Dec

Expat Daily: Expats In Japan, Expats Stranded

admin Culture, Expat Career, expat travel 2009-12-22

Eureostar Breaks Down, Expats Stranded

For expats in Europe travel could be a bumpy one this year because of Eurostar train troubles. On Friday travelers were left stranded on the trains. Through weekend services was canceled and as of today the trains have begun to move, but on a limited schedule. “Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said that he was “very, very sorry” about the breakdowns and that modifications to the trains were being tested. The firm was due to resume a limited service for passengers who had tickets for December 19 and 20, and then work through remaining ticket holders over the next few days. Mr Brown said the weather in northern France, through which the 186mph trains travel, had been “unprecedented” and the worst in the company’s 15-year history. This had created a new type of problem for the trains, one that the company had not experienced before.”

Advice on Living in Japan as an Expat

An expat executive in Japan tells his story of living on and off in Japan for over thirty years. John C. Wocher, advice to other expats in Japan, assimilate, which may be why he has had so much success in health care in Japan. “The 66-year-old Ohio native, who has since settled here with his Japanese wife, two children and three grandchildren, says he has practiced the golden saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Learning the language, culture and adopting some Japanese behavior, like bowing and being “a little more kind and gentle,” were among them. The approach has worked. At Kameda, a nine-building, 900-plus-bed hospital complex where he also serves on the board of directors, he has succeeded in bringing about some sweeping reforms, including making Kameda in August the nation’s first facility to be accredited by the Joint Commission International, an international hospital accreditation body that evaluates the safety and quality of care.”