Originally from Israel, Sharon had her first Expat experience as a child when her family moved to the USA. Thrilled by her childhood experience Sharon remained interested in foreign living through to adulthood and imediately agreed to her Husband becoming a Diplomat for Israel Foreign Affairs. This was the beginning of what has become a 12 year journey through 5 houses and across 3 continents. She refers to herself as a veteran expat. You can find out more about Sharon, and get some excellent advice on moving abroad on her website Expats Moving and Relocation Guide.
Where are you from and where do you live now?
I am originally from Israel. During my childhood we have lived in Fort Knox. KY, U.S.A.
After I got married my husband joined the Israeli Foreign Affairs and we started traveling around the world. Our first posting was in Caracas/Venezuela, and later we were posted to Ottawa/Canada. In between we repatriated to Israel.
Now we are back in Israel and planning to go on a new posting in the summer of 2010.
Where do you consider your home to be?
Home is definitely Israel. I believe I feel this way because we are part of the Israeli Foreign Affairs – when we live overseas we represent Israel, its policy and its culture.
Can you describe the process behind deciding to travel/ become an expat?
When my husband joined the Israeli Foreign Affairs we were thinking more about representing our country and less about living overseas (huge mistake). However we did have 2 years to prepare ourselves mentally as my husband had to do 2 years of training before we could go abroad.
I think that only when we received our posting to Caracas/Venezuela it finally hit us that we are about to relocate overseas. Lucky for us the Israeli Foreign Affairs took care of many tasks – visas, healthcare, moving company, language learning and more.
I would strongly suggest to future expats to prepare thoroughly for overseas relocation, to research and to gather all information about moving abroad and especially about your target country.
We tend to take for granted so many services that are provided for us in our home country, and we don’t fully comprehend that those services won’t be available for us in the target country, or would cost lots of money. One example is school – If you relocate to a country where the local language is not English, you might need to send your kids to an international school, which is usually quite expensive. Who will pay the tuition? Your Employer? You? Can you afford it?
Did you travel/ move with your family?
We always moved with our family – we were a family of four (2 adults, a 4 years old, and a baby) when we moved to Venezuela. Our third son was born in Caracas. In Canada we were a family of 5.
How do your children cope with the changes? (any tips?)
Each one of our kids copes differently – Our eldest doesn’t like changes, and hates the expats lifestyle. Our middle one loves it, and connect with new friends quite easily. Our youngest feels a little nervous before the change, but at the end he finds his place in the new surrounding.
The best tip I can give is – Know who is your kid, let him speak openly about his concerns and listen carefully to what he is telling you. Try to answer all his questions the best way you can. If you feel you can’t provide the assistance that your kid needs then do not hesitate to consult a professional.
How has traveling changed your family life?
There is no doubt that the expats lifestyle has made our family much closer. We like hanging out together and enjoy traveling, and the boys have a special bond between them.
How has becoming and expat changed you as a person?
I have a broader worldview, more tolerance and patience, and I am less judgmental.
Can you tell me about the different jobs/ careers you have had?
I always enjoyed working with people from different countries and cultures. After I graduated from University and before my husband joined the Israeli Foreign Affairs I worked at an international freight forwarding company and was the director of overseas relations department.
In Venezuela and in Canada I have worked at the Consular department in our Embassy. In between postings I went back to University for graduate studies.
After our second posting, I have realized that I can’t keep on looking for a new job every few years, and that I must find a work that I can do from anywhere in the world.
I enjoyed helping out other expats while working at the embassy’s consular department. Therefore I thought that I can take it a step further and build a website to assist expats around the world.
This is how http://www.expats-moving-and-relocation-guide.com was founded. Expats moving and relocation guide provides free information from packing tips to language learning, moving with kids, financial planning and much more. Other than that you can ask any question you have and share your stories about life in a foreign country.
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