A ‘New’ Egypt

Many Egyptian expats in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have decided to come back to their homeland after Mubarak’s resignation.

The country’s economic outlook is promising with job opportunities in the tourism and media sectors. Some are even keen on establishing their own businesses.

“Amr Abdul Rahman, an Egyptian from Alexandria who has been working in the tourism sector in the Kingdom for more than 30 years, said his decision to return home was intended to be permanent.

He said a number of his friends back home told him that there were several new tourism opportunities in Egypt following the dismissal of the former Minister of Tourism Zuhair Garana and his business associates who had monopolized the industry there.”

Read More from Arab News

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Turkey Optimistic Of Expat Votes From Germany

This June, Turkey is hoping to get more expat votes, especially in Germany. The 17th general election will feature the CHP and AKP Party with it’s determination of creating a new constitution after the 2011 election. The Turkish government seeks help from the German government to facilitate embassies and consulates in setting-up voting booths.

And with an estimated 60% of overseas Turks eligible to vote residing in Germany, this is no light matter.

“Currently, Turkish citizens living abroad have to travel to a Turkish border 90 days before an election and cast their vote at customs checkpoints, rather than being able to vote at their embassies or consulates, as citizens of many other countries can.

Obstacles to voting from abroad prevented millions of Turks from casting their votes in the last public referendum, held on Sept. 12. Of the 2.5 million voters registered to vote abroad, only 196,000 actually voted.”

Read More From Today’s Zaman

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Politeness leads Philippine Expat to $17m lottery win

It is true that lottery is a game that gives people slim chances of winning. A player has to beat thousands of number combinations in order to win the jackpot prize. A Filipino expat who visited his family had incredible luck when he won the Philippine lottery on 29^th of November.

“An official for the national lottery said the father-of-three was next in a queue to buy a ticket when a woman rudely pushed in ahead of him.

He graciously let her go ahead, and in turn he bought the winning ticket, choosing “lucky pick” numbers.

He is believed to be a Filipino in his sixties, living in the US, who was back in the Philippines visiting family.

The lottery agency has a policy of keeping the names of winners secret, partly to protect them from kidnap attempts.”

When the draw was made on 29 November, nobody had won the lottery since 15 May.

The prize money had accumulated over 86 consecutive draws to become the country’s biggest ever jackpot and millions of people bought tickets.

The winner beat odds of one in nearly 29 million.

But the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) says he forgot to check the lottery numbers for a week and when he realized he had won, his response was gracious.

“When he won, he kept thinking: how sad for that woman. She could have won the big prize if she had just been patient,” PCSO chair, Margie Juico told AFP.”

Read More From BBC

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Emotive Reasons Bring South African Expats Home

A strong bond on culture and family and the convenience of living in their own country push African expats to leave their promising careers abroad.

And even if a crime is a recurring problem at home, most are still compelled to go home to their families and enjoy the massive South African landscape and sunny weather.

“Brigitte Lightfoot, managing executive of Homecoming Revolution, said the organization receives about 160 enquiries a month from South African expatriates.

‘The most common questions they ask have to do with employment opportunities and practical things such as how to open bank accounts, convert driver’s licenses, and about schools for their children,’ Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot says there are more than 500000 South Africans living abroad. According to Lightfooot, the main reasons migrants have for considering returning are emotive.”

Read More From www.sowetanlive.co.za

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Money Equates Social Exclusion

Everyone needs something; and the level of need vary among individuals. An expat automatically bids goodbye to social inclusion by leaving his homeland to work abroad for a bigger pay. It’s a tough road, especially for those working in the Gulf Countries, but achieving financial stability is not far from their reach.

“Most expatriates in the Gulf say they work extremely long and hard. But the financial benefits can be considerable, with mostly tax-free income and generous allowances for schooling, housing, transport, medical insurance and travel to and from home. (The latter is generally once a year but, depending on company and rank, can be as much as four times a year.)”

Read More From the Financial Times

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Saving for Retirement

Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire due to physical inabilities.

But as we we enjoy life in our youth, are we making the right decisions for the future? It seems that very few people actually save for fulfilling twilight years.

“More than half of the over 55s who earn between £20,000 and £30,000 a year have saved less than £30,000 for their retirement, which would give them around £165 a month to live on, according to research from insurance giant Aviva.

Clive Bolton, the ‘at retirement’ director for Aviva, said: ‘Babyboomers have enjoyed rising house prices and final salary pension schemes, but unfortunately many may still struggle to fund the retirement lifestyle they desire. People should think about how they want to spend their days, and how much this will cost.

This research also opens up an interesting debate around who should fund retirement. There may be an expectation for younger generations to foot the bill in one way or another.’”

Read More From The Telegraph

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Majority of British Expats plan to live permanently in their new home

A recent survey conducted by Lloyds TSB International reveals that majority of British expatriates are not keen to return to the UK.

British expats in France, South Africa, USA, UAE and Hong Kong participated in the survey. Those living in France, South Africa and USA are willing to live permanently in their new home. On the other hand, expats in the UAE and Hong Kong generally plan to return within ten years.

“The survey shows that nearly 60 per cent of British expats left the UK for work reasons. A third of those who are expats for work reasons fall into the 45-55 year age group - and half of them say they’ve no plans to return home.

Of all those surveyed, 56 per cent said they would never live in the UK permanently again with the younger the expat, the more likely the chance they plan to return home. Understandably, the older the expat, the more likely they are to stay abroad: 80 per cent of those age 65 or over don’t plan to return to the UK.

Out of all the age groups, the most popular reasons given which would make them return home were family pressure and poor health. Three-quarters of those surveyed keep ties with the UK, with visits to family outnumbering business trips six to one.”

Read more from Telegraph

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A British Take On Americans

Before moving overseas it is easy to get caught up in stereotypes. Pre-departure you might be worried about what others will think of you and what you will think of your new home country. Like many expats, Geoff Dyer, felt undecided about America and Americans, but after taking the time to get to this new country he seemed pleasantly surprised. “If the typical American interaction involves an ostensibly contradictory mixture of the formal (politeness), the casual and the cordial, what happens when one moves beyond the transactional? Like many Europeans, I always feel good about myself in America; I feel appreciated, liked. It took a while to realize that this had nothing to do with me. It was about the people who made me feel this way: it was about charm. Yes, this is the bright secret of life in the United States: Americans are not just friendly and polite — they are also charming. And the most charming thing of all is that it rarely looks like charm. The French put a rather charmless emphasis on charm, are consciously or unconsciously persuaded that it is either part of a display of sophistication or — and it may amount to the same thing — a tool in the service of seduction.”

Read more from NY Times

What Do Kids Think Of Expat Parents

Blogger Michel Loui begs the question, is it cool to be an expat parent? Are expat children embarrassed by there parents? The answer might lie some where in between some are and some aren’t. “All this navel-gazing that goes on with us expats about what its like to be an expat—what we miss, what we love about our host country, what its like to raise dual national kids, etc, is great for the support and humour it provides for other expats (and a little enlightenment for those who live with us), but something happened to me the other day to make me really wonder what its like for our kids, or step kids to have an expat parent. …For the first time in all this expat writing and opinion offering I decided to ask the kids. I have step-kids as well as one of my own and I wondered if there would be a difference…”

Read more from Mid-Atlantic English

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Global Survey: Expat Spouse Employment

The Permits foundation has released a recent study which found that expat spouses have a strong desire to work while overseas. Furthermore, it was found that the ability for an expat spouse to get a work permit is a major factor when employees are looking to move overseas. “The survey also provides insight into partner aspirations and the positive effects of having a job. Almost 90% of partners in the survey were employed before expatriation. This figure fell to 35% during the posting. Three quarters of those who were not working want to work. This is particularly so among the younger age groups, men, graduates and unmarried partners. Most partners who work said that this had a positive impact on adjustment to the host location and willingness to complete the assignment.”

Read more from Permit Foundation

Expats Return to India

Indian expats who are returning to India from overseas are finding the transition more challenge than expected. Recently there have been programs developed to help recruit Indians back to India, including a call from the current PM to welcome all Indians who want to return. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh personally extended an invitation “to all Indian Americans and nonresident Indians who wish to return home.” But, like Ayyadurai, many Indians who spent most of their lives in North America and Europe are finding you can’t go home again. … For many returnees the cultural ties and chance to do good which drew them back are overshadowed by workplace cultures that feel unexpectedly foreign, and can be incredibly frustrating. Sometimes returnees discover that they share more in their attitudes and perspectives with other Americans or with the British than with other Indians. Some stay just a few months, some return to the West after a few years.”

Read more from Times of India

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Expats & the Housing Market in Australia

Expats are always faced with the task of finding housing in their new country. Even if you have lived abroad for years housing will come up again and again. The options between buying or renting, living in a house or a serviced apartment, getting a roommate are all there. Expats in Australia and repatriates are finding the buying a home in OZ to be difficult although some opportunities might remain. “One former expat, Daniel returned to Sydney from a five-year stint in London. Now he and his wife “don’t intend to go anywhere near the Australian property market” despite having saved more than $200,000 for a deposit on a home.”

Read more from Brisbane Times

Time to Move Home

As expats abroad we are all aware that one day will have to pick up and pack up either back to our home countries or to our next posting. Some of us may be sorry to go and others can’t wait to get out. For one Irish expat in Belgium it’s his turn to bid farewell. “ALL GOOD things must come to an end and my four-year tour of duty in Belgium covering European affairs comes to a conclusion next month when I return to Dublin to reacquaint myself with Irish life, writes Jamie Smyth”

Read more from Irish Times

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