Being an expat is much easier than it used to be. I have worked with many people that went on assignments 20 years ago and had a much different experience. Expensive phone calls home, no English speaking television, wiring money, and a feeling of disconnect from family and friends. If you have ever wondered how to get by when living half way across the world, I will share what we do.
Communication
Facetime and iMessage are a must. Just today I was exchanging text messages with my entire family, who also has iPhones, and it didn't cost me or them a dime. Derek uses GrooveIP since he doesn't have an iPhone and we use that along with Skype to make calls to non-iPhones. Of course we have email, Facebook, and Google+ messenger to make sure we never miss a thing. Besides the twelve hour time difference, it is like we never left. We are able to maintain as much contact with friends and family as we did when we lived in Houston.
Television
Over a year ago we got rid of cable TV and began watching all of our shows on Hulu, Netflix, and AmazonPrime. With the use of a VPN service, we are able to continue watching all of our favorite shows while overseas. To watch Clemson football games, we are able to either watch games on ESPN3.com or stream them from my parents Slingbox.
Banking
We have a local draw amount that goes directly to a bank account we opened here in Singapore. The remainder of our pay goes back to our US bank accounts. We are able to withdraw cash here and use our local debit card but for the most part we use our Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. We got this card in the US before we left because it has no international exchange rate fees. Absolutely love this card!
Electronics
We decided not to buy new expensive electronics and brought our TVs, KitchenAid mixer, food processor, and anything that was dual voltage with us. For the TVs and appliances we use large 750 and 1000 watt transformers. The smaller electronics we had to purchase here. I wasn't going to buy an expensive transformer to use a hairdryer.
Food
We are able to get much of the same food we could get back in the States. The price is typically much more but we can still find it somewhere. With the large number of expats in Singapore, there are many grocery stores that cater to us with products we are accustomed to. There are also many American food chains like McDonalds, KFC, Chili's, Outback, Baja Fresh, Mortons, Popeyes, Church's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Subway. Most of those we wouldn't have visited before but after so many plates of chicken rice and bowls of fish soup, that KFC fried chicken sounds like a gourmet meal. We both eat lunch with our coworkers in local food courts so that is where we get our Asian food fill. At home we cook our normal dishes and when Derek and I go out we like to get Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Sushi, Mexican, and American/British/Australian/non-Asian cuisine.
Health Care
We have an international health plan and we are able to go to any licensed physician, dentist, or optician. We pay everything out of pocket and then submit receipts to the insurance company for reimbursement.
Getting Home
Home is no longer a 2 hour flight but is now a 24 hour flight. It is a long trip and involves at least one stop. Because Singapore really is on the other side of the world, flights can go in both directions. We have flown a few times back and it has taken as little as 22 hours and as much as 28 hours to get to our destination. You watch a lot of movies, sleep, read, and basically write off a day of your life. Going to the US, you land the same day you leave and when going from the US back to Singapore you land two days after you left.
The world really does feel smaller with the advancements in technology. I'm only reminded that I live so far away (ignoring cultural differences) when I get a text at 2am or sit on a plane for 24 hours. It is hard when we want to be with our family for an event or attend a friends wedding which we could easily once do. Now the trip takes many days, ten times the money, and a severe case of jet lag. Still, we are thankful everyday we got this amazing opportunity.
Communication
Facetime and iMessage are a must. Just today I was exchanging text messages with my entire family, who also has iPhones, and it didn't cost me or them a dime. Derek uses GrooveIP since he doesn't have an iPhone and we use that along with Skype to make calls to non-iPhones. Of course we have email, Facebook, and Google+ messenger to make sure we never miss a thing. Besides the twelve hour time difference, it is like we never left. We are able to maintain as much contact with friends and family as we did when we lived in Houston.
Television
Over a year ago we got rid of cable TV and began watching all of our shows on Hulu, Netflix, and AmazonPrime. With the use of a VPN service, we are able to continue watching all of our favorite shows while overseas. To watch Clemson football games, we are able to either watch games on ESPN3.com or stream them from my parents Slingbox.
Banking
We have a local draw amount that goes directly to a bank account we opened here in Singapore. The remainder of our pay goes back to our US bank accounts. We are able to withdraw cash here and use our local debit card but for the most part we use our Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. We got this card in the US before we left because it has no international exchange rate fees. Absolutely love this card!
Electronics
We decided not to buy new expensive electronics and brought our TVs, KitchenAid mixer, food processor, and anything that was dual voltage with us. For the TVs and appliances we use large 750 and 1000 watt transformers. The smaller electronics we had to purchase here. I wasn't going to buy an expensive transformer to use a hairdryer.
Food
We are able to get much of the same food we could get back in the States. The price is typically much more but we can still find it somewhere. With the large number of expats in Singapore, there are many grocery stores that cater to us with products we are accustomed to. There are also many American food chains like McDonalds, KFC, Chili's, Outback, Baja Fresh, Mortons, Popeyes, Church's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Subway. Most of those we wouldn't have visited before but after so many plates of chicken rice and bowls of fish soup, that KFC fried chicken sounds like a gourmet meal. We both eat lunch with our coworkers in local food courts so that is where we get our Asian food fill. At home we cook our normal dishes and when Derek and I go out we like to get Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Sushi, Mexican, and American/British/Australian/non-Asian cuisine.
Health Care
We have an international health plan and we are able to go to any licensed physician, dentist, or optician. We pay everything out of pocket and then submit receipts to the insurance company for reimbursement.
Getting Home
Home is no longer a 2 hour flight but is now a 24 hour flight. It is a long trip and involves at least one stop. Because Singapore really is on the other side of the world, flights can go in both directions. We have flown a few times back and it has taken as little as 22 hours and as much as 28 hours to get to our destination. You watch a lot of movies, sleep, read, and basically write off a day of your life. Going to the US, you land the same day you leave and when going from the US back to Singapore you land two days after you left.
The world really does feel smaller with the advancements in technology. I'm only reminded that I live so far away (ignoring cultural differences) when I get a text at 2am or sit on a plane for 24 hours. It is hard when we want to be with our family for an event or attend a friends wedding which we could easily once do. Now the trip takes many days, ten times the money, and a severe case of jet lag. Still, we are thankful everyday we got this amazing opportunity.
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