Tag: living abroad

Nothing is more satisfying to a wanderer than to see the journeys others have taken. In the age of the internet, it’s easier than ever to read stories and enjoy photos of other travelers as they embark on their unique paths around the world. Of course, I’m talking about the rise of travel blogs. In their simplest form, they’re an outlet for bloggers to share their experiences with the world, but travel blogs cultivate much more than mere curiosity.

One of the best parts about becoming an expat in a new country is exploring the culture. A great way to take a peek into the window of a countries culture is to experience their festivals. Taiwan is a place where you can experience a wide variety of festivals from food to fireworks, sky lanterns to tradition, you can find it all here.

One of the interesting, and slightly stressful, customs I’ve learned to accept and embrace while teaching in Korea is gift giving in the office. The most important time for gift giving in Korea is when a new employee receives their first paycheck.

It’s tempting to take what we know of the Middle Eastern part of the world and hold some skewed opinions or even pronounce certain judgments upon them without taking time to understand or visit the object of our scrutiny. Once we can learn to be aware of their cultural traditions, religious heritage, and the foundational value of respect they hold for each person, there is much about the U.A.E. which we can cherish for a lifetime. These are the cultural taboos to be aware of in the U.A.E.

Food in Abu Dhabi: Five things not to be missed on your next trip to this amazing place. Is there good food in the desert? You bet!

I’m sure that we all have things that we would have done different when preparing to go away, because lets face it, we weren’t blessed with the gift of foresight and problems will always occur. Which is why we are here to share with you the things that we would have done differently to better prepare you the reader. Here are my top 3.

For the people of China, Taiwan, and other Asian countries, the biggest holiday of the year is Chinese New Year. Think Christmas, but with fireworks. Think Thanksgiving, but with more variety of food. Think the Fourth of July, but with bigger and louder fireworks! It’s a celebration to usher in the coming spring, and it’s all about family time and good food. It is definitely the biggest party of the year. This year, we are celebrating the Year of the Horse.

We all know Valentine’s Day to be a beautiful day drenched in roses, wine, chocolates, and fairy tale-like romance…unless you’re single. Singletons around the globe dread the creeping date of February 14th no matter in which country they reside. For those currently unattached and living in Korea, the sobering awareness of a single’s relationship status in February tends to be amplified more so than in any western countries because of Korea’s “couple culture”.