Saturday, 13-Mar-2010 20:40:30 CST

rpr_column.html

Search Now:
In Association with Amazon.com

Join the Tales Community
Subscribe to SmallPlanet : Receive short, witty notices about what's new on Tales!
Subscribe to AbroadView : Discuss all aspects of the expatriate experience.
Subscribe to Spousesview : Mutual support and connection for expat spouses.
Subscribe to SpecialNeedsAbroad : For expat families with special-needs kids.
Message Boards! Ask and answer questions about life on our Small Planet.

 
Real Post Report of the Month

Dakar, Senegal: " For most of the year a smaller vehicle would be nice for Dakar. But when the flooding comes it is really nice to have a higher car - also better for outside of Dakar. Quite a few motorcycles zip through traffic - but it's dangerous as cars often swerve left or right unexpectedly to go around taxis, horse-drawn carts, and other obstacles." Read More.

If you have lived overseas, please submit a report here! And please, tell a friend about Real Post Reports!

Recent additions to Real Post Reports:
Dili, East Timor (3/13)
Nassau, Bahamas (3/13)
Aukland, New Zealand (3/5)
Chisinau, Moldova (3/5)
Accra, Ghana (2/25)
Dili, East Timor (2/25)
Halifax, NS, Canada (2/23)
Warsaw, Poland, (2/23)
Mexico City, Mexico (2/21)
Bridgetown, Barbados, (2/21)
Muscat, Oman (2/11)
Dakar, Senegal (2/19)
Manila, Philippines (2/19)
Colombo, Sri Lanka (2/19)
Accra, Ghana (2/19)
Dakar, Senegal (2/19)
Paramaribo, Suriname (2/18)

Thanks to Robin Pascoe, Joanne Grady Huskey, Jo Parfitt and Patricia Linderman for their generous gifts of books for our fundraising campaign! Click here to donate $75 or more to Tales and get one of these classic expat books free while supplies last!

Fundraising Campaign Collage

An expat from the Netherlands appreciates small luxuries in Armenia

According to Karen van der Zee, everyday life in Yerevan features "electricity that takes unannounced breaks, water that stops flowing when you have guests for dinner, and no fresh broccoli." But like many seasoned expats, she's tracked down sources for some luxuries that counterbalance the discomforts: a fabulous imported American mattress, and some of the world's best trout and sturgeon fillets, delivered right to her home. Find out why people are surprised by the sight of raw sturgeon -- and why testing a mattress in public is an act of cross-cultural defiance -- from her honest and insightful Covered Wagons essay: Forty Kilos of Fish and a Posturepedic Mattress.

Coffee culture in France through the eyes of an American expat

What if the French introduced a speeded-up version of baseball called "Quickieball"? That's how American fast food appears to them, according to expat Dan H. Woods. He also found that in France, coffee is not something to be gulped from a huge mug while commuting, but a concentrated, flavorful beverage to be savored with friends and colleagues -- even if it comes out of a machine. Read about this and much more in Dan's funny, insightful Covered Wagons tale of two cultures: French Roast.

An American development worker finds herself mired in the snow in enemy territory

While helping rebuild war-ravaged Bosnia, development consultant Amanda Fernandez and a few colleagues hoped to forget about work for a weekend and just go skiing. But the winter resort was in a scary Serbian nationalist stronghold, and their jeep got stuck in the snow -- which provoked humorously different reactions among the expat nationalities represented. Don't miss this Road Less Traveled tale of discarded scruples and pragmatic solutions: Skiing with the Serbs.

Language isn't the only communication barrier in Asia

Of course it's hard to communicate in Asia if you can't speak the local language. But what if you can? According to longtime Asia hand Antonio Graceffo, many people across the region seem to assume it's impossible to exchange information with a Westerner, no matter what he says or does. Don't miss Antonio's delightfully exasperated Covered Wagons article, reporting on hilarious encounters in the Philippines, Thailand and China: Asia Isn't Babel: The Lack of Communication is Cultural, Not Linguistic.

An Australian finds much-needed support in an unusual expat group

Living in Singapore and working at home, Australian writer Patricia Tan felt increasingly isolated and lonely. Yet the first steps toward friendship seemed daunting too -- "Keep breathing," she told herself, as she set off for her first gathering of YCFE (Young Childless Female Expats). Don't miss her honest and personal Covered Wagons essay about reaching out to a group of strangers in a foreign land: Starting Somewhere: a first step into the expat community in Singapore.

An Anglo-Australian expat finds beauty and harmony at a traditional Thai festival

In Bangkok, the polluted canal behind Apple Gidley's house often overflowed during monsoon season. Her attitude toward its muddy waters changed completely, however, when she experienced Loi Krathong, a time when people launch offerings symbolizing thanks and forgiveness. Join Apple for a lisping toddler's prayer, gentle lessons from a Thai household helper, and plenty of cross-cultural insight, in her Road Less Traveled essay, Loi Krathong: Festival of Lights, Laughter and Love .

An American health worker learns about life as well as medicine from a doctor in Senegal

In the West African village of Sindou, the clinic is a cement-block shack with no electricity or running water. Yet the dedication, caring and generosity of the people there -- especially Dr. Daouda Mbengue, who chose to return to the village in spite of attractive opportunities elsewhere -- led Kari Masson to realize that these qualities are even more important than money and Western technology. Don't miss Kari's moving and insightful Road Less Traveled essay about her work alongside the doctor: Learning from Daouda .



TALES ESSAY FEATURED IN NEW "TRAVELERS' TALES" BOOK!
The recent Tales essay "Ich Spreche Kein Deutsch," by Nichole Martinson, has been reprinted in The Best Women's Travel Writing 2009: True Stories from Around the World, from the best-selling, award-winning Travelers' Tales series. Buy it here and support Tales. Congratulations to Nichole, and thanks to all of our readers, contributors and volunteers who helped with the publication of this story!


Short Takes Before The Archive:

The Pattaya Beach Drug Connection An embarrassing personal complaint sends a desperate expat to a rustic Thai pharmacy. No More Pork Chops: My Ghana Experience A 10-year-old expat writes about fresh coconuts, a stinky beach and some unforgettable performances.
Your Mouth Is Too Big: Food and Conversation in Morocco Moroccans admire slimness -- but are insulted if you refuse their sweet tea, pastries and delicious cuisine. The Near Miss: Hunting Treasures in Mexico An American gains cultural insights from his quest for a classic flea market typewriter.
Ich Spreche Kein Deutsch A funny and insightful look at the helplessness, frustration and small triumphs of on-the-ground language learning. From Swaziland to Seattle: Sky and Mimi Join the Pet Jet Set A "Swazi mutt" and a cat taken home from a Chinese restaurant fly in homemade crates on a 50-hour journey, with plenty of bureaucratic obstacles along the way.

View our archives.


Get an international phone card or calling card
and call your loved ones right now!

Check out ID Superstore for all your id card printing needs, as well as id supplies such as badge holders and lanyards


Copyright 2000-2009 Tales from a Small Planet. All Rights Reserved.




Halifax Baseball