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What’s in it for me? 5 reasons to volunteer as an expat

volunteer-shirtsIts fair to say that I was passionate about the value and benefits of volunteering long before I became an expat. In my old life, I actually worked on a couple of campaigns that promoted its benefits to both individuals and society as whole.

Perhaps it was inevitable that in my new expat life with a bit more available time I would become an active volunteer. And while I knew about some of the benefits, the impact on my new expat life was greater than I anticipated – even when the work was scrubbing down dirty dog kennels!

Here’s my top 5 reasons to become a volunteer while you’re an expat, helping yourself while also helping others.

Continue reading “What’s in it for me? 5 reasons to volunteer as an expat”

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Beating the location blues

houston-at-night-final

It would be fair to say that Texas and I have a slightly fraught relationship. It hasn’t been an easy location for me in many ways but we’ve made it work. On the whole, I think that Houston and I have a healthy respect for each other these days.

Yet last week I found myself falling into one of expat life’s psychological traps. I like to call it ‘comparison roulette’. It’s a dangerous game and it’s highly likely that someone will get hurt. Continue reading “Beating the location blues”

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What next?

It’s funny how things come full circle.  In the last few weeks, two emails about university graduations have landed in my inbox. One was reminding me that I graduated 25 years ago and the other informed me that I had completed my B.Sc. in Psychology.

I started the psychology degree in Norway. I had been working as a freelance consultant for organisations that I loved but the commute from Stavanger to Belfast is not exactly an easy one and I was beginning to feel less relevant and more remote from my clients’ needs. I realised that I could (within reason, the law of the land and my own moral compass) do whatever I wanted to do. I also realised that I was maybe a little bit bored when there wasn’t a lot of work to be done.

Continue reading “What next?”