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Belgium

InterNations ? The Community for Expats, by Expats
I wouldn?t be able to be an expat without the internet. Not only does it allow me to easily connect with friends and family back home, but it allows me to network with other expats ... Related posts:Best and Worst Places for Expats Expats Hit the Blogesphere Is Kindle the Choice for Expats and Environmentalists...

Bizarro Bazaar
Bazaar has been on my list for ages - since I was last there, actually. I visited the nightclub half of Bazaar on a Saturday night shortly after moving here. For some reason we ran upstairs to see the restaurant, which was packed with people and looked swank and crazy and I couldn't wait to go back...

New ACM Photography Website
I just wanted to make a quick post to let you all know that I have finally completed the overhaul of my ACM Photography website. It has been a few months in the making (even ... Related posts:ACM Photography has been Updated!New Website Launch!ACM Photography Photoblog...

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Belize

Scotty?s Story: The Destruction of Poker Night
It has been a bit of time since the last entry about Scotty?s Bar and Grill and it seems I left off at Valentine?s day.  My emotions were all over the place after I left Will and I am so incredibly lucky that I had my mom around me to help figure it all out.  ...

Chilly in the Cayes
My Dad has been visiting us in Belize for the past five weeks and his trip is quickly coming to an end.  Since he had not yet had the experience of deep sea fishing in Belize we needed to get a trip to San Pedro in before he left.  That trip happened last Sunday through ...

Margay Found
A couple of weeks ago I had the very cool experience of seeing a wild cat up close and personal.  Of course the events which brought this cat in to my life are very sad ? it was a very young baby margay (http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/mammals/mar/mar1.html) that had been orphaned and found by a Belizean...

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bosnia and herzegovina

Of mosques, medresas and beer
Given that we live less than 20 metres from a mosque, I am embarrassed at how little I know about the Islamic religion and practices. But it has struck me that the Bosnian way of being a Muslim isn't anything like the impressions of Islam that you can get from the media. Bosnia's Muslim community...

Food that shouldn't taste this good
Sometimes a situation leads to something becoming so much greater, more pleasurable than it actually is. To clarify with an example, when you have spent a few hours tramping up a cold wet mountain, the piece of melted chocolate that has solidified in an odd shape with all the weird white streaks that...

Shiny Happy Things
I'm getting progressively more hopeless at keeping up with my blogging etiquette. I've been tagged hither and tither and I can't remember who tagged me or what for. So, in a vain attempt to try and get back on top of it all, I'm sort of doing a meme that I look the look of, but can't remember if I've...

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Brazil

2009 Rio Expat Survey Results: What you miss
I asked respondents what they missed back home (besides the obvious answer of the people - family and friends). Here is what they said, somewhat categorized: Intangibles: The easiness of everything familiar. not having to worry about money efficiency and......

A Beer Company After My Own Heart.
Since having the Canadoca a few of my tastes have changed. I wasn't terribly picky before, but olives and onions were typically food items I'd pick out if they were in something I was eating. I didn't mind the essence......

Woman On Top
I watched this film in the fall and have been meaning to blog about it but it hadn't happened until now. I download a lot of my entertainment from iTunes, and this was the case for Woman On Top as......

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Bulgaria

Winter In Bulgaria - The Problems
Probably unemployment aside, we have had some serious weather here, but things just plough on as normal. It takes longer to do things and some things you can?t do with extreme cold weather and almost a metre of snow that remains part of the long-term feature of the landscape in Yambol now. I think I...

Unemployed In Bulgaria - More Than Likely
Having just got back to work after being laid off with a bad back, it was seemingly back to normal albeit in freezing temperatures and a frozen up Lada that wouldn?t move. Taxi fares took up a third of my daily wage without my own transport and buses that just didn?t go en route to my work place. This...

Winter Comes To Bulgaria At Last
Well winter has come with vengeance in Bulgaria as I look out of my Yambol window and see half a metre of snow surrounding us and the finely balanced wedges of white fluffy stuff settled on the bare vine trellis that gave us the wine and rakia this year. I it has been a very warm and unreal over the...

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chile

Wat Pho
Photos of Wat Pho (a temple) in Bangkok, Thailand, known for housing one of the world’s largest Buddhas. See more photos of the wat here. Posted in Thailand ...

Beloved Green Bag
I apologize to the readers whose RSS informed them of a new post and then did not find it when they visited. I didn’t like the post I had scheduled, so I took it down. The post was about the boring topic of paring down one’s wardrobe when traveling. I realized that what I actually wanted...

Travelin? Light
I have been living out of a suitcase for two years. Although I’m interested in fashion, I’ve always been a minimalist, especially after reading A Guide to Elegance by Geneviere A. Dariaux. It is true that the book has a couple antiquated suggestions (like a women should always bring a...

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China

Photo of the Day ? Smokes, Noodles & Jammies
So, the Saints won the big game.  Would have liked to have seen it it but… well I am in China, where we wear our pajamas outside to do our shopping.  Everyday.  This is not big news to anyone living here of course but I still find it kind of amusing in a quaint way. ...

Action Packed Spring Festival?
AKIC CNY Plans starting to fall in place Andis will have a week off from February 13th to 19th.  From the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth, he, Jenny, and Tony will go to Beixing -- J's hometown.   The AKIC Weekend before the CNY This will be spent, it seems, prepping for the CNY.  The wife, Tuesday afternoon...

Tigers, and Tony, and Tony's Parents.
Pa ...

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Costa Rica

Costa Rica real estate ?.. bargains!
At the moment, it’s a buyer’s market in Costa Rica; it is a great time to take advantage of the opportunities in real estate.  Although many properties have not dropped in price, most sellers are quite willing to negotiate.  Some even offer short term financing as an incentive to buyers...

Costa Rica real estate ….. bargains!
...

Happy Mother?s Day!
Feliz dia de la madre!  August 15th is Mother’s Day in Costa Rica, a day nearly as important as Christmas and Easter.   I spent the afternoon celebrating the day with wonderful tico friends, Hugo and Elia.  All the siblings in the family brought gifts for their mother, as well as for their...

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Croatia

First Croatian president who has not been in prison (08 February 2010)
First Croatian president who has not been in prison...

Croatia?s Oldest Brewery Just Does Not Want To Sell (07 February 2010)
Daruvar Brewary remains unsold, fifth attempt expected in May....

Croatians Looking To Adopt Orphans of Haiti (07 February 2010)
Croatians are interested in adopting orphans from Haiti....

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Cyprus

Feature - The Oleastro Olive Park in Limassol, Cyprus (07 February 2010)
The Oleastro Olive Park in Limassol, Cyprus provides an insight olive production...

Paphos Unemployment is Still Rising (05 February 2010)
Jobless in Cyprus reached 23,645 in January 2010...

Paphos Unemployment Still Rising (05 February 2010)
Jobless in Cyprus reached 23,645 in January 2010...

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Denmark

Costum danish style...
Here kids love to dress up for Fastelavn. Of course, you can choose princess, Ben10 or Jedi, but it is so much more local to choose the viking style! ...

Fastelavn costums
Fastelavn is primarily a celebration for children. They must be well dressed for the occasion.If today everyone celebrates fastelavn (schools, kindergartens, shopping malls and even car dealers), the Church remains in the race and still holds its own events. Children are allowed to go to mass in costume...

Fastelavn
In a few weeks, the Danes will celebrate Fastelavn. But what is this? Here is an opportunity to write a little series on the major characteristics of this event, as we have discovered it in the previous years of our exile here.* Costumes* The boller * The barrelBut first a little summary...Fastelavn...

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Ecuador

Brrrrr ?..
For the past week or so it has been rather cold here in Loja. Those of you in the northern hemisphere - where it is the middle of winter and freezing - probably wouldn?t think so, but for those of us who are used to temperatures that reach about 80 to 90 degrees F (~26 to 32 deg C) consistently, every...

Crime and Safety
Last week a friend of mine was robbed in Guayaquil.  She and her travelling companion were taking a taxi back to their hotel and after a few blocks two men got in the car, started waving guns around, and demanded money, credit cards, ATM cards, passports, etc.  Fortunately they were not hurt...

Christmas Gifts
Our Christmas Eve/Christmas Day celebrations with family this year were pretty much the same as last year.  The turkey turned out a little better this year and I made my mom?s world famous stuffing again which, along with the candied sweet potatoes and the pumpkin pie, got rave reviews.  This...

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egypt

Oprah Interviews Egyptian Women
Recently, Oprah did a show on different cultural traditions regarding marriage and women's issues. The main crux of the show was an interview she did with a few Egyptian women that represented the full spectrum of the cultural issues of women. Sitting here in Egypt watching it was very interesting to...

Another Win For Egypt
The team celebrates immediately after their win.This is what the majority of the streets look like after a win like this.Yesterday evening, January 31, 2010, Egypt won the African Cup for the 3rd time in a row. They did this by beating Ghana 1-0. Earlier in the year, Egypt was ousted out of World Cup...

An apology!
Just wanted to write and say I am sorry for not posting in so long. The school I teach at is trying to obtain accreditation, and we have visitors coming this next week. I don't think I have ever been this tired or busy my entire life. Can't wait till things slow down a little and I can get back to my...

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England

This Here is Supposed to Be a Mummy Blog
We leave in exactly one week for a 24 hour flight to Australia. I’m already trembling with fear about it – hints and travelling tips welcome – I’ve prepared them each a brand new rucksack filled with wrapped things for them to open and play with on the plane. Any extra advice...

Win 'Whistle Down the Wind' Bristol Hippodrome tickets (08 February 2010)
Win tickets to see 'Whistle Down the Wind' at the Bristol Hippodrome...

Love is in the air at Bristol hotel Alveston House (08 February 2010)
Alveston House Hotel Bristol celebrates love with special Valentine's Day offer...

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Finland

Ice skating on Lake Jyväsjärvi
After a long wait the ice skating track is open on Lake Jyväsjärvi. It is most conveniently accessed from the harbor area. I'm not exactly sure but I would guess that the track is at least a few kilometers long if you skate the full loop. There is also a cross country ski track that follows along...

Helmi-Festivaalin toinen ilta - The 2nd night of Helmi Records Fest
Helmi Levyt put on a two night show at Vakiopaine featuring artists from their label. Friday night was great but it is quite possible that Saturday night was even better. The featured artists were singer/songwriter Sami Kukka, folk music group Tuulenkantajat, and the night was finished up with the highly...

Helmi-Festivaali Vakiopaineessa - Helmi Records Festival at Vakiopaine
Helmi Levyt (Helmi Records)is putting on a mini musicfest this weekend at Vakiopaine. Last night (Friday) Inariveljet performed first and then were followed by Tampo.Some photos and video from last nights performances:InariveljetA video of Inariveljet performing last night:Sorry that the camerawork...

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France

Behind the scenes of theFrenchPaper
IF you have started reading the monthly English-language newspaper theFrenchPaper then you might want a peak behind the scenes. Owner of the newspaper, Nicki Wade, provides a little background on how the idea of the newspaper came about, and some of the challenges they've faced launching the title during...

rein
Seasons in Provence: "Winter" (c) Kristin Espinasse. More info about Provence in Julie Mautner's "The Provence Post": for those who live in, travel to or just love the South of France! Note: this picture-filled edition is best viewed online. Click here! le rein (leuh rehn) noun, masculine : kidney Audio...

More Columns
These are in Valençay, quite a way east of Chinon. Valençay is a much newer château than the one at Chinon. The current building dates from the sixteenth century, is well maintained and includes furnishings from the time of its most famous inhabitant, Talleyrand. The columns pictured here are not...

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Germany

Just Pink
I’m taking my cue from sfgirlbybay today and trying to spruce up all this February grayness with a little color. Pink, in whatever form, always catches my eye and makes me crave frosted sugar cookies. Really, who could resist? Wow, I feel sweeter already. And there’s lots more where that...

Snow, banners, jewelry and an ad
For all of you out there in the DC area, hope you were able to enjoy the Snowpocolypse and not panic. I say that in good fun because we?ve been buried in snow and ice for a good two months now and I?m secretly pleased that we?re not the only ones. Could it be ...

Five Senses Friday no. 19
Seeing: * not much other than the four walls of my office and my apartment. I’ve been sequestering myself lately to get everything done, and although it’s productive, it’s not terribly exciting to talk about. Hearing: * the phone in our office ring off the hook. Not for either one...

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Greece

All Athens flights canceled due to nationwide strikes in Greece
Have a flight in or out of Athens, Greece planned for Wednesday? Check with your airline and reschedule it, as nationwide strikes planned for February 10 will include air traffic controllers and airlines have canceled all flights. During strikes in Greece, at least one flight per destination is allowed...

Museums and archaeological sites in Greece temporarily closed
Three major museums in Greece are in partial operation or closed, after the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced irregularities in the recruitment process, withdrew all job vacancies and is faced with staff shortages. The National Archaeological Museum of Athens and award-winning Byzantine Museum...

Enhance Your Greek Odyssey
I love that title and use it a lot when promoting my workshops on Paros.  But today it is announcing a series of free mini e-courses by deTraci Regula who edits the Greece Travel part of the About.com network. She is offering the following: Plan Your Trip to Greece -  Plan your trip to Greece...

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Haiti

Small NGOs
This issue of Time and this article "Out of the Ruins" was on the news stands when we got to Florida on Thursday. This quote from the article written by James Nachtwey stood out to us ..."The earth shrugged, Haiti collapsed, and the world responded. "Compassion fatigue" was exposed as the straw man...

Now we've got it.
The first photo on the left in the first post of Tiburon boys is an impostor. He's new here but he's not from Tiburon. My assistant photographer asked for the new Tiburon boys to come out of class for photos and 16 showed up. He's wearing an American flag on his shirt. The next Leonardo deCaprio?...

New children
 These three come from Tent City. They were in PaP when the earthquake struck and ended up in Les Cayes. We are working with the department of Human Services to try and locate their families....

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Hungary

My December and January in photos
I forgot to post my photo mosaic for December 2009 so here it is:   Here is my mosaic for January 2010:...

Long time no see
I have been very lax  in posting.  I have just had nothing very much to say.  I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas and a good start to the New Year.  I had a lovely time in Slovenia although the Kids were very disappointed that all of the snow thawed before Christmas.  Lack of snow is not...

A La Recherche du Kebab Perdu
I spent last two weeks in Sarajevo, Istanbul and Ankara while reading Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns. The common word between three cities and two books is kebab. Kebab is also famous in the Balkans as cevapi, kebabceta and is either grilled minced meat or simply grilled...

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india

Funny India Photo ? Pimp Kill
I took this photo in Uttar Pradesh, where this advertisement for "Pimp Kill" pimple cream appeared prominently a number of times.... Related Posts:The Wisdom of Indian Politics Funny India Video: Twinkle Twinkle Desi Style A 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration Related posts brought to you by Yet Another...

India Photo ? Crowd at Delhi Airport
I was passing through Delhi Airport late Wednesday afternoon on my way to Uttarakhand (more about that later). As I was about to step out of the airport, a huge crowd started surging forward. Knowing that my blog isn't THAT popular, I wondered who could possibly be behind me. Shah Rukh Khan? The Big...

I?m Never Buying Ready-Made Clothes Again!
It's taken me years, but I've finally ventured another step closer to being Indian. I've had some clothes stitched by a tailor. Now that I've done it, I wonder why I've wasted so much time and money buying ready-made clothes that don't fit me.... Related Posts:A Lazy Sunday in Mumbai Funny Photo –...

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Indonesia

just another beautiful sunset in paradise...
Friday 5th February 2010i must have...hmmm, let's see...way too many sunset pictures at this point...but the crazy thing is that i just can't stop myself because when you are riding along on your motorbike and you glance ever so quickly to the side and see a sky like this...how can you NOT stop and...

in the shadow of things...
Thursday 3rd December 2009a shadow, something indeed so intangible. we remember when we were younger chasing our shadows around the garden and using our hands to create the shadows of animals on our bedroom walls. in those times of such innocence we are shielded from the shadows we later learn about...

how sweet it is...
Tuesday 1st December 2009 palm sugar is the most wondrous of substances. whenever i see it like this piled high in market baskets i have this overwhelming urge to just pick up a piece and take a gigantic bite out of it. of course, this would not be the wisest thing to do because it would be insanely...

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Ireland

Can't Stop Dancing
I just can't stay away from the flashmobs it seems! How weird is it that I've done two in just a couple of months? :-) Don't things come in threes? I wonder what's next....

Tis Finally The Season
I've been putting off getting too involved in the Christmas mania till now, not so much for any deep-seated trauma or drama... I'm just a procrastinator. There, the truth is out!Combine my little personal foibles and the dread of dealing with the Cork Christmas shopping nightmare or braving the post...

Cork Island
The Grand Parade in Cork early this morning.I live just a 30 sec walk away. How my street avoided the flooding, I don't know!...

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Italy

Knock Knock
You'll see a lot of elaborate door knockers in the historic center, but I usually don't pay them much attention. This one on via di Ripetta, however, jumped out at me. Seriously, it's so sculptural that the lion's face seems to lift off the door and have a life of it's own. ...

A Roman Carnevale
As many of you may well know, today is the first day of Carnevale. And while festivities in other parts of Italy - ahem, Venice - are world famous, Rome is usually pretty stagnant at this time of the year. Don't get me wrong, you'll find confetti all over the cobblestones of the city and children will...

Carnevale!
Carnevale season, officially, don't you love it!?Last year, we spent the day celebrating at one of Italy's most famous Carnevale's in Venice. This weekend, we're heading down to Fano to check out Carnevale there, which we've been told is quite famous as well (who knew?!).Over the course of the last...

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Japan

An torch weekend
Well the Olympic torch stopped in my wee little town this afternoon and we spent the whole weekend celebrating it.I can't complain about too much really ?we did have a good weekend.On Saturday we went to Science World here in our little town. Because of the Olympics the real Science World in Vancouver...

One Week
I moved house last Monday. Naturally I was still packing at the last minute and, after a run of dry days, it rained. Heavily. Which wasn't the greatest weather to be hauling boxes and bags around it, but at least it was over and done with before it started snowing!I've been here a week now. The house...

some photos from this past summer
These were taken at my cousins wedding this past summer.Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo PrintingPhoto Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo PrintingPhoto Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo PrintingPhoto Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo PrintingTechnorati Tags: [weddings]...

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luxembourg

DVD rental in Luxembourg City
In Auchan Kirchberg, at -1 parking level, there are automatic DVD rental machines. Prices are really competitive: EUR 4 for 24 hours and EUR 5 for 48 hours. One can also rent PS2 games at the same prices (or for a longer period: EUR 9 for 5 days). The procedure is simple: you have to order a personalised...

Auntie
My feelings today can best be depicted by an America?s Funniest Home Videos episode from the olden days (you know, when the show came on right before Full House). Perhaps you?ll remember seeing it:Yep, I?m going to be an aunt. Well, not really. I?ll be an aunt to the extent that friends of parents are...

Day trip to Metz
Last week I was fortunate enough to sneak off to Metz, France with two friends. We planned our get-away while the kids were at school, perfect as Metz is only 40 minutes from Luxembourg City. This was our second school-day field trip to Metz and I have a feeling it won't be the last.Have you heard of...

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Malaysia

Tanamera paintball event - the movie
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A pain(t)ful Saturday @ Tanamera paintball park
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Coming soon, yet another pain(t)ful event
...

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Mexico

Protect the Green Belly Button
For a long time we've been reading about the Mayor's proposal to build a new city hall in one of the last remaining green areas in Cancun, known as "el ombligo verde" ("the green belly button"). We've been witness to the protests against this action and have seen signs around the neighbourhood asking...

some days are just like that....
One of the things you hear people, people getting older, talking about is how they can't remember shit anymore.  I was always so organized and competent when I was my "working" self.  I carried a Planner, a BIG Planner; I wrote down everything, I re-wrote everyday what was needed, and prioritized...

Akilean has his 5th birthday party.
Akilean had his 5 year old birthday party this past Sunday. His birthday is not until tomorrow but in his mind he is 5 now. It was a very successful birthday party. The morning started as all great mornings should... at my favorite taco stand. This day was no exception. I ordered 8 tacos and 3 tamels...

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morocco

For your {sweetie}
If your mojo is running a little low, there are so many places to go to recharge and find inspiration.  One of my favorite challenges this week was Cath’s Tuesday Trigger.   Don’t you just love that little art print?  I want to buy a shadow box and make something like it for my walls...

in the {mood}
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Perhaps some of you in the States enjoyed some Super Bowl fun?  We spent the weekend shopping and crafting just as I had hoped! Today I wanted to talk to you a bit about some changes that you might be seeing around here.  Maybe you have noticed some ...

Valentine?s Inspiration
I have been daydreaming recently about what Hailey and I might make for her upcoming Valentine’s party at school.  I know that it would be so much easier to run out and buy a pack of Hannah Montana cards or even those kind that come with the Blow Pops.  I know that I loved getting ...

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Mozambique

Inspired
It?s been an inspiring kind of week. Not the fluffy, ethereal, feel-goody kind where you go ?Woot!!? though. No, this week had its difficult moments where things that happened challenged my resolve to an extent. The funny part about difficulty is--it?s actually good for us. Unlike ?good times? (sorry...

20% Off for First 10 Customers
Leopoldina Earrings - from the Krobo Fusion collection at www.alexandraamaro.com. There's nothing like a little celebration after days (or months!) of hard work, right? Well, after all the long nights of photo editing, copy writing and wire-wrapping I logged in preparation for launcing my new web site...

Launched!
After hundreds of hours of wire-wrapping, photo-editing, wine-drinking and all-around hard work, my jewelry website is finally on the air.Come visit me at www.alexandraamaro.com!Special thanks to my web designer Brian, my great friend and jewelry model Tara, to Rico for all the pep talks, and to everyone...

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netherlands

Where in the World is Angela Rhodes?
It's been so long since my last update, between work, being knocked out by the flu right after NYE, insomnia, headaches, wedding planning and bleak Amsterdam weather I haven't found the time or the inspiration to update my blog at all lately.Until I took a little break down Sunny Portugal way. It seems...

Off to Norway
It's that time again...Time to head off to beautiful Norway for another white Christmas.Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! I will be back on the 27th with lots and lots of photos to share....

One year abroad in pictures
Yesterday morning I compiled a bunch of pictures from the last year to have printed and sent to my mum back in Sydney. After spending almost the entire day at the Albert Cuypmarkt and having no time to print them, Mats suggested I upload them onto an Australian photo printing website and have them sent...

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New Zealand

Bon Voyage Granddad
We sadly bid farewell to Granddad last night. We have enjoyed the most incredible time together and we were all a little teary saying goodbye. We have promised to take good care of Grandma and will be sure to give her lots of big cuddles. Unfortunately he has to return to work ...

The last two day?s of our Wairarapa weekend?
were extremely wet! Our hopes of visiting Riversdale Beach were completely washed away when the rain set in on Sunday morning and didn’t stop till midday Monday. Thankfully, Masterton has a brilliant swimming pool, complete with hydro-slide and lazy river (and a nice spa pool for the adults) so...

First day, first term, new year
I was having ‘going back to school’ dreams this week, apprehensive of how the girls would react after nearly seven week’s of freedom. But I needn’t have worried. They were super good for me getting out the door and bounded into school and kindi with great excitement. Charli ran...

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Nigeria

European Investment Bank to visit Nigeria (05 February 2010)
The Vice President of the European Investment Bank will visit Nigeria next week....

Joint statement on Nigeria (01 February 2010)
The EU, USA, UK and France issued a Joint statement on Nigeria....

The search is on for Nigeria?s Top Model 2010 (30 January 2010)
This modelling contest opens doors to future potential supermodels in Nigeria....

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oman

Extreme Beach Event, Muscat, Oman!
The following ad seemed to be posted/printed all over the place last week, so I decided to head on down to Al Hail Beach near The Wave with a good friend and his son to check it out for ourselves on Thursday, February 4th.  It really was a beautiful day at the beach with ...

Omani-French Museum in the Heart of Old Muscat
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Al Sahwa Park/Gardens
This gorgeous park is located between Muscat International Airport and Muscat City Centre, next to the Al Sahwa Clocktower roundabout.   Like most of the parks in Muscat, there  are play areas to keep the kids busy.  Al Sahwa is another popular spot for family picnics!  The parks of Muscat are...

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Peru

Crochet Video - Not What You Might Think...
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Lion Brand's Giant animals
Lion Brand made a wonderful display of large knitted and crocheted animals at the Craft and Hobby Association convention in Anaheim, California last week. Pictures of some of them can be seen here. They even had knitted plants!I can't imagine the amount of work that went into this project, but I love...

The devastating price of silver & gold
I recently watched a documentary that I had borrowed from my local public library, titled “American Outrage.” The documentary focuses on two Western Shoshone (Indian) grandmothers who have been fighting with the Federal Government for over 40 years to live off of and conserve their lands...

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Philippines

Butuan Bright Skies
Sprawling acrross both banks of the mighty Agusan River is the 315.6 square miles of Butuan?s territorial land mass. The City over the past years have grown its built up areas which now extends further north to Ambago and further west in Ampayon. Recently an ongoing highway project by the government...

Why yes, I am Martha Stewart
I have noticed that since moving here, I tend to be more "crafty". This is not to say I have any skill at it, it just comes as a surprise since I really did not do ANYTHING craft related before moving out here. Here, life seems to be opposite of the states in some regards. I feel like in the states...

Why yes, I am Martha Sterwart
I have noticed that since moving here, I tend to be more "crafty". This is not to say I have any skill at it, it just comes as a surprise since I really did not do ANYTHING craft related before moving out here. Here, life seems to be opposite of the states in some regards. I feel like in the states...

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Qatar

Generosity of Spirit
In our Womens Bible Study Class, the discussion turned to how living in these lands, the cradle of our religion, has illuminated the reading of the bible in new ways for us. As I read this morning’s readings, I thought of all the loving kindness we have been shown at your hands, at the unending...

First Things First
“I have some WONDERFUL news for you!” I gushed to AdventureMan when he picked up the call, “I found a third of the last fruitcake in the refrigerator!” I knew he thought he has finished off the fruit cake and that we didn’t have any more. Pause. Pause. Pause. “Hello...

Qatteri Cat ? ReVisit
So all the way home, I am thinking “I have to be fair.” It’s one thing to write a post when you are all hurt or annoyed by something, and then another to have to go back and give an update which is more . . . ummm. . .. . balanced. The Qatteri Cat went back ...

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Romania

Official opening of the ski slope in Gura Humorului (05 February 2010)
The most modern ski slope in Suceava County......

DESERT EXPO - Sweets, Drinks&More (04 February 2010)
"The sweetest exhibit" ......

TAROM launches tender ?Love ? COST? (03 February 2010)
TAROM put on sale, from February 01-24, 2010......

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Russia

One Week From Today . . .
. . . and what'll we do with Luxembourg?...

Beignets... inspired by The Princess and the Frog
If you have seen the movie then you know that in the cafe scene this treat is one of the dishes featured when we see Tiana at work. The French word Beignet (ben-yay) means 'fried dough'. After researching recipes from New Orleans, reading about the history of the beignet on line, I started experimenting...

Aleksandr has big love for Tanya
I found this story on the website Russia Today, enjoy!Biggest ever ?I love you? painted with broom on ice Published 04 February, 2010, 13:44 What can be more fascinating than fulfilling a dream? Especially if this dream is writing a love message to your own wife, in giant red letters on ice, and possibly...

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scotland

A blast from another past (Or: The ?Ask Mr. Smarty Competition? is open for business!)
Around the same time as the ?Hollywood goes hockey-extravaganza? went down, in the late 80?s and early 90?s, in Winnipeg, Canada, a young boy was sitting in his dad?s house in Haparanda, Sweden doing research and writing essays for his teacher. Not because he needed to, just because he wanted to. Looking...

Ethan 7 months
...

Busy day for mommy and son
Usually Shaena and I are sending each other instant messages throughout the day but today there was no sign of her online all day. In the afternoon I gave her a call, just to check in on them. They had had the busiest day running errands, visiting Maeghan at work, touring the Edinburgh City Chambers...

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Serbia

Russia Defeats Serbia in Federation Cup Tennis
Ana Ivanovic vs Svetlana Kuznetsova, originally uploaded by bill kralovec. Saturday we went to the Belgrade Arena to watch the first singles matches of the Federation Cup Tennis Tournament. The Fed Cup is the women’s version of the Davis Cup. Serbia is playing this weekend in the quarterfinals...

Federation Cup Serbia versus Russia
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Ana Ivanovic vs Svetlana Kuznetsova, originally uploaded by bill kralovec. Yesterday we went to the Belgrade Arena to watch the...

Partizan Wins
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; } .flickr-yourcomment { } .flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } 001, originally uploaded by bill kralovec. The EuroLeague Basketball is down to the final 16 teams. Belgrade professional team...

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South Africa

Julie and Julia - a blogger's luck
Who has seen the film Julie and Julia? My mum watched it on the plane and told me it was the best film she'd seen in ages. Eventually I got it from the pirate video rental place and have to agree - it was great and very funny in places. I watched it with my husband (he's a sucker for girly films fortunately)...

my goodness
I am sitting out on my porch with some wine. A moment ago, a lion roared. We hear lions from over the hills (enclosed!) in front of the cottage all the time. But this roar came from the back of the house. And it was bloody loud. My friend wisely suggested we move inside. My only thought was "OMG, where's...

Nerves
My 4 yr old daughter complains of anxiety when we approach the school gates.'What's the matter?' I ask.'It feels like I've swallowed a leaf.' she says. ...

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South Korea

Seoul Adventures (Hongdae Night; Jongmyo)
I briefly mentioned that the last weekend of January Min Gi and I traveled to Seoul. We had two main goals: 1) File the first round of immigration papers for Min Gi's becoming a U.S. Permanent Resident and 2) Go skiing for the first (and only) time this season, the second time in Min Gi's life (the...

In Sickness... What about the Health Part???
It's been four weeks since we had the big party. I haven't blogged it yet because I don't have the good pictures from my friend Julian. He's working on cleaning them up (color balancing and whatnot that these photo geeks know all about), but I've seen a preview and they're pretty worth the long wait...

Planning a Move: Books and Reviewing.
As I have mentioned before, my current contract, which expires August 25 (although with my 8 vacation days, I should be moving back to the US before August 14 depending on my summer camp schedules--yes I plan this far in advance), will be my final contract in Korea for the time being. That means I have...

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Spain

Americas Cup in with a bang (08 February 2010)
Americas Cup, Valencia, Inauguration celebration, Paella ,Proceeds to Haiti...

Americas Cup off to a good start (08 February 2010)
Americas Cup, final tests, good wind forecasts, Alinghi, BM Oracle racing...

Police Raid Montroy Town Hall over illegal houses (06 February 2010)
Valencia, Spain, Montroy town council, arrests over illegally built houses...

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Sri Lanka

Thoughts on Themes of AVATAR
I was fortunate enough to see the film with an insightful chick from India, who explained to me at intermission (we have those in Sri Lankan movie theaters) that the word ?avatar? still has spiritual meaning to people in India,......

Shop, Sup, and Spa Stylishly in Colombo
By Malayna Dawn, Compere and Communications Consultant to Colombo Fashion Week 2010 If you?re coming to Sri Lanka to be part of Colombo Fashion Week 2010, you?ll want to make sure your entire trip is one of style and beauty.......

My Freelance Adventure Continued
Yesterday I tallied up all the articles I wrote for others in 2009 and it came to 570. At an average of 400 words each, that comes to 228,000 words. A minimum of 60,000 words is needed for a novel,......

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Sweden

clearing corners, finding peace
The nagging sense of clutter, the slight unease of the light off the white walls, the chaos of a few toys on the floor — they have vanished. Our living room has become a zen zone of calm. It is clean and yellow and it glows from the leaves falling from the trees [.....

scooting and falling down and no sleep
Our son has a differently philosophy to baby life than his big sister. At nine months, he has six teeth, eats a lot of real food, scoots around, stands up, falls down, stands up, falls down, cries and cries. At nine months, his sister not really eaten even baby food yet, was getting [.....

tall girls play basketball to a new cheer
I took NK to a Solna Vikings basketball game this afternoon. We saw the women play, not because I took my daughter but because the women play in the afternoon, the men play in the evenings. She has taken to throwing our basketball off the couch, barely missing her little brother’s head, so [.....

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taiwan

Green Card
Tomorrow’s the interview. Wish us luck. Will probably do a post about the experience at some point. Been busy, as you can probably tell. Like the post? Share or save it!...

Phrasebook Entry #3
Phrasebook entry #3: ???????, ?????????? - I was going to watch television, but instead decided to read a book....

Phrasebook Entry #2
Phrasebook entry #2: ??????????????? - After my wife went swimming, we watched television together....

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Tajkistan

Back to the Future
Dedicated viewers of Tajik TV yesterday were treated to a silly all-encompassing tribute to an impromptu holiday: a National Day of Solidarity in Honor of the Construction of the Rogun Hydropower Station. Or something along those lines.Basically Rogun (technically "Roghun" in Tajik) has been the quiet...

Historic Khujand
We took a trip to the north of Tajikistan for the first part of last week, to the city of Khujand. Dan and his colleague were going for work, and it seemed like a good (who knows, maybe already the last?) chance to tag along under such circumstances (hotel room paid for, ground transportation already...

Cornuccopia
Reporting in here at the close of a long, relaxing weekend that started with a classic all-American Turkey Day, continued with a day off of preschool due to local swine flu concerns, kept on going with Tajikistan's idiosynchratic celebration of Eid al-Qurbon on Saturday (one day later than the rest...

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turkey

Sacred Grounds
The observant reader will note that I have been conspicuously absent these last few weeks, and I realize now that I did not - as I had intended to do - post my intention of being conspicuously absent when I had the opportunity to do so. Such a silly bint I am. In any case, rest assured that I am back...

Scam, bam, thank you, ma?am!
Having a Turkish boyfriend in Turkey is mostly a blessing, in my opinion. There are so many situations, mostly bureaucratic, that I have not been forced to endure because I have had the benefit of a built-in negotiator. For the most part, having the wisdom of a native at ones disposal in a ...

R.I.P. cinema. You will be missed.
Is it just me, or is cinema pretty much dead at the moment? I am a cinemaphile. I watch me a whole lotta? movies. Due to the fact that I live in Turkey (piracy, ahoy!), I sometimes even see movies before they are released in the theatres here. I tell you ...

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united_arab_emirates

Links to Dubai and UAE expat blogs
Links to blogs by other expats living in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and other emirates. Feel free to submit a link to your website via the comment form. Note for a blog owner: I normally put nofollow links, but I will make your link dofollow (helps your google page rank) if you put a dofollow link ...

Websites about Dubai, UAE and Middle East
Links to websites about Middle East, United Arab Emirates and Dubai in particular that I find interesting and consider being worth viewing. Feel free to submit your link....

Links to expat websites
Links to other websites made for helping expats living abroad. Not necessarily related to Dubai...

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usa

Super Bowl
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on their Super Bowl win. You played a better game than the Indianapolis Colts. Enjoy Mardi Gras this year New Orleans. I am sure it is going to be awesome this year!...

A Relationship With The World
A tantalizing part of experience is the noise we don't experience; both the visual and auditory noise in the environment is immense. The environment is an almost chaos. Light, shapes and sounds; all varied and complex....

More Snow Coming
We are due to get a load of snow on Friday. Better get the Superbowl Sunday snacks in soon then! (Although need to wait for Ben to get home from work before I can get out in car)...

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