Yesterday, I took the FABULOUS bus to the nearest ‘big’ city which is 10 minutes away.  I was craving one of my favorite treats, an open-ended sandwich.  While enjoying my curry chicken and salmon sandwiches, I thought about how blessed I am to be an expat.  (To be honest, I think about this several times a day.)

I first visited Europe 10 years ago and I was immediately bitten by the travel and expat bugs.

The travel part was easy.  I was a flight attendant at the time so I could travel around the world, stay in four star hotels, meet great people, and experience different cultures all on the company’s dime or at least at a discounted price (when I traveled outside of work).  The expat part was much harder…so I thought.

While traveling to the UK, Germany, France and Holland (the airline I worked for has hubs in London, Paris, and Frankfurt) I stumbled across many American expats (mostly employees of the airline); a few African American female expats, as well.  My #1 question was, ”What made you decide to move to Europe?”  The answers usually ranged from marriage and boyfriend to WELL, WHY NOT?.. I hated that response.  At that time, marriage was not an option for me so I wanted to hear serious, heart-felt reasons.  See, back then, I thought of moving to Europe, working for the airline, being based in one of the European hubs.  But I made up so many excuses why I couldn’t do it…”Oh, Americans are not really welcomed outside of the US (Bush was in office then),” ”Oh, my mother will worry (she worries no matter where I live),” ”Oh, I want to marry soon and have kids (there were and still are men in Europe),” ”Oh, I don’t know how they treat blacks in Europe (this was particularly silly because I use to rave about the attention I received in Europe – besides stumbling upon a Nazi rally in Germany ((my public school, college-educated ass thought a free concert was being held across the street from my hotel)) I have never experienced racism in Europe or the US, for that matter- not ‘openly’, anyway),” ”Oh, it’s too expensive (Chicago was an expensive city to live in on my flight attendant’s salary, that didn’t stop me from living there).”  Point is, I made so many excuses to forgo the desire that I had at the time.

I write this all to say…don’t be like me.  Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.  Stop making excuses.  Become an expat NOW!  No, it’s not easy, but you have to try.  Not easy because it requires much research, time and effort, a little money for paperwork (I recommend going the embassy route not a private agent), sweat, and tears. If you are struggling with finding a gig/new gig in the US try looking outside of the states.  Teach English in Asia; develop a new idea in Africa; volunteer in South America; meet your husband in Europe; freeze your ass off in Canada (I read that Canada’s job market is booming).  Apply for positions abroad within your company.  Just do it!

Start by asking questions.  Drop a few, or many, expats a line (on their blogs or via email).  Ask them about their experiences.  Travel to that country as much as you can.  Off peak travel is less expensive and a great way to see the country without fighting other tourists.  Plus, you may experience the not-so-warm weather that country has to offer.  (Sorry, but I’m not a fan of Switzerland’s weather.  The summers may offer warm-hot days, but the mornings are too brisk for me.  And it’s too cloudy; rains more than I am use to from living on the East coast, in the South, and in the Midwest).

If being an expat is not your thing, I recommend traveling.  See, experience, and taste this fabulous world and its many different people.  Three weeks ago, I met a person from Tibet…my first Tibetan (at least from what I can recall).  I had to throw this in there. But seriously, if you have a desire to follow in the fabulous footsteps of other American expats…I say, ”Do it.  Why not?!”

Sounds like sound advice to me To hear more about Kiya’s adventures, check out her blog Kiki in Switzerland.

Yes, a new American family has moved in and this guy didn’t waste any time getting comfortable. Granted, he was heading to the pool, but that is just something you never see done here. From my first trip here, I noticed how the people on my flight – mainly Venezuelans – were dressed casually, but chic. The men wore nicely fitted jeans with loafers and the women also spruced up their outfits with blouses (as opposed to t-shirts) and accessories. This was a welcomed change because I’ve traveled with Americans who wore pajamas and never understood the rationale behind that.

Which brings me to something people, especially Americans, should be prepared for when visiting Caracas – the effort Venezuelans put into their appearance. Aside from the excessive plastic surgery, Venezuelans look nice everywhere they go. At the supermarket, I never see a woman who looks like they are making a quick stop because they forgot something. Everyone looks as though they got ready to go to the store – makeup and all. It’s nice to look at, but a pain in which to have to take part.

I don’t think I was at all a slob before coming here, but somehow my regular jeans and t-shirt made me stick out like a sore thumb. I didn’t change my entire wardrobe, I just re-coordinated my outfits. For instance, if I am going to wear jeans, I pick a nice blouse and add some accessories. I will never be one to forgo comfort for style, but these changes have been relatively easy and I always feel like I’m a little dressed up.

So, even though the clothes are tighter than what I’m accustomed to, Venezuelans are always impeccably put together and there’s definitely wrong with that.

Photo credits: Selenademi920 and NeoGaboX via Flickr

Three months later, Amazon announces that it will reduce the price to $299. Since it was over 30 days since I purchased mine, I wasn’t eligible for a refund of the difference. That was a disappointment. But that’s not all…

About 3 months after that, Amazon announced that it would once AGAIN reduce the price to $259 AND the 2nd Generation Kindles would now include global wireless. Even though I had already thought about not being able to download books while abroad and was perfectly happy with transferring purchases via USB, that irritated me. But they still weren’t finished…

This month, Amazon has unveiled the 3rd generation Kindle at the fabulously low price of $189. This model is not only lighter and includes global wireless, it also comes in two colors –> that’s one more than before . That means a little over a year and my Kindle is no longer an investment, but a liability. In response to my hysterics frustration, some of my friends are telling me I should’ve waited to buy it. Here’s the problem with that.

Being an expat causes temporary moments of insanity. My Kindle has seen me through those moments like a champ. In my opinion, e Readers are the best invention since the iPod. The convenience of the device is simply priceless (I need to remind myself of this often ) So no, I don’t regret making the purchase when I did. I still think it’s one of the best I’ve made ever. No, there’s only one person to blame here and that’s Amazon. I feel like they’ve got me on a Kindle roller coaster, and let me tell you, I want off this ride!

The worst is I know that I’ll probably give in sooner or later and buy the new and improved model. It’s not at all about the nicer design, it actually has functions that my current model doesn’t. And just like the first time, I will be giddy with joy when my sleek black box arrives and I will in essence be getting right back on this ride called Amazon Kindle.

*sigh* I feel much better now. Carry on.

If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want. ~Oscar Wilde

Moving abroad is hard. As wonderful and exciting the new country is, you have a lot of adjusting to do. I think I was ready for most of these adjustments and when they frustrations reared their ugly little heads, I faced them head on. I think what I wasn’t expecting is all the misinformation that exists regarding Venezuela. I’m not talking about the political variety, I mean, before I came it was very hard to find information about every day life for an expat here. The French expats that I met have said the same things. It appears that people lump Venezuela in with other Latin American countries and assume things are done the same way. WRONG!

I recently found out that it is practically impossible to get a job here with a foreign degree. Apparently, even Venezuelans who study abroad have a hard time getting hired by local companies, organizations, etc. Well, nobody told me this before! I still don’t quite understand why this is the case (although I plan to find out), but this is a harsh reality to face when you’re used to working.

The job opportunities for foreigners are few and far between. The majority of non-diplomatic working expatriates I’ve met own their own businesses. The others worked in the oil industry. For the rest of us, we have little to no options. I know a musician who can’t perform without including Venezuelans artists due to unions. I know a veterinarian who can’t practice because there seems to be no way to have her diploma validated and obtain a license here. The list goes on and on. My background is in human services and I have yet to see a job announcement for which I could apply.

Had I known prior, I don’t think this bit of information would have been enough to deter me from coming. However, my plans and outlook would’ve been different (like, realistic). I definitely feel like I’ve been handed some lemons here. I have days where the prospect of not ever working in an establishment while we’re here makes me very sad. To get myself out of the rut, I think about the other obstacles that would’ve been much tougher to overcome (e.g. racism, cost of living too high, etc.). Obviously on those days, I drink a lot of lemonade

Our friend who recently visited asked me this same question while here and when I thought for a while

and came up with nothing, she said “I’m glad to hear that. That should make it easier to be happy about your decision.”

Not to say there aren’t times when I wished businesses in Caracas functioned with the same efficiency as those in the States. But then I remind myself, I’m not in the States 8). Of course I miss friends and family – but I haven’t lived in the same state as my family for about 10 years. And, with my gadgets and gizmos (love my MagicJack), I talk to most people as often as I did before I headed south.

Okay, okay – so sometimes I daydream about the Super Target that was within walking distance of our house (although I NEVER walked to it). That place was my little paradise; especially on a hot summer day with record South Florida humidity. I would walk in and immediately the aromas from the Starbucks would call to me. After picking up my iced white chocolate mocha, me and my oversized red cart were on our way. I would spend at least an hour buying…oh, I don’t know – STUFF! And sometimes I would go back the next day and buy some more STUFF. No matter how often I went, I was able to shop in anonymity and my hoarding guilt was kept at bay.

Now when I go shopping in Caracas, I go the butcher for meat, a bakery for bread, the open air market for fruits and vegetables, the pharmacy for toiletries and the supermarket for all the rest. To make it worse, there are people at these places who now recognize me and actually want to TALK to me about love, life and loss. So much for anonymity…

What can I say, it’s different. Not better, not worse, just different and I find happiness in both.