Four Seas One Family : All About Expat Living

Many people find their life path at unexpected times and in bewildering situations. Sometimes, people find themselves “evacuating” a certain life situation to search for another purpose. In this episode we are happy to sit down for a chat with American expat Andrea Whitaker. Andrea is very energetic so she doesn’t just sit around waiting for adventure to somehow find her. She bravely goes out on her scooter and not only looks for adventure, but hunts for it. Andrea has left over 25 years in the world of aviation and has been all over the globe learning about different cultures and lifestyles. Today, Andrea is an English teacher in Taiwan’s technology center, Hsinchu, which is a little over 40 minutes south of the capital, Taipei. Also, she’s an affluent blogger. On her blog, she writes about her expat adventures and breathtaking discoveries. In this episode, Andrea talks about how she is extracting quality out of her expat experiences. She mentions how her relationships with her adult students are helping her

Join us this episode as our host, James Thomas, sits down for a chat with Zambian-Canadian expat-entrepreneur Mr. Rico Ngoma. Tune in and listen to what lead Mr. Ngoma to learn more about China and what gave him the spark to finally move to China and start a business in the southern ever-moving Chinese city of Guangzhou. As Rico’s parents are also deeply involved in business, it maybe fair to say that doing business is in Rico’s DNA. Rico followed the road many expats take while living abroad and draws some interesting comparisons between doing business and living a normal life in China that may sound confusing to anyone upon their first encounter. Rico is and open-minded individual and shows how understanding the history of a people can help an expat except, survive and understand their life in their overseas location. Rico’s direct comments offers valuable insights into the life of an expat businessman navigating the bumpy business roads in China. Rico explains: “…China is not a big Walmart where you can go

Today, I am happy to have new dad, podcaster and entrepreneur Mr. Michael Michelini on the show. Michael is not only a new dad of two wonderful children; he is also a podcaster with two shows to look after! A top of all of this, Michael is also a business consultant for overseas companies looking to manufacture products in China. Michael’s consulting business, along with its website and other businesses, specializes in helping individuals and overseas companies understand how to do business in China. Michael has a long list of people and companies he has helped over the years to solve business issues related to China’s complex business maze. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Websites and Podcasts Website and Podcast: Global From Asia Website and Podcast: China Business Cast Website: Mike's Personal Blog On-line Entrepreneur Community Website: Enter China Book Website: The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE! Thank you very much for taking the time to share this podcast. If you have any

It is no secret that taking a leap of faith of any kind can lead to many important transitions in anyone’s life, which can help a person further develop him or herself as a part of the human race. In this episode, James is joined in his downtown office studio in Taipei with Mr. Johnny Fountain who currently works for a major global computer manufacturer with offices in Asia. Johnny is now based in Taipei, Taiwan and he joins us in this episode to talk about his experiences that lead to his life abroad. He talks about how he took a leap of faith and looks forward to life beyond the safety net he had at home. Johnny, from a little town in Georgia, mentions some similarities he has discovered between food and culture. Most importantly, Johnny shares how he learned to get involved with the local culture, which opened a gateway for him to make friends and take part in many local events. His experiences have offered him a better understanding of the local people within his environment. Join us as we take a look fro

Teaching is a tool to help make this world a better place for everyone and today I am very lucky to have Mr. Barry Mernin on the show this episode. Mr. Mernin is a lifelong elementary educator. Before teaching overseas, Mr. Mernin spent 12 years teaching in the US. Now, at the time of this episode, Mr. Mernin has spent the past fifteen years teaching in Singapore, Japan, Jordan and Hong Kong. He is currently a teaching administrator at Hokkaido International School- Niseko, Japan. Mr. Mernin’s professional mission statement is: “ I will provide a wholesome and upbeat environment for any and all students to succeed. I will teach students to learn to be content. I will demand that students care for the world around them as well as themselves. I will remember what it is like to be a child.” Mr. Mernin has a master’s degree in Mathematics and has attended summer workshops with Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, directed by Lucy Calkins. Mr. Mernin has also obtained a leadership ce

In this episode James and Jon Dunning sit down for a chat about the different types of expats that adventure beyond their nations borders to experience life and for what reasons. Expats view their overseas life experience in many ways and in this podcast learn about the make up of a few of them. The expat's approach to assimilation and humility in learning about a host country's culture, balancing birth/host country cultures, are we conquerors, escapees or explorers? MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: CONQUEROR, EXPLORER, ESCAPEE, NOMAD (BY-LIFESTYLE) Other possible types of expats: Student / Ex-student Job /Career recruit Traveling spouse Idealist or Romantic New Lifestyle Backpacker As of 2015: Examples of global migration: Source: International Organization for Migration United States Outward migration from United States of America: 2,994,925. In 2015, 0.92% of all citizens of United States of America lived outside their country of origin. Inward migration to United States of America: 46,627,102. In 2015, the immi

We have expat author Ian Mote on the show to share his expat experience and how and why he decided to write a memoir of his life in China in his comically titled book "From Chicken Feet to Crystal Baths". As a youngster from London and while traveling from country to country with his parents, Ian may have picked up an expat gene along the way. As of this podcast, Ian has lived as a expat for over 14 years. He has lived 4 years in Hong Kong, 3 years in Dubai and over 7 years in Shanghai, China. Ian chats about how he got hooked on being an expat. However, in this interview, we centre on the making of his unique book that encircles his interactions as a commercial banker and communications with people in China. Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 472 pages | ISBN 9781504903950 Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 472 pages | ISBN 9781504903943 E-Book | 472 pages | ISBN 9781504903967 Available at Amazon Website: From Chicken Feet to Crystals Baths From the Author: Ian Mote: I have always loved to travel. Right from the time I

I’m very happy to have Ms. Amanda Bate as my guest on the podcast. Amanda was born in the US to Cameroonian parents and grew up in Africa. Amanda is also the founder of The Black Expat website.  The Black Expat website spotlights collected black expat experiences that are directly related to a black expat’s survival while living abroad. Also, parts of the website talks about issues that relate to raising children abroad and, in particular issues related to what Third Culture Kids (TCKs) face while living abroad and upon touching down in the nation of their parents birth. Currently Amanda lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she works in educational consulting as a director of a college access program that assist low income and underrepresented minority students regarding their postsecondary education plans.  Amanda explains how she became an advocate of studying abroad and why she’s working to make studying abroad more accessible to minority students who normally wouldn’t even think about an educational experie

EPISODE OVERVIEW: In this episode, I go into a direction that has been on my mind ever since I decided to live permanently outside my nation of birth. I often find it hard to explain to friends and family back in the South Bronx the reasons why I chose to live abroad and face the challenges of living away from familiar faces, places and customs. I didn’t want to fall into the same, and often limited, life style most African-Americans with little or no financial backing often find themselves becoming a part of. Even with a college degree, I felt that I needed to obtain education from other sources to acquire full understanding of the world and, in turn, myself. I also wanted to cast-off the predicted social limits male African-Americans directly or indirectly become a participant of. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER: I am a podcaster who does a podcast about the, mainly positive, aspects of living life abroad. I must say clearly that there are things that I see in my overseas environment that can upset me if I

In this episode, we do some myth busting about the value of paying collective taxes. We see how an American expat learnt to appreciate something about his host nation that would raise eyebrows and receive loads of criticism back home. It is often veryhard for an expat to communicate the way other people in differentparts of the world are living and how the particular system theylive under would be of some good use elsewhere. ABOUT GUEST:  Tom Heberlein is a retired environmental sociologist professorfrom Wisconsin now living with his wife in Stockholm, Sweden. Tomexplains how he fell in love with Sweden. He also explains why themyth and mystery of paying high taxes in Sweden is misinterpretedbuy many Americans. Tom also takes the time to explain step-by-stepwhy logical and fair tax paying is better for the collectivecommunity.      Six Reasons Why to appreciate SwedishTaxes:  Swedish income taxes aren’t much higher than US taxes. Alsotaxes in Sweden provide universal medical and education.  Tax forms are sim

Recently I’ve come across loads of articles stating the “Top #” of places to live as an expat. After a while, I’ve found these lists on the edge of becoming misleading and sometimes down right biased. These “ Top #” lists point out the best nations to:  Retire  / Start a new business  /  Work or Do business /  Get health care / Find a partner Study or Do research  / Learn a new skill / Find romance /  Start a family /  Etc,…… I am finding that these oversimplified statements are lacking fully developed background information about the locations listed. I’m afraid, that this may cause some people to develop the wrong impression about an overseas location and make incorrect decisions about moving to a particular location. As an expat you have to learn that no place is a perfect place. Expats should take the positive elements around them and developed a healthy relationship in their second home.  They have come to learn that there may be things in their new environment they don’t agree with or can change. Please

In this info-packed episode, James sits down for a chat with fellow New Yorker, Jamar Whaley. Jamar shares his expat experience and talks about his observance on how people from low-socioeconomic classes are not offered or simply blocked from opportunities to study abroad and why this needs to be changed. Jamar often gives an emotional inter-personal perspective on his life abroad.

In this episode, we chat with Ms. Clara Wiggins, a prolific blogger, writer and mother of two wonderful girls from the UK and now living in South Africa. Clara is a TCK (Third Culture Kid) and shares her expat experiences with us and offers up some tips for living life abroad. Clara talks about the challenges of raising and educating children in an environment unlike the one they come from. Also, she taps into issues accompanying spouses of different types face while trying to maintain their relationship.  Clara is also the author of a book that I feel future and present-day expats should read called “The Expat Partner’s Survival Guide”. In her book, Clara opens up a pathway for understanding issues expats face while adapting to life overseas as well as explains some crisis an expat may face abroad. Mentioned in this episode: Expat Partner Survival: https://expatpartnersurvival.com Clara’s engaging handbook about living life as an expat: https://expatpartnersurvival.com/buy-the-book/ Expat Partner Survival G

Time really flies and people change. Hopefully people change in good ways and appreciate the things they have and the people around them. Sara Hong is a former student of mine. I first met Sara when she was a forth grader and now she’s working in the legal field in a country that is very unlike her own. Sara is in the city that never sleeps. Join us while we take a walk with Sara through events in her life abroad that at first confused and later amused her. Sara does all this while, at the same time, keeping a positive outlook on her expat life.  With her energetic personality, Sara shares some of the steps she took to prepare for her life abroad. Tune in and hear how Sara is adapting to life in her new environment and the ways she has learnt to further her personal development and interactions with people.

On this Valentines Day, James chats about the few steps couples can take to help their relationship apart stay afloat. It's not a secret that long-distance relationships can cause a lot of stress to partners and require that both partners be patient and  trust one another throughout. The following are five tips to deal with the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship. 1. Have mutual positive feelings 2. Strong commitment 3. Have faith and trust 4. Communication 5. Be Mature  

We often hear of or meet people who sacrifice many things for the betterment of others. In this episode, we sit down for a heart warming chat with Mr. Jon Dunning, originally from London, England, now living in Auckland, New Zealand. Listen to how he and his wife looked abroad to make a better future for their family. Jon wholeheartedly shares his story about how his situation back in London, along with the contacts he made while working overseas, gave him the idea to look beyond borders for a new life experience. Despite some odds against them, learn about the situations his family had to face in order to stay together during their journey to a place they now call home.  Jon touches on how he and his family learnt to become part of their new community. However, at the same time, he also eloquently touches on the fact that nowhere is perfect and that adjustments will always have to be made. While talking with Jon, I discovered that what he and his family went through shows how determined they had to be. His s

Busy Philadelphia native and Penn State graduate, Mr. Saul Fleischman, connects to us from Osaka, Japan to share his expat experiences. Saul is a long-term expat in Japan, with over 22 plus years living there, and shares his story of how he ended up in the place he now calls home. Saul is a straight-talker and walks us through how he followed the typical road many expats take while searching for a purpose in their adopted environment. He describes how Japan left an impression on him during his early visits. However, he points out clearly, even with all it’s uniqueness, Japan can still be challenging. Saul has a successful Internet business that he manages remotely.Rite Tag: The Social Media Marketing Toolkit: http://www.ritetag.com

At the end of 2015, I had the opportunity to interview Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, a South Asian American Expat, now living and working in Doha. Mohana is a wonderful speaker and writer who gets to the point. She talks about how she and her two young children adapted to their host nation. Also, she sheds some light on the intricate interactions of the expat community where she lives. Besides being a wonderful writer, speaker and parent, Mohana is also a podcaster! This is why in the interview I called her “super woman”.

We are glad to have American expat Mr. Jonathan Rollins as a guest on the show. Now, living and working in Sweden, Jonathan is also married to a wonderful Swedish lady and they have a young little (1.5 year old) boy bouncing around the house. I learnt about Jonathan through a blog post he wrote about gun control in the US. His viewpoint of his home from abroad prompted me to track him down for a chat. As it turns out, Jonathan has an interesting story about how he ended up in Sweden and to top things off he is also a podcast co-host of a popular Swedish podcast! He podcasts in English mixed with Swedish! Very cool! And that’s not all! Jonathan is also a comedian! You just can’t get better than this! Join us for this memorable podcast!

An American expat from Harvard University studying Entomology in Taiwan, Avalon Owens (姜安蓉), joins us in a chat about how she ended up in Taiwan. Avalon has also spent time in Beijing and she explains the non-typical way she learned Mandarin Chinese. Avalon is full of energy and always delightful. Come hear what she has to say. I guarantee she’ll put a smile on your face.