LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: When you think of American High school, there are lots of images that are conjured up from TV shows, movies and news stories that have been shown around the world including in Australia. Shows such as ‘Mean Girls’, ‘High School Musical’, ‘Heathers’ and ‘Clueless’, help to develop biases and pre-conceptions about […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: NJ drivers have been voted the worst in the USA, in some previous polls (2008 US News). As recently as 2010, they were rated 48th out of 50 states, for their lack of driving rule knowledge. Potential new drivers are required to learn the full contents of the NJ MVC Driver manual before […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: For many new expats, working out what clothing you will need to buy for winter in New Jersey can be a bit of a guess. Many Australians and others from warmer climates often have no real experience with the bitter cold that accompanies a Northeast USA winter. You know that it’s […] Continue reading →
RELOCATION: Amongst the key attributes that expats and others moving to New Jersey look for when choosing a town to live in, is the presence of a great downtown. To put this into non-American parlance, this simply means municipalities or cities with a great town center area. What makes a great downtown though? Opinions vary on this […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: One of the most frequently asked questions from expats when they first arrive is: where to buy furniture in NJ ? Many expats choose not to bring their furniture from home or only a selection. This is in case the furniture does not fit or to avoid unnecessary shipping charges on possibly […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: OK this is one of my whinge-fests. I haven’t done one of these for a while so I hope you will indulge me and keep reading. At least it does me a lot of good, to get this off my chest, so here goes. Like many people, I hate shopping for […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: It’s about now, after 4 months of cold and a seemingly endless number of snowfalls that the locals start to moan about what a pain New Jersey’s winter is, and how they are sick of it. Of course, not everyone feels this way. But even the most avid fans of snow and […] Continue reading →
EXPAT LIFE: Unless you were in a coma, you couldn’t fail to notice that the biggest sales day of the year, called Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving) has just passed. If you missed this major retail event, it’s tempting to feel like you just missed the last train home for the night. Do not despair! […] Continue reading →
EXPAT LIFE: Shopping in America has always meant for me as an Australian, going to ‘the mall’. Outside these iconic centers of convenient high fashion and merchandise, I knew there were other big-store retailers like Walmart, Costco and Toys’R’Us but didn’t think much beyond these. Well it turns out that these big-box (large) retailers are so numerous in America that it […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: It’s acorn time again. ‘Ouch’ is a common part of my speech at this time of the year (mid-September) as acorns start raining down with regularity, during the early phase of Fall. As I rubbed my forehead this morning, it struck me that this is just one of many repeating seasonal […] Continue reading →
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: When you think of American High school, there are lots of images that are conjured up from TV shows, movies and news stories that have been shown around the world including in Australia. Shows such as ‘Mean Girls’, ‘High School Musical’, ‘Heathers’ and ‘Clueless’, help to develop biases and pre-conceptions about […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: NJ drivers have been voted the worst in the USA, in some previous polls (2008 US News). As recently as 2010, they were rated 48th out of 50 states, for their lack of driving rule knowledge. Potential new drivers are required to learn the full contents of the NJ MVC Driver manual before […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: For many new expats, working out what clothing you will need to buy for winter in New Jersey can be a bit of a guess. Many Australians and others from warmer climates often have no real experience with the bitter cold that accompanies a Northeast USA winter. You know that it’s […] Continue reading → 
RELOCATION: Amongst the key attributes that expats and others moving to New Jersey look for when choosing a town to live in, is the presence of a great downtown. To put this into non-American parlance, this simply means municipalities or cities with a great town center area. What makes a great downtown though? Opinions vary on this […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: One of the most frequently asked questions from expats when they first arrive is: where to buy furniture in NJ ? Many expats choose not to bring their furniture from home or only a selection. This is in case the furniture does not fit or to avoid unnecessary shipping charges on possibly […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: OK this is one of my whinge-fests. I haven’t done one of these for a while so I hope you will indulge me and keep reading. At least it does me a lot of good, to get this off my chest, so here goes. Like many people, I hate shopping for […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: It’s about now, after 4 months of cold and a seemingly endless number of snowfalls that the locals start to moan about what a pain New Jersey’s winter is, and how they are sick of it. Of course, not everyone feels this way. But even the most avid fans of snow and […] Continue reading → 
EXPAT LIFE: Unless you were in a coma, you couldn’t fail to notice that the biggest sales day of the year, called Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving) has just passed. If you missed this major retail event, it’s tempting to feel like you just missed the last train home for the night. Do not despair! […] Continue reading → 
EXPAT LIFE: Shopping in America has always meant for me as an Australian, going to ‘the mall’. Outside these iconic centers of convenient high fashion and merchandise, I knew there were other big-store retailers like Walmart, Costco and Toys’R’Us but didn’t think much beyond these. Well it turns out that these big-box (large) retailers are so numerous in America that it […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: It’s acorn time again. ‘Ouch’ is a common part of my speech at this time of the year (mid-September) as acorns start raining down with regularity, during the early phase of Fall. As I rubbed my forehead this morning, it struck me that this is just one of many repeating seasonal […] Continue reading →