Expat no more
I’ve seen the “expat vs. immigrant” controversy flare up various times in my many years as an expat. It is usually along the lines of “expat is a racist term which only applies to white people.” As a white person, I naturally react defensively to such arguments although I...
Lost in Translation
The other day, my daughter won a trophy in a tennis tournament and the club posted on Facebook a photo of her with the trophy. I shared their photo and added the comment, “Parabéns!” I figured saying congratulations in Portuguese was appropriate, especially as the club’s post had a...
Speaking the language of bureaucracy in a foreign land
One of the most tiresome and tiring parts of moving to a new country is getting all the basic things done so you can legally function there: work permits, residency, tax registration, driving license, health care, etc. These are all things that citizens pick up as they become adults...