Jacob, an American citizen living in Taiwan
He was only meant to be in Taiwan for a semester. Two years and a pandemic later, he has not left, and he is not planning to leave anytime soon. The young man has fallen in love with the place and makes the most of it.
You still live in Taiwan today. How is that for you?
I still live in Tainan, Taiwan. Luckily for me, I live in one of the safest countries in the world right now. Taiwan hasn't had a local case of Covid-19 in over 200 days which means I've been able to live a fairly normal life. I've traveled quite a bit around the island and visited some of Taiwan's smaller islands.
What is the best thing about living in Taiwan?
I'm incredibly thankful for being able to live a normal life during COVID-19. It's easy to take all of that for granted.
What is 2021 going to look like for you?
2021 should be a good year for me. As soon as it gets warmer, I plan on buying a new surfboard. I started surfing in June and have become addicted to the sport. I'm considering buying a van and converting it to a camper and going on some trips around the island. Hopefully a vaccine comes out and my friends and family can visit Taiwan for the first time.
Do you have plans for the next 15 years?
I plan on still being in Taiwan. In a few years I can get a permanent resident card which allows me to live and work in Taiwan visa free. After that I'd like to try and get dual citizenship.
I've been entertaining the idea of opening a food shack or bar near the ocean, but I haven't given it very much consideration.
Mariam, citizen of the world and serial expat
She was born in Karachi, Pakistan. But since then, she has lived in Bahrain, New York, Boston, Denmark, Singapore, Copenhagen, the UAE, Ghana and recently, Portugal.
You have just made another move. How did this go?
Since we spoke last, I have made another international move. This year in July of 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic and 5 months pregnant with our third baby, I moved with my family from Accra, Ghana to Lisbon, Portugal. So I currently have been living in Lisbon for almost 5 months. Portugal is my 10th country to move to, so I am a seasoned expat, but moving during Covid times did add that extra layer of uncertainty and chaos and additional bureaucracy. We left Ghana in the height of the pandemic when airports were officially shut and there were no commercial flights on offer. We were lucky to be able to leave Ghana in dramatic fashion: on a charter flight organized by the Italian Embassy in Accra! We relocated to Portugal, I was able to give birth at a hospital in Lisbon and we welcomed our baby boy in August of this year. The high-risk pregnancy, premature birth and Covid restrictions has definitely made our expat experience in Portugal more challenging! It has also been harder to settle down, and make friends at a time when in-person contact is too risky and most of Europe is back in a partial lockdown of sorts. I think many expats are struggling at the moment due to this extra layer of complexity that Covid has brought to expat life, especially if you have made an international move this year.
What do you retain from your life abroad? What did it bring you?
My expat life has always brought me incredible lessons in strength, adaptability and resilience. And the knowledge that tough seasons don't last forever. I've had to pull out my "expat reserves" this year in order to stay afloat. Another great lesson has been to embrace the "unknowns" that this expat journey brings!
On a more personal note, expat life has also made my family into who we are today; a mola of different nationalities, languages, cultures, traditions, homes and identities as I describe in my expat book 'This Messy Mobile Life'.
Any plans for 2021?
I am hopeful that things will improve for expats like myself in 2021. Hopefully, with the roll-out of the vaccine, life may slowly go back to 'normal.' But I am also staying realistic. I'm envisioning 2021 to be the year where I discover more of my new gorgeous country of Portugal, continue working from home as an expat writer and offering support to other global expatriates and their families as they navigate their international lives through my expat blog 'And Then We Moved To' .
Any expat projects on the long term?
As a globally mobile expat, I feel it is even tricky to make plans for the next 5 month or the next 5 years! I don't know what the next 15 years will look like, but I am sure it will involve some more international relocations for us. And writing my second or third expat book hopefully.
Marilyn, from Belgian living in Tel Aviv
Marilyn moved to Tel Aviv in 2007 for work. Since then, she has not left. And she is not planning to anytime soon!
You have been in Israel for 15 years now. How does this feel?
Am I still considered an expat after 15 years here? I feel at home here even though my parents and brother don't live here. I will never be an Israeli but my children are growing up here. They will get my language and cultural world from me.
What is the one thing you keep from your life abroad?
Antwerp, Belgium made me who I am. As an expat you must know the feeling: you are more the Belgian than you ever were. Towards others of course. But also to myself. I take the good things from my childhood, my education, my upbringing, my city and apply it on my children and life here. But, it also made me realize I prefer the lifestyle here. It fits my temper better. Meditteranean, sunny, tough, open, warm...
Do you have any projects for 2021?
After 2020 I don't think anyone can envision 2021. The aim is to carry on in the line with what 2020 taught us: what really matters. Family and inner light. Not money, not materialism. Stick to the essentials and find happiness inside.
Do you have plans for the next 15 years?
I am very sucked up in motherhood, I have three children. I am also currently unemployed as I work in music and there are no concerts right now but I am always passionate about music and my holy me time is spent on my radio show. Check me out at marilynambach.com. It's a radio program called Unwind Rewind. And who knows what other creative outlets I'll explore…. For now radio is helping me enjoy music and enjoy sharing it along with wisdom from my daily life lessons and stories from my work with artists.
Do you have another expatriation destination in sight?
I don't like moving. I like my comfort zone. And also, with children I can't really see myself moving anywhere. They are small and we enjoy the simple things in life together.
