Interview with Expat author - Jack Scott
Erin
14 May, 2012 10:00
Jack Scott completed one of our first Expat Interviews, "From London to Bodrum: Perking the Pansies and Surviving the Expats in Turkey". Since that time, his blog of life in Turkey has grown tremendously. He translated his success into a memoir of his expat adventures and spoke with us about the difficulties of taking an expat blog to a book.
My name is Jack Scott. I was born on a British army base in Canterbury, England in 1960 and spent part of my childhood in Malaysia as a 'forces brat'. At the age of eighteen and determined to dodge further education, I became a shop boy on Chelsea's trendy King's Road. Days on the tills and nights on the tiles were the best probation for a young gay man about town. After two carefree years, I swapped sales for security and got a proper job in local government with a pension attached. By my late forties, passionately dissatisfied with suburban life and middle management, I abandoned the sanctuary of liberal London for an uncertain future in Turkey. I currently live in Bodrum with my Civil Partner, Liam.
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From Paris to Prince Edward Island: Sixtine And The Little Things
Erin
10 May, 2012 09:25
Hi, I am Deb, I am a 27 year-old Parisian French mum and I have been living in Prince Edward Island for almost two years.
1. Why did you move abroad?
I met a cute Canadian boy in Iceland in 2008, and we both decided that we should do something about it in the heat of summer 2009, in Prince Edward Island Canada. I was there for a full month. That summer, we quickly made the decision of being together again as soon as possible. I was a month away from starting my final year at a French university, and I loved being on the move so moving abroad to Canada was a very easy choice. We thought we would try for a year and see how it would go. We got married last year and have a beautiful daughter born last October ! So that trial year went pretty well 
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De Normandie à Pékin: French Man in Asia
Erin
07 May, 2012 09:03
This talented blogger has presented his interview in both
English & French! Read his French interview first, then continue to his interview in English at the bottom.
Bonjour, Je m'appelle Julien, 28 ans, originaire d'un petit village de Normandie en France mais ayant vécu la plupart de mes expériences à Paris. Je vis maintenant depuis 1 année en Chine, domicilié à Beijing.
1. Pourquoi êtes-vous partis à l'étranger ?
J'ai toujours eu depuis petit le gout du voyage et l'envie de découvrir de nouvelles cultures. Lors de mes différents périples à travers le monde (Australie, Afrique, Malaisie, Indonésie… ) , je rentrais régulièrement avec cette idée qu'il me manquait une partie de la culture et de la vie d'un local. Ayant eu une opportunité professionnelle en 2010, j'ai décidé de sauter le pas l'an passé et d'atterrir dans un grand inconnu, la Chine.
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From Tennessee to Germany: I Must Be Off!
Erin
03 May, 2012 09:26
Hey, BlogExpat! Thanks for asking me to do this interview. I’m Christopher Allen, the guy behind the mask on the expat, gluten-free, photo-literary, so-you’ll-know-where-my-hands-have-been travelogue I Must Be Off! I'm from Tennessee but moved to Germany with my dog, Bodie, in 1995.
1. Why did you move abroad?
In German “für die grosse Liebe”. I guess love takes a lot of people on wild goose chases around the world. The “big” love I found in 1995 lasted about six months, but I’ve been in my present relationship for almost 14 years now. And of course I love Munich and London, the two cities where I split my time. But is this why I moved abroad? I think the deeper reason I moved was that I wanted an adventure. Seventeen years later, I’m still not done with it.
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From Germany to New York City: German American Abroad
Erin
30 April, 2012 09:12
This talented blogger has presented her interview in both
English & German! Read her German interview below, with the
English interview presented first.
Hi, I am Laura from Germany, and I now live in the Big Apple. I moved to Brooklyn but work in the Empire State Building in the middle of Manhattan. So much to leaving a small German village for the American Dream!
1. Why did you move abroad?
I wanted to take a time out from school, as I had finished my Bachelor’s but was almost certain I wanted to get it on with my Master’s. New York seemed like the right place to go to get my head straight after the stressful student years, to experience an adventure, and to distract my mind from the rigid system in Germany. I had planned on being away for six months to a year – max. That did not work out as planned.
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From the Netherlands to London to Morocco: Beyond Marrakech
Erin
26 April, 2012 09:14
Hi, my name is Danielle and I am from The Netherlands. I grew up in a famous Dutch cheese town named Gouda until the age of eleven when my family moved to London. After England I also found a wonderful temporary home in Italy and now I am living with my partner and daughter in Morocco.
1. Why did you move abroad?
As a child I’ve always been surrounded by curious things from around the world. For business my father travelled a great deal and I remember being fascinated with the exotic images on the postcards he sent from far places. My parents also liked to travel and a we spent long summers in France and Spain. As a young adult I travelled a great deal and I’ve always known that I would one day settle down in a country where its culture would fascinate me and where I would find inspiration for my creative ideas.
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De España a Seúl: Eurowon
Erin
23 April, 2012 10:38
Hola. Me llamo Felipe y soy español. Tras vivir en Irlanda durante 4 años y medio, ahora resido en Seúl, en Corea del Sur.
1. ¿Por qué se fue al extranjero?
Principalmente por motivos familiares, ya que estoy casado con una coreana. También me apetecía mucho aprender el idioma coreano, y tener la experiencia de vivir en una gran ciudad asiática.
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From Austin to Mexico: Living the Playa Life
Erin
19 April, 2012 10:25
My name is Bethany and I’m from Austin, TX of the US, and my family and I now live in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
1. Why did you move abroad?
We wanted to experience and show our kids a different culture. We chose Mexico specifically because we felt it was more familiar than any other country and we love the beach. We also have some friends from Mexico that would talk about the slower lifestyle that we were drawn to so we felt it was a great place to start.
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From Honolulu to Yokosuka: With Aloha from Japan
Erin
16 April, 2012 10:48
Hi there! My name is Shannon E. and I was born and raised in
Honolulu, Hawaii. After high school, I lived in Washington State for
five years, Northern California for eight years, Hawaii again for
another three years and now I have the amazing privilege of calling
Yokosuka, Japan my home.
1. Why did you move abroad?
My husband and I had long discussed moving to Japan in order to advance
his career (he is a civilian with the U.S. Navy), to allow me to take a
break from mine (I was an employment attorney), and just to start our
lives as husband and wife together on our own, without too many outside
influences. So when my husband got the job here in Japan, it was really
a no brainer for us and he accepted immediately. Shortly after he
accepted the job, the earthquake/tsunami hit Japan and for a little bit
we were unsure what was going to happen, but once the U.S. State
Department gave the all clear, we stuck with our plan to move and I
think it was the best decision we ever made!
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From USA to Saudi Arabia: Saudi Scenes
Erin
12 April, 2012 10:49
I am SaudiExpat, from the United States now living in Saudi Arabia.
1. Why did you move abroad?
I moved to Saudi Arabia for my husband’s job. He took a job with a major oil producing company that moved us to Dhahran.
2. How do you make a living?
I am a stay at home mom with two kids. There are not many opportunities for expat women to work in Saudi Arabia no matter how qualified they are.
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Interviews of people living abroad and expatriates
