Hi Everyone,
If you are a woman who will be moving into an expat life, or if you are already living the expat experience, then there is a book I would like to highly recommend to you. The name of the book is Expat Women: Confessions, by Andrea Martins and Victoria Hepworth. Andrea and Victoria are both experienced women expats. Andrea, an Australian, has been an expat living in different countries, including Indonesia, Mexico, and Malaysia. She runs a wonderful website for expat women called Expatwomen.com (update: site sold in 2014) where expat women find insightful and helpful information about being an expat. Victoria, a New Zealander, is a trained psychologist who has also lived in many places, including Japan, China, Russia, and others. Andrea and Victoria have teamed up to write a marvelous book for expat women.
Expat Women: Confessions adroitly addresses questions written by expat women who are seeking guidance and advice on topics ranging from settling in to expat life, raising children overseas, to repatriation to back to their home country. "Sometimes expat life calls for improvisation and resourcefulness." This is my favorite quote from the book--for me this sentence sums up the mindset needed to be a successful and happy expat. Victoria and Andrea have written a book that offers creative and insightful advice on how to actually do more than just survive your expat experience--it helps you learn to thrive and enjoy your expat life. I wish this book had been around when I first became an expat five years ago.
The questions covered by the book are written by real women with concerns about expat living. All of the advice given by Andrea and Victoria is given in a warm way, as if you're talking with a friend. The advice is logical and helpful. For instance, one woman asked about how to deal with culture shock. In their answer, Victoria and Andrea were honest about the difficulties of culture shock, and then they go on with some suggestions about how to deal with it. One tip they offer is to research your new country as much as possible on all aspects of life there. This way you'll develop some understanding about the culture and society, while being better prepared for life in your new country.
Another expat woman writes to seek advice about how to deal with being pregnant far from home. She wonders about giving birth in a country where the medical system is different, and without the support of her family--she considers going back home to give birth and then return to her expat life. Andrea and Victoria advise her to seek as much information as possible before making any decisions. They suggest she become as informed as possible about what facilities and services are available in her new location. Andrea and Victoria discuss the need to be completely comfortable in the medical environment wherever this reader decides to give birth, and walk her through each option: staying put in her new location or going home and returning back to her expat location after the birth of her baby. The advice continues by looking at key considerations to evaluate before making a decision.
These are only a couple examples of the many questions answered by Expat Women: Confessions. I would highly recommend this book to you if you are in the process of considering an expat life, or if you are already in your new location. This book will be a helpful guide to your expat life and how to deal with many issues you might face in your new location. Expat Women: Confessions will help you to realize you are not alone--that many other expat women face similar issues, and you will have warm, logical guidance on how to have a happy and successful expat experience.
You can buy Expat Women: Confessions on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions by following the links below.
That's all for today! Have a great day!
God bless,
Sher :0)
Note: I received a free copy of Expat Women: Confessions to review. I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is offered as a service to help others who are considering an expat life, or who are already living in their new locations. Also, the links to Amazon (at the end of the post) are affiliate links. If you purchase the book using these links I will receive compensation as an affiliate member for Amazon.
(c) 2011 by Sher Vacik. All rights reserved.
