Originally from Philadelphia, Sara has quite an interesting story to tell. On travelling to Mexico for the first time when she was 18, she immediately fell in love with the country. Today, she lives in Veracruz with her multicultural family. From an English teacher before the pandemic, she converted into a publisher and is enjoying being an entrepreneur.
Finland
Born in the Dominican Republic, Dolores is a psychologist. Having lived in Spain for 19 years, she also has Spanish nationality. But two years ago, she relocated to Finland, where she founded an association of Dominican professionals. She talks to us about her expat experience in her new home.
Other Types
Portugal
The Golden Visa has not had its final say. Despite the visa controversy, several countries keep relying on it to attract foreign capital. Let's discover which countries are relaunching or reforming the program and what has changed.
Everyday life
Who are “people of color”? What is “Asia”? What are these never-ending gazes? This article aims to explore terms that are controversial and raise questions about our relationships with others and with ourselves as expats.
Everyday life
Moving to a new country almost always comes with a set of shocks. You may run into them right away or several months and even years into your stay. Out of all the shocks of an expat journey, culture shock is the most known and talked about. There are lots of resources online that will tell you how to manage culture shock, typically labeling it as something negative and unpleasant. But what if the culture shock you are experiencing is actually making you raise your own standards? It turns out that for some expats, culture shock can be a push.
Work
On one hand, labor shortages continue to hinder economic growth in many countries. On the other hand, immigration policies are increasingly selective, prioritizing the recruitment of skilled and highly skilled foreigners. What impact does this have on moving abroad plans? Is there a decline in immigration rates? Which nationalities are most affected?
Work
The European Union is in need of healthcare professionals. Although this isn't publicized within European institutions, a behind-the-scenes battle is clearly underway among various European countries. These countries are treading carefully, balancing more restrictive immigration policies with chronic labor shortages. What does this mean for medical professionals from around the globe?
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