Archive for the ‘live/study abroad’ Category
Sending American students abroad
Did you know that only 0.3 percent of U.S. college students study abroad? That’s a pitifully low number when considering that even two percent of Chinese students go abroad to study, and the percentage is much higher among some Europeans. With a little luck, though, the situation could soon be improving. A bill was recently introduced [...]
Travel is good training for politics
I’m a big believer in the benefits of spending time abroad. I think it’s pretty much a necessity nowadays for anyone who wants to work at the top echelons of a major corporation, and it really should be a requirement for anyone who aspires to national political office. Here is what I wrote about the topic in my travel memoir: [...]
Culture shock for expats
An overseas assignment can be an exciting adventure for business executives and their families. Unfortunately, it can also be a confusing, stressful experience for families who have difficulty adapting to a different culture or to sharp changes in one’s social network and identity. Proper preparation before heading abroad, including cross-cultural training, can be the difference between [...]
Exploring Mexico
Mexico seems to have caught the attention of the New York Times. In the past week, the newspaper has published two in-depth feature stories about the country. Luckily, this enables us to vicariously explore two distinct regions of that nation. First, the travel section published a story on travel in Chiapas as part of its [...]
More students are studying abroad in China
Not only are more American students participating in study abroad programs, but now China is the fifth most popular destination, after the more traditional destinations of Britain, Italy, Spain and France. Record numbers of American students are studying abroad, with especially strong growth in educational exchanges with China, the annual report by the Institute on [...]
Learning about age and culture in Korea
Students who take advantage of study abroad programs have a wide variety of experiences. In the best scenarios, they not only have a fun and enriching life experience, but also come away with nuggets of insight into the culture of a new country. That’s what happened for Laura Corser, who was recently profiled in the [...]
Reality beats tv for Indonesian educators
Here is another small example of the value of educational exchange programs. Several teachers from Indonesia had the opportunity to spend some time at a school in the United States and, according to this story, they came away from the experience with a much different view of the U.S. than they had expected. Three Indonesian educators entered [...]
Life in Afghanistan
What is life like for expatriates in Afghanistan? There is an interesting feature in the Financial Times today – an interview with Belinda Bowling, a South African lawyer who currently lives in Kabul. An excerpt: What brought you to Afghanistan? When I turned 30 I decided to take a year’s career break from my law firm and explore my [...]
Inspired by Guatemala
So, what’s a reasonably successful, fiftysomething writer to do when her kids are grown and she finds herself falling in love with Guatemala? Well, buy a house and move there for part of the year. Why not? That’s the somewhat surprising turn that Joyce Maynard’s life took a few years ago, as described in this story. [...]
Expat artists transforming Buenos Aires
There has been no shortage of press coverage in the past year or two extolling the virtues of Argentina, and specifically of Buenos Aires, which many have labeled as the hip destination of choice for current expats. The New York Times also just published a story along those lines and explored the city’s unique cultural and artistic mix. [...]
“Gap year” comes to U.S. universities
It has traditionally been more common among Europeans for students to take a year off between high school and college in order to travel or gain other real world experience. This has been popularly termed a “gap year.” Now, it seems, the option is becoming more popular in the U.S., as well, so much so that Princeton University [...]
A new world for business expats
The world of the business expatriate is not what it was a decade or two ago. The destinations are different, the cultural challenges have changed, and new business skills are needed for success abroad. That’s the opinion, at least, of this interesting article in Time magazine, which focuses especially on executives who work in China and [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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My travel memoir - Two Laps Around the World: Tales and Insights from a Life Sabbatical - is about two round-the-world journeys with my wife.
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