At Home Abroad - International Herald Tribune

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 (PARIS)

J.B. Russell for the International Herald Tribune

David Lemkin, founder of Stand Up Brussels, performing in June. Sponsoring the club nights has provided Lemkin, a lawyer in London, with a second career.

To expats, laughter can be the best medicine
By HETTIE JUDAH
Comedy nights in English are an increasingly frequent occurrence in cities with large expatriate populations. Berlin, Cologne, Bonn and Paris have hosted regular events.

First Person

Becoming a foreigner in my own country
By NORA FITZGERALD
My children have grown up and my husband and I have slid into middle age in the 10 years we have lived in Central Europe and Russia. Now, after a decade, it's time to go home, which may be like another foreign posting to us.

Crisis and renewal in Argentina
By MAXINE SWANN
An American writer who moved to Argentina finds it takes a while to settle down in an eternally unsettled place.

Photos: At home abroad: Argentina

Finally, two incomes during the years abroad
By GRETCHEN LANG
For years, work permits have been the primary hurdle for expatriate spouses who wanted to work abroad. This seems to be changing. Legal barriers to working abroad are falling around the world, according to international human resource experts.

Berlin, playground of expatriates
By ADAM FISHER
Berlin has been losing its German population for years, but it's been more than made up for by an influx of foreigners who buy funky apartments, start creative businesses, and have precocious children.

First person

In France, it's time to get into the pool
By ANNA ESAKI-SMITH
What public pools in Paris showed one American about a society, a mind-set and a healthcare system.

In Hanoi, appreciation of a dog can be ominous
By MARTHA ANN OVERLAND
Pet owners in Vietnam cope with a different local mind-set and situations that can be challenging, or even life-threatening for their animals.

Pet hotel near Tokyo's airport spoils travelers' animals
By MIKI TANIKAWA
The hotel is designed to cater to the extremely finicky needs of Japanese pets. But the establishment has also found a solid market among the growing number of expatriates in Japan.

Puppy love, expat-style
By NORA FITZGERALD
Losing a dog and keeping a dog reflect the nature of our expat life for the past 10 years: a life of which we are fiercely proud, and yet which we frequently question.

The French have a word for it: Bad dog!
By PATRICIA CONOVER
A letter home from France, land of perfect canine deportment, by an exuberant and disobedient American.

Reality bites, but in a good way
By JENNIFER CONLIN
An expat in London gets a dog and discovers a new, warmer side to life in her adopted home.

Our African dogs
By GRETCHEN LANG
An expatriate family discovers the cruel difference between first-world and third-world animals.

A lucky family counts its pythons
By ERIKA KINETZ
In Cambodia, mythical serpents, or naga, are guardian spirits associated with prosperity. They adorn the ancient temples of Angkor, and their long bodies flank bridges and banisters old and new.

Some U.S. voters may be far from home, but they remain close to the elections

FIRST PERSON: The call that ices the blood

Guides for expatriates in Hong Kong

Afghan restaurant in Paris, and its owner, evoke the graciousness of another era

French making themselves at home in London

FIRST PERSON: Turning a page on book clubs

U.S. expats facing tax 'sticker shock'

A holiday window on another world

FIRST PERSON: Our ability to move freely moves us farther from those we love

Women seize opportunities in the overseas executive suite

First Person: My 15 minutes of expat fame

First Person: My big fat French parental leave