I always wanted to be an "expat", living in a foreign land (and getting paid for it doesn't hurt either). Finally, it happened: the mandate was in Tokyo, with a very brief dip in Macau. Ok, it was more like a long business trip, but I much preferred to consider myself like a very-short-timer "expat": I had a small apartment Urayasu, a local bus pass and the nearby Yakitori owner knew me by name.

Oddly enough, I've been an true "expat" for more than a dozen years: a French-Canadian living in the States. But somehow, that just doesn't seem to count...

Here I am on a plane from Tokyo to Macau. I was headed for quite a culture shock!