Every first Monday of the month, you’ll hear sirens at 12:00 (noon) for 1 minute and 26 seconds in whole Netherlands. For many expats this alarm is very frightening. Please don’t worry. It is only a practice alarm (it’s called Waarschuwingsstelsel). It has nothing to do with attacks from an enemy but it is a […]
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Take off your shoes… or not?
In many countries like Germany, Switzerland, Skandinavian countries, Turkey, Japan, Korea etc. it is common use to take off the shoes when entering someone’s home. In these countries it is considered a major faux pas to walk through a house with shoes on. This applies also to some places like daycares and schools in […]
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How to volunteer in a healthy way…
I lead several volunteer groups in the past 20 years and have helped many volunteers who were close to give up, to change their way to volunteer into a more healthy one, for them, their family and the organization or group they were volunteering for. Here are 6 aspects to consider 1. Why are you […]
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5 Tips to encourage your child to learn the local language
No matter if you are a long term international, if you move every few years or if you live in one place for a (bit) longer, one of the first concerns when living abroad is “do we have/want/can learn the local language?”. For internationals who move very frequently, it is totally understandable that they can’t learn […]
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How to avoid misunderstandings and 7 tips to speak International English
When a while ago, Angela Merkels’ “no” was misinterpreted by Theresa May in Brussels – and earlier by David Cameron when he asked Merkel to let the UK have a special deal to opt out of free movement of people while staying in the single market – the cultural difference was pointed out in a […]
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