Living Overseas Archives - Rachel's Ruminations

Groningen walking tour

Rachel Heller — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 19:50:00 +0000

A Groningen walking tour to introduce you to this young, dynamic and hip city with a world-class university and plenty of history to discover.

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The Polder Model in Action

Rachel Heller — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 15:05:00 +0000

Ever heard of the Dutch polder model? It's a political term referring to consensus decision-making in the Netherlands, but it's used in organizations too.

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Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) updated

Rachel Heller — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 17:57:10 +0000

In the five years since I last wrote about Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) things have changed, mostly for the better. Black Pete is disappearing.

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10 things to know before moving to Switzerland

Rachel Heller — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:55:34 +0000

A general overview of 10 things you need to know if you are considering moving to Switzerland. Expat life takes a lot of adjustment; this is the first step.

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Expat wellness: Life as an expat

Rachel Heller — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 19:34:52 +0000

Some ruminations on life as an expat, with a few words of reassurance for those moving to a new country.

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Watching America Fall Apart on my Renunciation Anniversary

Rachel Heller — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 13:52:15 +0000

One year ago today, I renounced my US citizenship. Here in the Netherlands, since last week’s US elections, friends and colleagues often ask me “Are you glad you gave up citizenship?” I always say “Yes!” but that’s a lie. I didn’t want give up citizenship then, and I still feel sad that I had to...

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The US Election, as seen by Overseas Americans

Rachel Heller — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 12:31:29 +0000

Watching the American election season from abroad is like slowing down as you pass a car accident on the highway. You don’t really want to see the damage, but you can’t seem to stop yourself from looking. It has nothing to do with you, yet you’re fascinated. The US presidential election I gave up citizenship almost...

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On Receiving my California Voter Ballot

Rachel Heller — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 11:38:26 +0000

I won’t vote in the upcoming Presidential election. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I gave up citizenship last November, so I can’t vote in the US elections anymore. (If you want a general overview of my reasons for renouncing, here is my Medium article about it.) My renunciation date was November 18,...

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Indignation Fatigue and FATCA

Rachel Heller — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:48:31 +0000

A lawsuit against FATCA, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, was filed back in 2014 by Senator Rand Paul and the Republicans Overseas and, while I am certainly no fan of the senator, I support this lawsuit. It was, however, dismissed in April 2016 because the Ohio federal judge who heard the case decided that...

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So You Think You Want to Emigrate …

Rachel Heller — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 16:43:16 +0000

“If Trump gets elected, I’m leaving the country.” I don’t live in the US, but I have read comments like this on social media and in the news. Apparently, sometimes this isn’t just an idle threat. The Guardian cites a Luminoso survey which found that: … about 4% of 4.5 million Donald Trump-related tweets contained threats...

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