The following is a sponsored guest post, originally published by thehipmunk on Hipmunk’s Tailwind blog on December 13, 2015. While it may seem appealing to ditch the daily grind and live an exotic life abroad, being an expat comes with its own trials and tribulations, and not all expat locations are created equal. That’s the gist of a recent expat survey…
Equality? Competition? Not Overseas!
This is one of a series of posts about American values inspired by my renunciation of American citizenship. I wrote last week about a book I’ve used for teaching, American Ways, and the six values it emphasizes. Last week I discussed individual freedom and self-reliance. This week I’d like to address two more: equality of…
Individual Freedom, Self-Reliance and Renunciation
This is the second in a series of posts about American values inspired by my renunciation of American citizenship. I teach American Studies at a teacher-training college here in the Netherlands. The eight-week courses—two for the younger, full-time students, and one for the adult, part-time students—are not in-depth studies. They are introductory courses for students…
FATCA, the Tea Party and Me
“No taxation without representation,” a slogan going back to colonial America, is commonly cited by overseas Americans like me in discussions of FATCA. It’s also the basis of the Tea Party’s name: a reference to the Boston Tea Party, an act of rebellion against the taxation of the American colonists by the British government. FATCA…
Thanksgiving Reconsidered
“Are you still going to do Thanksgiving?” This is one of the questions I get asked when I tell people I’ve renounced my US citizenship. Yes, I am still doing Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in the Netherlands It’s always felt a little odd to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Netherlands. It’s a celebration of a particular event in American history, after…
My Renunciation Day
I renounced my US citizenship today. I’ve talked about this issue before here and then here and then here. Right now, though, I don’t want to discuss the politics, but rather just let you know what my day was like. Getting there Like any good Dutch resident, I got to Amsterdam by first riding my bike…
How my citizenship hit me in the gut
One day last month, when I was walking through Oakland on my way to meet a friend in Berkeley, I passed the old Paramount Theater. This is a gorgeous restored Art Deco theater that I had paused to admire every time I’d walked past that week. That day, though, the theater was open at 8:30…
Black Pete redux
Speaking of local traditions, Sinterklaas is approaching again, and with it, the controversy over Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). As I posted last year, Sinterklaas (the holiday) takes place on December 5th. On that day, as well as the weeks leading up to it, Sinterklaas (the person) delivers gifts to children, landing on their roofs on…
Republicans, Expatriates and FATCA
Last week I posted about the possibility of renouncing my American citizenship due to the onerous requirements the US government imposes on expatriate Americans. That post broke the record here at Rachel’s Ruminations: the most “hits” ever. And, in the process, I’ve learned a lot more about the situation from the many people who responded,…