“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a saying we are all too familiar with as most parents probably raise their children with this concept. However, let us be honest, more than often we do judge a book by its cover and first impressions do count. Yes, what is on the “inside” may sometimes be more important, but naturally most people will look at the packaging before looking at its content. Why? Because people make up their mind about you in the first 5-7 seconds of meeting yo

Business etiquette, international business etiquette, travel etiquette or social etiquette – depending on the situation and circumstance, you will have to read up, adjust and learn about each depending on your purpose. In any case, you should not see etiquette as a set of rules, but rather as a notion of communication. Like language, we need to learn the customs of a culture we are dealing with or of the country we are living in. Growing up in a country, you learn it automati

I will never forget one of the dilemmas I ran into when I went on my first trip to the Philippines. My husband introduced me to one of his best friends, but had to leave the room to welcome his other buddies. We were left alone, sitting in awkward silence. Me, being Western thought it would be polite to ask some questions and get to know his best friend. However, I noticed he would never answer my questions. He would simply raise his eyebrows quickly up and down every time I

For many, the concept of living abroad has to do with being rich, being a student or knowing the right people who can place you in a prestige company earning you millions. However, that is not so. You do not need to belong to either three to be able to experience life in a foreign country. As in my case, I was not on a student exchange program, I was not referred by an amazing company, nor did I have the money. I chose to sell all my belongings and simply checked the internet

“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” Robert Louis Stevenson. Going on a big trip, preparing to move or live abroad for a considerable amount of time can seem quite intimidating at first – especially when it is your first time to go on a big trip. It can seem even more daunting when you have decided to travel and live in a country so far away from where you are from or where the culture is like nothing you have experienced before. To take away

Materialism receives a new definition when living abroad. Yes, you will be enticed to buying all those souvenirs while traveling and send them back home, but when it comes to your actual possessions, you do not really have any and learn to not grow attached to anything too much Live the comfortable life or sell everything? When I first ventured out to India, the only way I could afford to pay for my flight ticket was to sell all my furniture and everything I pretty much owned

When you are in your “own” country where you grew up, you kind of take your nationality and how you do things for granted. It is only when you leave and live in a culture so different from your own that you are constantly being reminded – as in all the time – that you are the “other one”, “the foreigner”, “the white girl/boy” or “the odd one out”. Whether you like it or not, you are never really going to be a part of that culture for pretty obvious reasons. You are likely to

I think most people who have lived abroad for many years would say that they are not the same person they were when they left their comfort zone. It is not just about getting all those stamps in your passport and seeing places most people would never get to see in their lifetime – let alone hear of (but that certainly is a bonus most of us would not want to miss). Living abroad is more than that. This journey and adventure of living in cultures so different from what you were

90% of all misunderstandings are not due to what was said, but due to tone. How much more when it comes to misunderstandings between people of two different cultures speaking two different languages? What should you look out for when traveling or doing business abroad? There are several stumbling blocks and mistakes we make without even realising it, but it is easy to avoid them if you know what to look out for! Read on! 1. Don’t Expect Everyone to Understand and Speak your L

Is it your first time to meet Japanese business clients? How should you greet them or exchange business cards? Have you ever wondered how to conduct yourself in a Japanese business meeting? Japan is a country rich in traditions and culture and manners are highly regarded in this land of the rising sun. To start off on the right foot, learn some basic etiquette about Japan. Stay on top of your game and impress your Japanese clients by showing you made the effort to learn the e