2009 Word of the Year: Unfriend

Image via Wikipedia

This weekend I had the pleasure of accompanying my sister in-law to Facebook's Aussie team Christmas party. It was good fun and also good to spend some time around some other Americans. We talked about some of the benefits of living here in Sydney as well as some of the challenges of living abroad. One common complaint is that we hardly ever get phone calls from folks back stateside. It's like pulling teeth to get someone to dial a few extra digits to make a call. Either that or doing the math to figure out the time change tends to short-circuit any ability to think straight with the most common excuse being "I keep thinking I'm going to call and it'll be 3:00 in the morning". My response is of course "Well since you've never ACTUALLY called, then a 3am call would be a big step forward in our relationship".

Thanksgiving in Australia: Building a New Tradition

Image via Wikipedia

This is the 2nd Thanksgiving holiday spent abroad for us since we relocated to Australia. For my money Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. It's not about buying presents or a religious holiday but rather it's about spending time with loved ones and giving thanks for the blessings we've received over the last year. Like many Americans I have very fond memories of Thanksgivings past. The challenge now is how do I pass on the traditions of this holiday that I love so much to my kids in this new country where it's not celebrated and and finding collard greens, pigs feet and chitlins (or chitterlings for the unacquainted) is next to impossible?

Expats Healthcare Solutions: Aussie Style

Image by craynol via Flickr

I got a fat check from the Aussie government this week. It wasn't my tax return. Nor was it a payout based on my rugged good looks (that one's due next week). It's called the Childcare Tax Rebate and it helps offset the costs of daycare. It has the added benefit of keeping my 3 and 5 year olds from being prematurely forced into the workforce (but they can use jobs if you've got openings). Right now there's a huge political debate taking place in the States around healthcare specifically, and the role of government more broadly. Conservatives, generally speaking, want lower taxes and less government involvement in everything save for the military. Progressives, broadly speaking, want better government and see health coverage as a moral obligation. I'm not here to argue which side is right or wrong, at least not now, but I am here to give the Aussie government props for doing a few things right that have made a difference for this American down under.

The Politics of Coffee in Oz

Image by poolie via Flickr

I remember before the financial crash hearing a comedian remark that he knew the world was in trouble when he walked out of Starbucks, looked across and saw another one directly across the street. After a year living in Oz I now know that we Americans are lost when it comes to coffee. When I started working here last year, I received a crash course in the politics of coffee. Due to a lack of meeting space we often ventured out of the office for meetings. It was then that I learned that you can't just rock up on ANY coffee shop for a meeting. With at least 20 coffee shops within a block and a half walk, choosing an acceptable coffee shop for a meeting is of paramount importance. A few observations I made right away...