September issue magazine out soon!
01 September 2010 - Our magazine will be sent out in the next few weeks and is available to be viewed by our members online now. What can you expect to find in this September issue? As a preview we give you a short insight in a few of the articles featured.
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Theme article - Taboos
Things you shouldn’t do, subjects you shouldn’t raise: taboos exist everywhere, as expats know only too well. As they settle abroad, they quickly find out what is not done in the eyes of the locals. But as well as that, they discover there are some things best left unsaid among their fellow expat friends and acquaintances. What are the most common taboos? Global Connection wanted to find out and conducted a survey among their Expat Monitor Panel. A couple of things were quickly evident: among expats, the mention of domestic violence, addiction and problems with relationships did not make for good conversation; and if you wanted to befriend the locals, it was best not to offer any opinions about the country’s politics or its religious ways. Worth knowing because although most taboos if breached will only be met with raised eyebrows or an uncomfortable silence, there are places where doing the wrong thing could carry a far higher price. |
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Culture – the creed of Greed
September’s release of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps brings back memories of Gordon Gekko’s mantra 'Greed is good!'. Those who remember the original 1987 film will appreciate how different today’s deficit-torn world looks, yet greed remains a potent force. It rears its head in times of scarcity and in times of abundance. Nations on the bread line recover to embrace greed, striving to get the best for their families. So is greed all bad? Developed nations espouse greed as part of a free market economy tradition. But at what cost? As part of Global Connection’s Culture series that looks at the deadly sins, we take an unsparing look at Greed. |
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Expat Partner & Work - Taking your CV to the top
Applying for a job at home is hard enough, but doing so when you’ve moved to an unfamiliar country can be even more daunting. What are the do's and don’ts? Should I hand-write my covering letter? Am I expected to write in French or Cantonese? How assertive should I be? And what about the CV itself? Will they want to know every exam grade, or do they want to focus first on my last job? Should I send a photo, tell them about my love of sky diving and pressed flowers? Global Connection helps you negotiate the CV maze, with expert advice on content, presentation and the influence of trends such as social networking sites. |
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Expat Archive - Married life on the move
For Aart and Lettelien van den Hoonaard, a whirlwind romance in the 1960s has resulted in a lasting union. Work upheavals – which have also included ‘hitchhiking’ a private aeroplane and spending the night in a look-a-like ‘Western’ mining town in Australia – have kept the couple bonded. They describe what it’s like to move location at twenty-four hours’ notice, with a baby, a dog, a kangaroo and two parakeets in tow, and how to charm your future mother-in-law while nursing a sizeable hangover. You also get to find out what a ‘geep’ is. |
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HR Interview Sara Lee - The changing image of expats
The idea of living and working as an expat used to be considered unusual, out of the ordinary, exotic even. Not any more, according to Jan Strik and Erik de Groot of Sara Lee International BV, who are finding that increasing mobility means that people are prepared to accept less elaborate contracts than the traditional expat contracts, local contracts in particular. For expat partners they provide full support and help in all stages of relocation, including culture familiarisation lessons, language classes, and assistance in finding a home. They are looking to Global Connection to actively help them do more for partners. |
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Kids – Faraway grandparents
The grandchildren live in a distant country, far away: what does this mean for the grandparents, and how does it affect the grandchildren? When they see each other, contact can often be very intense, according to a report in the new issue of Global Connection Magazine. Many grandparents would prefer to see their grandchildren more often. “At the end of every visit, I always had the feeling that we had just started to get to know each other again,” says one of them. Because the lives of expat children bring them into contact with other cultures, such children develop in a unique way, and there is always the danger of no longer understanding one another. But, as one grandparent reflects: “In the end, it was an enriching experience. I saw them grow up into true citizens of the world.” |
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Travel - In search of paradise
It doesn’t take long to be bewitched by Bali, as writer Franka Hummels discovers at the beginning of this travel article. But then she took a boat to Gili Meno, one the outlying smaller islands nearby, and uncovered a secluded heaven. The tourists have stayed away, in part due to the Bali bombings in 2002, and there is a distinct lack of fresh water, yet Franka unreservedly recommends this idyllic island retreat – as does novelist Elizabeth Gilbert who highlights Gili Meno in her book Eat, Pray, Love. |
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Expat Partner & Work – Comptencies: The capacity for creativity
According to recent studies, creativity is a value which many CEOs look for in inspirational leaders while we may all not possess the visionary skills of President Obama or the pioneering entrepreneurship of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the ability to develop creativity lies within us all. As an example, expat partner Angelique Pascaud recounts how her relocation to Ama in south-eastern Nigeria encouraged her to try all sorts of things to enrich her time spent there. While South African Aneesah Bakker relates how painting was her creative outlet when she transferred to the Netherlands. |
