www.figt.org<\/a> conference in 2010 I realized some of my experiences might help others relocating around the world.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0T<\/em>here are a number of sponsoring organisations out there that give minimal assistance to their relocating employees and families. I know because apart from shipment help we\u2019ve not had any, but then I never asked for it having learnt first hand from my mother. However for many the whole experience is daunting, particularly if moving with children, of any age.<\/em><\/p>\nJohn, my husband got tired of me talking about writing a book and suggested last year, in the nicest possible way, that I just do it, so I thought, \u201cSod it, I will!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Briefly tell us your expat story?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt started when I was a month old when my mother and I joined Dad in Kano, Nigeria.\u00a0 It has continued through 26 more relocations and 12 countries.\u00a0 I met John in Papua New Guinea when we were both working there in the mid-70s shortly after Independence.\u00a0 He was a VSO (Volunteer Services Overseas) and I worked for a trading company, we joined forces and have been on the move together for over thirty years.<\/em><\/p>\n4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is it about expat blogging that does it for you?<\/strong><\/p>\nBlogging was a way for me to test the waters, to see if people would be interested in reading what I wrote, to see sometimes if I could provoke a response. I don\u2019t just blog on expatriate issues but also about the cultural differences we can face in our own countries, as well as in countries that are home for a short while.\u00a0 Getting feedback, good and bad, from readers is immeasurably satisfying and I learn from them.<\/em><\/p>\n5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There is a big trend with expats taking to the blogsphere? Can it actually help with the relocation?<\/strong><\/p>\nLike all information on the Internet we have to choose carefully what to believe.\u00a0 But yes, on the whole I think people moving to a different country, different culture, maybe away from home for the first time do get help, and possibly a little comfort, from blogs written by people who\u2019ve been in the same situation and not just survived but thrived in their new environment.<\/em><\/p>\nI think the blogsphere has also helped those TCKs (Third Culture Kids) who may not know they actually have a box to tick until they come across an article on line.\u00a0 Suddenly their feelings of loss, isolation and occasionally despair now have an explanation and that can help them see the way forward in their next relocation, or as they settle into their chosen life.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What has been your single greatest challenge as an expat?<\/strong><\/p>\nMaking the decision to send our son to boarding school in England.\u00a0 I went when I was ten to my mother\u2019s old school in Australia and loved it, but even as a teenager I realised how much my parents were missing and I did not want that to happen with my child\u2019s formative years. But times had changed and he came home every holiday and we got to see him play all his sports, his school plays and so on.\u00a0 It was without doubt the right decision for him but would not have been for our daughter.<\/em><\/p>\nHowever as we had not anticipated the boarding school route we had not planned for it financially and that was a huge wake up call.<\/em><\/p>\n7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What would be your one piece of advice to a prospective expat?<\/strong><\/p>\nCan I have two please?<\/em> Go with curiosity!\u00a0 You\u2019ll never learn all the nuances of a different culture but if you\u2019re curious and show interest some incredible doors open.\u00a0 And secondly, because I\u2019m taking two, try to manage expectations in all aspects of the expatriate life from physical to emotional to financial because they all affect the outcome.<\/em><\/p>\n8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is in store in the future for Apple Gidley?<\/strong><\/p>\nNot a clue!\u00a0 That\u2019s part of the excitement of this kind of life.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/em>Most of us have plans of some sort, or an idea of where we\u2019d like to be in five or ten year\u2019s time. Financially that\u2019s crucial particularly now, but flexibility and a willingness to try new things is what has made our lives such fun, if not always the most sensible.<\/em><\/p>\n9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You are a serial expat: can you ever see this changing?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt has in a way already changed as Houston is now our base due to John\u2019s job but we are always open to suggestions and new adventures.<\/em><\/p>\n10.\u00a0 Will there be any other books? If so, can you give us a \u2018sneak peek\u2019 of what we may expect?<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019m working on an art book that not surprisingly has a global theme, with a curator and his work with maps being the linchpin. Great fun.\u00a0<\/em>I\u2019ve also got an expatriate-based novel on the go, and a book of short stories most of which have a foreign flavour!<\/em><\/p>\n– ends –<\/p>\n
From the whole team at MyCurrencyTransfer.com, we wish Apple all the best of luck with her book and future endeavours.<\/p>\n
If you have read Apple’s book or blog, feel free to tweet us your thoughts to @currencytranfr<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MyCurrencyTransfer.com took some time out to speak with serial Expat Apple Gidley, 53. She is an Anglo-Australian now living in Houston, Texas, relocating a whooping 26 times within 12 countries throughout her life. \u00a0We wanted to know a little more about Expat Life Slice by Slice, Apple’s expat story and what advice she would give to future relocatees. 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[140],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1928"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5796,"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928\/revisions\/5796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.mycurrencytransfer.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Expat-Life-slice-by-slice72.jpg\" "\\"Expat-Life-slice-by-slice72\\"")
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