Holiday drama or bliss – what do you see?

My mom and I were walking through the downtown street of my little town recently, when we started talking about how crazy it is that holiday decorations and Christmas shopping were already in full swing, in spite of it just being the middle of November. When I was a kid, in a small town in Sweden, we brought in our Christmas tree a couple of days before Christmas. The lead-up to Christmas was in most ways low-key and homemade: baking and lighting candles, making Christmas decorations out of paper and glitter and glue and, if we were lucky, we would watch the odd holiday movie on TV. However, I can’t help but think that my recollection of the holidays has more to do with a bygone era than the place where I grew up. These days, when I go back home around the holidays, I see the same bright light decorations and steady encouragement to start my gift shopping as I do here.

Still, the bright Christmas decorations and ample advertising to start gift shopping is really no big deal to me, I just wish we could enjoy Thanksgiving before getting all hopped up on Christmas. For my mom however, these early reminders of the approaching season, produce angst and sadness. Where I see candles, spiced wine and excited kids, she sees family drama, obligations that can’t be met and feelings of not being “enough”. Where I see good food and celebration she sees in-laws on a collision course.

I know why she feels the way she does; we have talked about it many times, and I think I would feel the same way if I had had her experiences. These days, she acknowledges that the drama and stress are gone, yet, the unpleasant feelings of the past overshadow anything that may take place in the present. She is always surprised to hear that I actually like this season. Not because she thinks no one can like it, but because she feels her stress and misery when we were growing up would have rubbed off on me.

And I suppose it is true, I haven’t always felt so Zen about the holidays and the demands that can come with them. I used to feel overwhelmed and worry that I would not be able to “produce” the kind of Christmas that I thought was expected. There was a time when I would let it get to me, when I would worry about not having a fully decked out house or that I was serving the “wrong” foods. I would obsess over people not getting along. But lately, I haven’t. I have realized that how we celebrate will have to be good enough, and I have recognized that I can’t control how other people behave, so why worry about it.

It turns out that I really like the holiday season – the rituals, the decorations, the foods, the kids’ excitement, the various family and friends that may (or may not) be present. I like lighting candles and baking traditional Swedish Lucia buns that make the house smell of saffron and melted butter. I like sipping spiced wine and decorating oranges with cloves for fragrant and beautiful decorations.

So, to stay away from stress and worry during the holiday season, I have decided to think of the good things. I have decided to not try to live up to other people’s ideas of what Christmas should be like, I have decided to do the best I can and let that be enough. And when all else fails, I try to channel my inner Bob Hope, who said: “My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”

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Going home or staying back for the holidays?

By Felicia S.

My kids say go, my husband says stay, my mom would love it if we came home and my friends all say “do what feels right”. When it comes to going home for the holidays, it can be hard to know what’s right. It is one of the greater stressors in the expat life as far as I am concerned. Do I pay overpriced holiday fares and pack up the kids in order to spend two weeks with family, undoubtedly jet-lagged and tired for much of the time? Do we really want to cram into guestrooms and live out of suitcases for a fortnight? Do we want to return home jet-lagged (again), tired (again) and spend the next ten days playing catch up?

Having lived far away from home for many years now, these are questions I have asked myself too many times to count. I have not always been able to combine my desire to be with friends and family from back home, with the desire to have a holiday on my own terms (or just a holiday where I am not perpetually tired). Part of the problem when you are trying to make everyone happy is that you tend to forget about yourself and what it is that works for you and your family.

The first few years we lived abroad we always went home for the holidays. I wanted the traditions and comfort of the known and the familiarity of my friends and family. It was also what my family back home wanted, so I guess, for a while, I managed to make everyone happy – at least sort of. It was what I wanted but not necessarily what I needed.

It was hard work to go back home with two small kids – California to Sweden is a full day of travel and the time difference is pretty brutal when you are trying to get through the days and the nights with a toddler and a baby. When we came back to California after a couple of weeks in Sweden, we were all wrecks, not to mention broke. More importantly, I felt as if we were not giving ourselves a chance to start our own holiday traditions.

Once we had our third child, the decision to not go home was more or less made for us — it was getting too expensive and it took too much out of us. With kids in school and activities, it was also getting harder to combine time off with everyday commitments. I was relieved, albeit a little sad. It was not necessarily the most popular decision with my family back home; they of course wanted to see us, but I think they understood.

Staying in our new country gave us a chance to start our own traditions and also to share our traditions from back home with new friends, who in turn would let us get a glimpse of their way of celebrating the holidays. It is a bit funny, but as an expat your home traditions become more important. There is something about the symbolic value and the connection you feel with home that intensifies the meaning of the celebratory rituals you follow, the food you eat and the songs you sing. The beauty of combining your old traditions with ones you pick up in your new country can be exhilarating and fun and will eventually become part of your own tradition.

To me, the question of staying or going is no longer a big issue. We stay and we enjoy!

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Pancakes for a Week

By Felicia S.

I recently found myself shelling out some $200 for a pair of waterproof walking shoes (for an upcoming trip to Europe) and as I got out my credit card I had a flashback to when I bought my first pair of shoes as an expat in California. The shoes were nothing to write home about and the experience was not notable for any other reason than that, as a newly arrived expat, I had no idea what to think about the $30 price tag. I was a trailing spouse with no income of my own and no point of reference for what things cost. Looking back to that first year, I can see that I really had no idea what I was getting into in terms of finances. As a matter of fact, I get a slight panic attack just thinking about how little I knew and had prepared for.

My husband and I arrived in Silicon Valley young and naïve, taking my husband’s comparatively substantial salary at face value and not thinking farther than that we needed to pay rent and utilities and buy food. Everything else was peripheral and, in our minds, minor in terms of expenses. As you can imagine, we were in for some rough surprises. One of my first shocks was our phone bill – calling overseas in 1994 was expensive, and FaceTime and Skype were not yet invented. We quickly learned that calls back home would be time constrained and not as frequent as we wanted them to be. Turns out, the phone bill was really not a big deal compared to some of our other financial discoveries. My husband was a contractor and we had to buy our own health insurance – oops! Never mind actually qualifying for a health plan, which was hard enough, the cost was outrageous and not really in our budget. I was going back to school but somehow we had forgotten to budget for tuition – oops again! Our family and friend obligations back home suffered, as we could not afford airfare – I missed my best friend’s wedding; my husband could not visit one of his friends during a serious medical emergency.

We never took the time to consider the big picture in terms of expenses when we decided to embark on our big expat adventure. It is not difficult to see that our lack of financial insight and planning led us to some very cash strapped days and some hard choices. We had many weeks where we existed solely on pancakes for dinner. We constructed a desk out of cardboard boxes because we could not afford to buy one – turns out the desk served us well for over a year and no harm was done. In hindsight I can think that these experiences built character and resilience. Sometimes we remind ourselves of those lean days by singing our made up “box-for-a-desk, pancakes-for-a-week”-song. Honestly though, and maybe I say this because I am older now and have less tolerance for instability and uncertainty, the right thing for us to have done would have been some due diligence to figure out our real financial parameters. It would have saved us a lot of headaches and even some heartaches!

 

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Making Friends as an Expat

By Felicia S.

I remember my first few years as a Swedish expat in California – how seemingly easy it was to strike up a conversation with my neighbor while doing laundry, share a friendly “Hi, how are you doing?” with the check-out clerk at Whole Foods, or chat with a mom at the park while our kids were swinging next to each other. Everyone I met was friendly and curious about where I was from, what I was doing here and how long I would be staying. Sometimes the conversations would venture to what it was like “back home” (often with the added twist of mistaking my home country Sweden, for Switzerland…). I knew people with whom I was friendly, but they weren’t my friends and in all honesty, I was feeling pretty lonely and isolated. It was hard to take the acquaintance-relationship to a friendship-level.

I didn’t exactly help myself by stubbornly thinking that joining the Swedish expat- community was just not my thing. I couldn’t quite understand why, just because we came from the same country that meant we were destined to get along as friends. I had an idea that the best way to feel at home in my new country would be to immerse myself and not lead some kind of parallel expat life.

If I were a newly arrived expat now, some 20 years later and in my mid-forties, I am pretty sure I would feel differently. I know now that there is a comfort in socializing with people who share some of your same cultural and societal references. I know that there is a certain relief in being able to speak your own language and express yourself without hesitation. I know the value of interacting with people who are in the same living situation that you are. Most importantly, I know that all of this doesn’t mean you can’t also immerse yourself in the local culture and life. It turns out the two aren’t mutually exclusive.

It is also worth mentioning that in addition to the social benefits of an expat community, there is a significant practical aspect to having a network of fellow countrymen/women to lean on. It turns out the expat community holds a wealth of specific knowledge, such as where to get a hold of certain foods or how to substitute food ingredients for locally available ones, or any number of other expat specific issues that will arise – and arise they will.

I think most of us know that there really is no fast and easy way to make friends or build lasting friendships – whether you are an expat or not. Perhaps what complicates things when living in an unfamiliar place is that your natural support system of friends and family has been left behind. In addition, you have to learn to navigate new social codes and overcome language barriers.

There are many ways to meet people and there really is no right or wrong setting. Whether you join a gym or a book club, start line dancing or take a language class is a personal preference. The important part is that you find a setting that works for you. Of course, not everyone you meet will become a friend, but there is a good chance someone will, if you just give yourself the opportunity to meet new people.

I have lived in California for over 20 years now and I have slowly built some lasting friendships. These friendships have all come about in different ways: some are with parents of my kids’ friends, some I met through sports and some I met through my husband – some are locals, some are Swedes and some are expats from other parts of the world. My very best friend from back home moved here a few years ago and became an expat herself. I was so glad I could be her good old friend right from the start.

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Globiana Members Speak: Finding Home

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In my adult life I have moved houses eleven times. It may not seem outrageous but counting the 12+2 years spent in our current home, we did move a lot from the ones that did not last more than two years. What is interesting is what made me move and how I found my new home each time. I believe there is a sweet balance between over-planning and following your gut when choosing a city, a neighborhood, a house. 

Here are my most memorable moving decisions to share. It started with being able to afford a really posh but small place on the 42nd floor overlooking Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto as newlyweds. There was not enough space for our clothes and our combined households, let alone an office. I learned to improvise: the small balcony became our summer dining room, the furniture had to be light and was constantly moved to accommodate office work, dinner parties and other projects. I never minded because the walls of window overlooking the lake and the city were my mansion.

It also taught me that I am not a city person. No matter how convenient the location, I prefer my privacy to not be shared with a 24-hour security guard.

Fast-forward to living with a toddler in crazy expensive California. Before relocating here to temporary housing, I had one day in-between work meetings to explore the Bay Area. We had learned that San Francisco was too cold for our taste, so we had to start our search from scratch.

I put our son in the car and drove south, planning to explore the beach and not worry about housing for now. Heading down Hwy 17 I saw a sign for Los Gatos which I thought was too cute a name, and on pure impulse, drove into town. It was so breathtakingly beautiful as I pushed the stroller down North Santa Cruz Avenue that I never made it to the beach.

Los Gatos, California has been our home for the past 18 years, raising our children and making wonderful friends. Interrupted by four years in India (finding a home in Bangalore is an entire story in itself).

What I remember is that we never questioned settling here. Things fell into place despite many obstacles. We found a great landlady who rented to us because she wanted a little boy to live in her house. We won a bidding war to buy our home because the seller liked us. 

All I can say is follow your instinct. Yes, decide what you cannot do without, such as schools and commuting times, but remember that you have alternatives. Between us, my husband and I have had long commutes lightened by flexible work arrangements, working from home and easy commutes. If you plan to stay, plant roots. If you know it’s only for a few years, ask yourself what kind of lifestyle you would like to experience. My own lesson? Home is where your heart is. 

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Are you a “Third Culture Parent?”

What’s in a name? Lots, actually! For one, identifying with the group calling themselves “Third Culture Parents” can help you with finding sometimes crucial information and support and to address the particular challenges, linked to raising kids in foreign cultures.

Here are 10 signs shared by third culture parents.

1. We’re struck by culture shock – like our children – meaning we can feel destabilized, unsettled, depressed or overexcited for a period of time ranging from several weeks to several months or even years!

We have to deal with a high level of stress, a reduced ability to communicate (due to language barrier but also the lack of understanding of non-verbal cues) and a modified sense of identity. This has an impact on the children. We are less available, more irritable, less patient. We may experience mood swings: being extremely frustrated because we’re lost in the street and can’t even find someone to help or being completely ecstatic in front of the impressive Great Wall of China.

2. We are facing – sometimes extremely deep – modifications of our identity.

But we’re supposed at the same time, to help our children develop their own! It’s challenging when you’re yourself struggling. In some cases, it can be heartbreaking to see our children deny the identity linked to our home country. This can be due to several reasons: trauma lived in the country of origin, negative image of the home country in the host country. My sister-in-law changed her name from Jasmine to Cathy to blend more easily in the French community. In other cases, the opposite reaction can occur. A friend of mine with a French mother and a Chinese father had Frédérique as first name. She proudly chose to use her middle name Siu Lan instead in her daily life.

3. We can be strangers in our own house.

If our children go to a local school, they may become fluent in the local language before us. This is both a blessing and a curse: on one hand, we turn them into our private translators…

Read full article here

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There is no “city center”

Just moved to America, or about to? Despite your exposure to international living, you may find quite a few surprises. Some will be nothing short of breathtaking; others, not so much. If you’re planning on relocation as a trailing spouse, we hope this weekly guide from our Culture Expert anticipates some of your expectations. If you already live here, we hope it inspires you to leave a comment with some fresh insights.

#1 There is no “city center”

No matter where you’re from, your frame of reference – to meet, shop, and especially to socialize – is probably the “city center”. It’s how you get organized and understand your psychological place in the community. That’s not the case in the United States. Unless you plan on living in a major “walkable city” like New York or San Francisco, you’re going to need “wheels” (slang for “car”). As the world’s number one car culture, some say Americans practically invented mobility with an efficient Interstate Highway System stretching from Maine to California and Texas to Wisconsin. However, that trend is reversing as Millennial’s increase their time living online and overall buying power is in steep decline. At its worst, the USA is a tremendous expanse of suburbs characterized by cookie cutter housing developments that can leave newcomers feeling disconnected. At its best, the American car equals Freedom to venture out on to that great expanse; to take the road less travelled and make your own destiny. Does it get any better than that?

Insider Savvy: Every state is different, so check with your local department of motor vehicles about obtaining a valid driver’s license, registering your car, auto insurance requirements, and driving rules about using your non-U.S. driver’s license. Get an International Driving Permit (IDP), which translates your driver’s license into almost one of 10 major languages.

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Family Health Care and Employers – Expat View

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Globiana Founder and CEO Elena Mosko sits down with Kelley Filice Jensen of Filice Insurance to understand how employers can help employees relocating to the United States master the complicated system of health care and health insurance that can be so different from their home country. Kelley and Elena share more than just professional collaboration. They love books, and can be found pouring over their latest book club selection, while pouring a traditional glass of Californian wine, on Thursdays each month.

Our subscribers tell us that of all the adjustments that they make to the United States, health care is one of the hardest and most confusing changes for their families, why?

Because of the way health care is “purchased” in this country. We have a much different system of paying for doctors and hospitals in the U.S. than much of the world.

What do you mean?

Well, we pay for our health care with health insurance plans, and, for the majority of Americans, these insurance plans are paid for by their employers. This is true even after the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has taken effect. This means that employers often make the first decision regarding health care for families, and that is, how to pay for it.

How do employers educate employees about how their health insurance works?

Ideally, the employee benefits consultant that sells the insurance works with employers to educate employees on health care and health insurance. And we do this in many different ways: Health fairs, educational nights, videos, company benefits websites, phone apps, and of course, pamphlets and collateral. Employers are always looking for new ways to engage employees. We even have one broker that starts all his open enrollments with stand-up comedy! Anything we can think of to help employees learn the esoteric set of terms and conditions of health insurance.

What is the most frustrating thing for employers?

It can be very frustrating to put so much energy into campaigns about health insurance, only to have employees and their families not engage or learn what their health insurance is about and how it impacts the health care choices they make. People tend to have money taken out of their paychecks for a company sponsored health plan, but not learn anything about the plan until there is some sort of emergency, then panic sets in and everyone is frantically trying to learn their health insurance.

What advice does Filice have for employers with employees new to the U.S.?

Many times employee benefits consultants will provide materials that have been translated into native languages as a way to educate employees, but be wary. Ask if the materials have been translated or reviewed by someone in the health insurance business. Health insurance terms often do not translate easily into native languages and may not give employees or their families the most necessary, complete and accurate information. Also, request that someone is available to meet with employees or their spouse in person.

What advice do you have for families new to the U.S.?

Be proactive! Do not wait until someone needs to go to the doctor to understand your health benefits. Ask HR to help you understand your benefits. Spouses can get involved too. Make an appointment with the benefits consultants your Company uses to get questions answered. And, if the education you are receiving about health insurance is not sufficient, make sure to let HR know.

What requests from employees new to the U.S. might an HR team not have anticipated?

Extended family. Many times, mothers and fathers or other family caregivers will move with the family or stay in the U.S. for extended periods of time. What is the best way for them to acquire health insurance if they cannot be considered dependents eligible to participate in the company sponsored health plan?

How does Filice help HR teams accommodate these extended families?

We have an individual insurance team that is certified by Covered CA to sell such health plans.

What about Covered CA, what do people new to the U.S. need to know about Covered CA?

Covered CA is a good option for anyone in the family that cannot be on the employer sponsored plan. People new to the U.S. will need to have their immigration status handy and they must be mindful of open enrollment dates and qualifying events for purchasing individual plans.

 

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Bibiana’s Top Ten Things to Do with Kids in the Bay Area

About Bibiana Heckmann: I moved to the Bay Area five months ago, after having lived in Switzerland for 10 years. Originally, I am from Germany. I am an architect, started my career in Germany with building and renovating residential houses and have been concentrating on commercial projects in Switzerland. I enjoy exploring my new surroundings with my three year old son.

1. Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose

This is a hands-on museum for children of all ages. There is a wonderful area for children up to the age of four separated from the rest of the museum. We always explore the water play area, the bubble making area, the fire truck and the ambulance. During the summer vacation I noticed many summer camp excursions took place there, but it is a bit quieter after lunch time.

Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose

2. Seven Seas Park in Sunnyvale

This is a new playground in a new park. There are three different areas. An enclosed playground for small children with a sandbox and climbing/sliding structure, a water splash area and a play area for older children in the shape of a pirate ship. The pirate ship is very good for pretend play. We like to play being in the ocean, discovering the crabs, shells, etc. sitting on the rocks. The water splash area is also lots of fun.

Seven Seas Park in Sunnyvale

3. Mitchell Park, 600 E Meadow Dr, Palo Alto, CA 94309

This is a huge park with different playgrounds. There is a new playground (magical bridge) on one end with interactive music pipes, many slides, a theatre with a stage. The playground is for all children, there is a carrousel where wheelchairs can be placed. The founders were very thoughtful about every detail.

Mitchell Park

4. CuriOdyssey San Mateo

Interesting museum with local animals, water explore and hands on area which we still need to explore further. It is situated in the Coyote Point recreation area. There is the Magic Mountain Playground nearby which looks awesome.

CuriOdyssey

5. Las Palmas Park in Sunnyvale

Nice park with different playgrounds. They are next to a very large pond, but due to draught I guess there is no water in it at the moment.

Las Palmas Park

6. Happy Hollow in San Jose

This a large park where you can spend all day. There are different areas – the zoo on the hill, the zoo in the hollow and the area where you find all the carrousels. We  love the carousel at the entrance, the bug carousel and police car/ fire truck carousel. They also have a wonderful playground.

happy hollow

7. Cuesta Park, Mountain View

Nice playground with lots of shade.

cuesta park

8. Whimsy Saratoga

This is an indoor play space, things are very new and clean. They have many wooden toys, costumes and a cafe.

whimsy

9. Bumble Cafe in Los Altos (kid friendly cafe)

Very nice restaurant with an outside sandbox, children’s menu with choices of healthy sides and an indoor supervised play area (extra cost, we have not tried this yet).

bumble

10. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto CA 94301

We like to walk around the garden, look at the different kinds of flowers and herbs and enjoy the different scents.

gamble park

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Expat Partners: Meet Your New City Through the Local Language

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Of the many challenges that an expat partner faces through the course of relocation, there is no one clear champion. Different individuals react differently when they are confronted by the myriad move-related tasks and circumstances that are not just bothersome and uncomfortable, but often painful.

Yet when the relocation dust settles and the partner has a chance to reflect and assess his/her feelings, we frequently hear about the physical and social isolation as the biggest pain point.

Research has shown that learning the local language, or at least taking the first steps to learning it, is an effective and easy way to adapt to a new culture. It gets you on a clear path toward starting to bring down the cultural barrier and finding your new social environment. It seems obvious that during the relocation experience, an ability to communicate will be key to feeling connected, both locally and globally.

So why is it that expat spouses, who dedicate endless energy to supporting the employee through the transition, and helping the kids get settled in and get connected to their new life, often ignore this important step for themselves?

Is it lack of time?  This is typically not the primary obstacle, since most expat spouses are unable to join the workforce in their new location, and are often searching for something to do once the initial move-related flurry of activity dies down. Is it lack of resources or access? Not really! There are a host of options waiting to be utilized: from English-as-Second-Language classes on a budget, to private tutors, to online courses and state-of-the-art corporate learning tools. Not least, an environment where native speakers are all around you is ideal for learning a foreign language.

Could the real reason simply be fear? One’s innate human insecurity may be heightened by the experience of being away from all that is familiar, safe, and normal. We are afraid of being misunderstood because we don’t follow the meaning behind cryptic idioms and slang terms, while we struggle to express simple ideas. We are afraid of making mistakes with a bad accent or the wrong pronunciation, or of using an incorrect word or conjugation and appearing dumb. We are afraid of being different: thought of as odd, strange, and foreign.

The most successful expats are those who are fearless. I remember my shock (backed by a rather decent command of English since my early teens) at a friend who showed up in London with about 100 English words in his vocabulary and would engage in every conversation he could get into. People raised their eyebrows at his absolute mutilation of the language. He often totally failed to get his point across, yet he connected with people. Over and over again and within a year he had a city full of friends and he was fluent. This recipe never fails. Try it for a day and let us know how it went.

Step out! Lean into being different. Take the language challenge. People are curious about newcomers. Embrace your accent. Gather every word you know and start engaging. It is easy to make connections in America. Speaking to a complete stranger is almost always acceptable and perceived as friendly. Speak to the server at your local café, to the lady in the grocery store checkout line, and to your spouse’s co-worker at a social event. Make time to meet with other relocated accompanying partners through local and company-sponsored spouse networks, and practice speaking together.

You will discover that the world is waiting to meet you. With a smile, and a myriad of accents of its own.

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Things I’ve Learned Since Moving to the Bay Area

I arrived at SFO at the end of July 2014 on a direct flight from my hometown, Calgary, Canada. I was excited, mostly because I felt like I was going on a hot summer vacation. After a few months, excitement turned to insecurity, confusion, irritation and sadness. Now, almost 12 months later I’m feeling at home. I’d be lying if I said I feel 100% content living in the Bay Area and want to stay here forever, but I am slowly putting down roots again: I’ve made some friends, I’ve found some fulfilling volunteer work, I’ve gotten my driver’s license, I’ve learned to get from my apartment to a few places without a GPS, I’ve figured out where to find bread crumbs at my grocery store – you know, the important things.

I thought as my very first blog post on Globiana, I would share 12 things that I have learned in the 12 months that I’ve been living in the Bay Area.

  1. Always make a DMV appointment whenever possible. You will feel special going to the VIP line and while I can’t promise your DMV experience won’t be frustrating, confusing and fulfilling – at least you didn’t waste five hours.
  2. Search “Caltrain” on Twitter before leaving the house to see if anyone is reporting any delays.
  3. While the red bullet trains on Caltrain may be faster, you are more likely to get a seat on a yellow limited stop train in exchange for 10 minutes of your day.
  4. The Great Mall in Milpitas is a discount shopping mall. I did not know this for months after I arrived. It still bothers me that I paid full price for some new summer clothes when I could have gone to a different mall and received 50% off everything.
  5. You can get anything delivered to your door in the Bay Area. Seriously. There are so many start ups here that cater to your every need. PurpleTie, Munchery, DoorDash, GrubHub, Farm Fresh to You, Instacart, Amazon, Google Shopping Express, Stitchfix, Uber, Lyft are just a few. There are also so many promos out there just to try any of these services – so let a venture capitalist treat you to a free meal.
  6. Even though people pronounce it “Beta Breakers”, this annual event in SF is not, in fact, a big hacker convention. It is actually called “Bay to Breakers” and is a race that winds its way through San Francisco – starting at the Bay and ending where the waves break on Ocean beach. Maybe I’m the only one who made this mistake?
  7. You don’t have to drive to Napa to taste great wines. There are a bunch of wineries in the hills by Cupertino!
  8. I now have an enormous vocabulary pertaining to dietary restrictions. #organic #conventional #GMO #nonGMO #toxins #paleo #local #vegan #raw #glutenfree #dairyfree #soyfree #nutfree #vegetarian #shamanblessed. I may never be able to host a dinner party that pleases everyone.
  9. When scheduling anything, it is critical to take traffic into account. Never schedule anything that you need to drive to on the freeways for 6 pm.
  10. There is no such thing as a cheap apartment.
  11. I can finally wear the “winter wear” as seen in fashion magazines. Scarves! Leather jackets! Heeled boots! (No one has ever survived a Canadian winter wearing heeled boots).
  12. 1/20 people you meet on the street is Canadian. Yup, you read that right. There are over 350,000 of us in the Bay Area. You can’t avoid us. We will find you and be nice to you. There are a lot of expat communities from all over the world based in the Bay Area. Globiana can help you connect with them.

About the author:

Heather Dunphy-Nielsen is a Canadian transplant from Calgary, Alberta. She and her husband live in Mountain View, California. Heather fills her days writing, reading, blogging, learning, volunteering, cooking, cleaning, meeting new friends, and looking at pictures of dogs she wants to adopt. Heather has a Master’s of Arts in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Calgary. Her thesis focused on Harry Potter fans. Since moving to California, she has also completed a Graduate Diploma in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership from Carleton University.

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Join the parade and celebrate like a local!

The 4th of July in the United States is the day that marks the birth of the nation.  It is celebrated throughout the country, and is celebrated in a similar manner in most places.  Most businesses are closed on the 4th of July.

Communities and neighborhoods are a big part of the Independence Day traditions and celebrations.   A typical community will start the day with a parade.  The parade will be full of local groups walking in it.  Many community 4th of July parades will begin with the children of the community riding their bicycles.  It is typical that the kids will decorate their bicycles with red, white and blue streamers.  Fire trucks, local school bands, and local politicians are also very common in the 4th of July parades.  Many communities also include a group of veterans in the parade.  When a veteran’s group is passing your area, it is customary to stand up as a sign of respect.

All of these activities are very inclusive and are a great opportunity for an expat spouse to meet new people in the area.  Decorate your kid’s bike and join the celebration!

For the remainder of the day, many people enjoy getting together and having a picnic or a barbeque.  Many communities will have a festival, with bands, children’s games, and food.   The general theme of the day is to get together and enjoy the company of friends, neighbors and family.  Families will set up lawn chairs and blankets to sit on, so that when dusk arrives, they can sit and enjoy a fireworks show.

The United States is a very large place, and there are many regional customs.  However, the 4th of July is celebrated in much the same way throughout the country, and is a time to show pride in our nation.

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