Comments on: A Gap Year: 10 Ways to Gain a Year (vs. Lose One!) http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gapyear2 Find your GRRR to travel survival and imperfect adventures while on a budget. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:34:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Christine Ka'aloa http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/comment-page-1/#comment-16504 Christine Ka'aloa Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:43:35 +0000 http://travelerdiaries.wordpress.com/?p=2374#comment-16504 @Leo: I'm glad you brought that up-- I certainly agree w/ you on the 2:4 ratio of time. When I moved here, acclimating and getting settled felt like it took 1/2+ a year! I literally felt like I had no time and that things took me a lot longer. Trying to "figure out how things worked" in my new environments from food, job, home...took a lot of time. Finding a restaurant with an English menu/pictures or my way to a place took HOURS! Accomplishing one task within a day felt monumental while in the U.S. I'd have gotten 8-10x more done. For you to have to find work abroad must've also been a challenge as the jobs available are limited down to what the native of that country can't do. Here in Korea, most foreigners are teachers & that's the only option. Any tips on finding jobs as an expat trailing spouse? @Leo: I’m glad you brought that up– I certainly agree w/ you on the 2:4 ratio of time. When I moved here, acclimating and getting settled felt like it took 1/2+ a year! I literally felt like I had no time and that things took me a lot longer. Trying to “figure out how things worked” in my new environments from food, job, home…took a lot of time. Finding a restaurant with an English menu/pictures or my way to a place took HOURS! Accomplishing one task within a day felt monumental while in the U.S. I’d have gotten 8-10x more done.

For you to have to find work abroad must’ve also been a challenge as the jobs available are limited down to what the native of that country can’t do. Here in Korea, most foreigners are teachers & that’s the only option. Any tips on finding jobs as an expat trailing spouse?

]]> By: Leo Salazar http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/comment-page-1/#comment-16357 Leo Salazar Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:37:08 +0000 http://travelerdiaries.wordpress.com/?p=2374#comment-16357 By the way, in reflecting on the title of your blog, it makes me think of my time as an expat trailing spouse. I reckoned that I got maybe 2 productive years out of every 4 year assignment. A year getting settled and finding my way, then a year before leaving breaking ties and cleaning up, getting ready to move again. For my wife it was easy: literally from one day to the next at her new assignment. But for me taking care of the house and kids and trying to find work that suited me in the meantime? Much harder. By the way, in reflecting on the title of your blog, it makes me think of my time as an expat trailing spouse. I reckoned that I got maybe 2 productive years out of every 4 year assignment. A year getting settled and finding my way, then a year before leaving breaking ties and cleaning up, getting ready to move again. For my wife it was easy: literally from one day to the next at her new assignment. But for me taking care of the house and kids and trying to find work that suited me in the meantime? Much harder.

]]> By: Christine Ka'aloa http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/comment-page-1/#comment-16339 Christine Ka'aloa Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:03:35 +0000 http://travelerdiaries.wordpress.com/?p=2374#comment-16339 @Greg: I like the initial premise of ATEK. I actually joined a month ago, but I didn't really understand what was being offered in volunteering at the time. What kind of volunteer programs do you do and by "working in your field", do you mean your musician field or the teaching one? @Greg: I like the initial premise of ATEK. I actually joined a month ago, but I didn’t really understand what was being offered in volunteering at the time. What kind of volunteer programs do you do and by “working in your field”, do you mean your musician field or the teaching one?

]]> By: Leo Salazar http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/comment-page-1/#comment-16325 Leo Salazar Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:36:02 +0000 http://travelerdiaries.wordpress.com/?p=2374#comment-16325 Great tips!!! Working with expats at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam we noticed that incoming expats, re-entering their home country, would have an even more difficulties adjusting than outgoing expats. It had not only to do with knowledge and networks, but also with expectations: the incoming expats expected to see the same country they left X years previously. Secondly, their colleagues and business environment at the home office had invariably changed as well, and being unprepared to cope with this change, most expats left the company within a short time of returning. Your tips are excellent for expats to start thinking about their return and to prepare for it professionally as well as personally. Well done! Great tips!!! Working with expats at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam we noticed that incoming expats, re-entering their home country, would have an even more difficulties adjusting than outgoing expats. It had not only to do with knowledge and networks, but also with expectations: the incoming expats expected to see the same country they left X years previously. Secondly, their colleagues and business environment at the home office had invariably changed as well, and being unprepared to cope with this change, most expats left the company within a short time of returning. Your tips are excellent for expats to start thinking about their return and to prepare for it professionally as well as personally. Well done!

]]> By: Greg Dolezal http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/comment-page-1/#comment-16318 Greg Dolezal Wed, 01 Dec 2010 07:57:18 +0000 http://travelerdiaries.wordpress.com/?p=2374#comment-16318 This is why I see volunteering with ATEK as so valuable. I can work in my field, help the community, and gain new skills while being away. Grads with any major can find a role. This is why I see volunteering with ATEK as so valuable. I can work in my field, help the community, and gain new skills while being away. Grads with any major can find a role.

]]> By: Nomadic Chick http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/01/gapyear2/comment-page-1/#comment-65 Nomadic Chick Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:55:46 +0000 http://travelerdiaries.wordpress.com/?p=2374#comment-65 These are really great suggestions. Ones I never thought of. :) These are really great suggestions. Ones I never thought of. :)

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