Mystical Morocco

Story and Photos by Jamie Douglas

Morocco conjures up images of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca to many who saw that timeless classic. Today’s Morocco is much more modern that it was even 25 years ago, but the historical areas such as Marrakesh continue to support their classical Arab charm by maintaining the traditional inner city centers where commerce is conducted as it has been since time immemorial.

And who has not heard of the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song Marrakesh Express? There really is such a train operating between Casablanca and Marrakesh. Snake charmers and beggars are still making their living in the plaza fronting the souk, Jemaa el-Fna, one of the most impressive traditional markets in the Arab world. Exploring the medina itself requires a guide. All of the alleys and paths leading to sights, sounds, and smells that embed themselves so deeply in the memory, are so discombobulated to the uninitiated traveler that it is almost mandatory to get lost in there. Having a good guide provides a measure of safety as well as relief from all the merchants’ attempts to hustle the uninitiated.

Question and Answer for 28 October 2011

By Jamie Douglas

A writer’s fingers never rest. Last week I was hoping to write ahead for a few days, but still never managed to get quite caught up. So I opened up the folder with reader’s inquiries and was amazed at some stuff that recently found its way there. So here we go, with our first comment in response this Q&A at Escape From America Magazine, rather than a question, coming from Joseph S. in Arkansas in the United States of America:

The Shiny New Expat

by Julie R Butler

Being a brand new expat is one of the most invigorating experiences that anyone can have in life. You have made tough decisions, learned as much as you could about your new home country, perhaps communicated with other expats on forums and in person, completely rearranged your life, jumped through innumerable bureaucratic hoops, said your goodbyes, hopped on an airplane, and arrived, glowing with excitement, a little scared, yet charged up and ready to get settled into your new life abroad.

As exciting as this momentous moment is, it is important to be aware that it also a moment of great vulnerability. Everything is new and different, and unfamiliarity is a weakness that some will try to exploit. This vulnerability can only be overcome with time. One way that new expats leave themselves open is in their enthusiasm to make new friends. Just remember that it is not unreasonable to be weary of everyone who is a stranger, and be particularly weary of people who are overly friendly and make a big show of going out of their way to appear helpful. Allow trust to be built rather than assumed. A little patience goes a long ways, and the people who are truly kind and helpful, who coexist with people who would take advantage, will become more apparent after the initial unfamiliarity has been replaced by the confidence that comes from finding your own way and getting to know how things work.

Retiring in Canada

By Jamie Douglas

Americans wanting to leave their troubled nation behind, but wishing to continue to enjoy the same high standard of living, or perhaps even better than what they are used to, should look no further that their northern neighbor, Canada.

The second largest country in the world, behind Russia, which is almost double Canada’s size, it shares the world’s largest land border with the USA, much of it along the 49^th parallel. It is home to around 35 million people, with a population density of 8.3 per sq mi, about 10 times less than the US. Except for Quebec where French is spoken, it is English speaking, but with both languages being official.

Canada is not just huge, it is awesome. Its size has very little to do with its attractiveness. The scenic beauty is amazing. From the Atlantic Maritime provinces and Newfoundland all the way to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, stretching 3250 miles across the North American continent, you will encounter everything from thousands of lakes full of fish, huge forest tracts, expansive fields of wheat and corn, thoroughly modern cities, and many a friendly small town.

Il Mezzogiorno: Southern Italy's Charm

By Jamie Douglas

If you are drawn to mild winters and warm people, then southern Italy could be for you. Once you get below Naples and Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea or Andria and Bari on the Adriatic Sea, you are in a different Italy that is much more laid back than busy Milano, Rome, and the other industrial centers to the north. Il Mezzogiorno (meaning Midday) as the region is known offers plenty to keep the nomadic expat glued to this historical and scenic area.

Starting in the northern part of this region, we have the picture postcard town of Amalfi, a very popular tourist destination, a fact that somewhat distracts from its natural charm during the high season, what with all the visitors you have to share this UNESCO World Heritage Site with. The Amalfi Coast occupies the southern part of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and is blessed with a mild Mediterranean climate. There is only one way to get here, and it is along the winding Strada Statale 163, 25 miles of breathtaking scenery. While the area offers all the usual tourist services such as hotels and restaurants, it is not really suited for a long term stay unless you are loaded. Strictly commercial would describe it well.

Will Libya Open Up to Jobseekers?

Tripoli Central Business District

By Jamie Douglas

As I am writing this, on Sunday evening, October 23, 2011, one of the world’s worst despots in recent times, Muammar Qaddafi’s cadaver is on display to the public in a supermarkets meat locker in Sirte, where he was finally captured like the rat he was, begging his captors, “please don’t shoot.”

Game up at last. It was very unlikely that he would surrender power to the rebels, preferring instead to make sure that as many people as possible would be killed. In the end, in what was called his stronghold, his birthplace of Sirte, virtually his entire cadre consisted of only African mercenaries, who I am certain, are in for a rough time. But as they say, you sleep in the bed you make for yourself! The unfortunate fallout is that the large population of black people in Libya is now being subjected to awkward scrutiny.

Question and Answer for the week of October 21

By Jamie Douglas

Thanks to all of you who have responded to our call for questions about Expat living.

The regular reader by now must have discerned that I do have a serious love affair with South Pacific Islands. (Minus Nuku Hiva, where a German tourist just fell victim to cannibalism!) I regret, for once, that I never saved enough for my old age, instead spending all my riches time after time in buying tickets, traveling all over the world, going from feast to famine more times than I can remember. But rest assured, I consciously made these decisions in my 20’s, when I made my first small fortune. Living the way I did, I never expected to live to be almost 65. Between various tropical diseases, surviving three head-on collisions, one plane crash, open ocean diving by myself, single handed trans pacific sailing, hanging with cannibals, and doing uncounted really stupid things, such as documenting military coups from Bolivia to Fiji, crossing the Sahara desert, delivering a Range Rover from Geneva to Bhutan etc… I should have long ago departed this life. But no, I am still here, inhabiting my diabetic, partially burnt-up body, hoping for another full moon next month and maybe the one after.

Expat Banking Issues Follow-up

by Julie R Butler

This is a follow-up to the article on expat banking issues that I posted on Wednesday, October 12. The folks at American Citizens Abroad (ACA) took note of the article and contacted me with their concerns, which led me to do much more research on the topic. While I had not found concrete proof that US citizens living abroad were, on a large scale, being adversely affected by the new Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), I recognize that this issue is very complicated and deserving of being looked at more closely and from different perspectives.

FATCA is a very aggressive and highly controversial scheme by the IRS aimed at “closing the information gap,” or confirming the veracity of citizens’ self-reporting via third parties. The bankers are opposed to the costs and complexity that will be involved in the identification of US-sourced securities, reporting, and withholding, and they are not too happy about the departure from the use of withholding as a means of tax enforcement to using it as a means of coercing foreign entities into enforcing US tax law.

ACA takes the view that FATCA will be devastating for the expat community and beyond because it is a gross overreach of US law that has already “turned Americans into pariahs in the international financial world,” plus it is discriminatory toward expats, treating them like terrorists and criminals, due to the harsh penalties for failing to report their overseas holdings to the IRS.

The Ticking Population Bomb

By Jamie Douglas

My biggest fear for global instability has always been, and will always be, the overpopulation of the planet. Currently there are about 7 billion people living here on Mother Earth. It took a mere twelve years to go from 6 billion to today’s figure.

Recently, Jeffrey D. Sachs, the director of ‘The Earth Institute,’ a well-respected organization at Columbia University, released some figures that don’t make sense to me at all. He claimed that if we continue on the current path of population growth, there would be 10 billion people by 2100. I question this based solely on applying simple financial compound interest: If it took 12 years to go from 6 billion to 7 billion, it will probably only take 11 years to go from 7 billion to 8 etc… By my reckoning this will put the world’s projected population at an absolutely unsustainable 20 billion inhabitants by the next turn of the century, particularly when taking into account the ever longer life expectancies derived from more and more sophisticated scientific advances.

The Nomadic Expat: Autumn in Turkey

Perge, Turkey

By Jamie Douglas

Turkey has a fascinating history to draw the curious visitor. It is the land border joining Asia with Europe, itself being mostly located in Asia, with just 3% of the nation considered to be European. Occupying the Anatolian Peninsula, Turkey’s neighbors are amazingly diverse, with the Eastern European country of Bulgaria to the north, Central Asian countries such as Georgia and Armenia to the east, Iraq and Syria to the south, and Greece sitting just across the Bosporus. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited regions in the world.

In autumn, the Mediterranean climate will let you enjoy the coastal regions in comfort while benefitting from the lower off-season rates. If arriving by air, you will probably arrive in Istanbul, Ankara, or Izmir, and your first experience will probably be a Mercedes taxi ride. You have arrived in this amazing, culturally diverse nation, where the smells of spices, tea, and tobacco are ever present. Istanbul, with about 13 million inhabitants, is the country’s largest city by far, home to three times as many residents as the capital city of Ankara.

The Latest Planetary News Round-Up



Mexican Troops Operating Checkpoint

By Jamie Douglas

Fresh from my inbox: 10 years ago we had Steve Jobs, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Cash and Bob Hope. Today we have no Jobs, no Paychecks, no Cash and no Hope! (Thanks to Bob for 75% of this contribution.)

This past weekend has seen massive protests in many nations’ financial capitals and other cities by protesters against the abuses of the financial industry and their paid political lackeys residing in governments around the globe – three years after the house of cards finally came crashing down, only to be rebuilt by corrupt politicians because the banks are “too big to fail!” While bailing out all the financial institutions on Wall Street, the people once again got screwed royally. What if the US government would have used the money to bail out homeowners on Main Street instead? It would have cost less, avoided the complete real estate collapse, and probably even kept the economy from tanking by keeping the engine of consumer spending going by people who are not two paychecks away from losing their homes.

Q&A: Health Insurance and Organic Produce in Uruguay

By Jamie Douglas

Thanks to all of you who have responded to our call for questions about Expat living.

I have spent considerable efforts over the last few weeks soliciting quotes from some of the insurance companies advertising their services to expats. Of 12 quotes requested, 5 automatically rejected the inquiry, stating that coverage was not available in my location (Argentina) while the remaining 7 just have never replied. But I did receive a reply from a reader:

Hi, Jamie!

This issue of Q&A deals with things that I have been looking into in depth.

Expat Escape: Expect The Unexpected

By Jamie Douglas

It was little over 13 months ago that the charming city of Christchurch, New Zealand began to suffer. The first of many earthquakes to hit the area struck at 4:35 am on September 4, 2010, causing widespread damage, some severe, but thankfully few injuries and one fatality, which was attributed to a heart attack, in all likelihood caused by stress from the seismic event.

An event such as this of course, having damaged many structures, is a contractors dream. Suddenly, in the midst of a crippling financial downturn, there is work. Millions of NZ Dollars in insurance money will be available quickly and easily to those able to help rebuild the damaged area. And they came from all over, including the North Island and Australia, to take advantage of the opportunities. Damages were estimated to be 4 billion NZ dollars, creating hundreds of well paying jobs for the immediate future.

Offshore Banking Issues

by Julie R Butler

Back on 20 September, Bloomberg News reported that eight offshore banks were being investigated by a federal grand jury for facilitating tax evasion by US citizens.

The United States Department of Justice announced on the Tax Division Offshore Compliance Initiative page of the department’s website that 150 investigations into offshore banking practices have been initiated, with clients as well as bankers, lawyers, and advisors being charged.

Obviously, the IRS is on a mission to scare up more tax revenue. The IRS commissioner claims that, since 2009, some 30,000 US taxpayers have taken advantage of a limited amnesty program to disclose their undeclared offshore accounts to avoid prosecution. The Justice Department webpage puts it more dramatically, using the ol’ cold war spy terminology, “come in from the cold” to refer to those who voluntarily disclose their hidden accounts and agree to pay the US Treasury a reduced portion of what they owe.

A Gringo’s Survival Guide to Brazil: Brazilian Bureaucracy

Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brazil and couldn’t find out: UPDATED

by James Woodward

The following is a comprehensive list of practical tips and information on how to navigate through BRAZILIAN BUREAUCRACY, developed by James, a ten-year expat currently living in São Paulo, Brazil:

Documents

You must remember that this is a police state, you are required to carry photo identification and travel documents at all times (certified copies are sufficient). Unlike in other countries police in Brazil have the right to compel you to identify yourself whenever they wish. Don’t refuse to do so or you will find yourself in serious trouble.

Tourist Visas

A tourist visa permits a stay of 90 days in Brazil, this may be extended (prorrogação de estado) for a further period of 90 days at the headquarters of the Federal Police nearest where you live without having to first leave the country.

A tourist visa permits a maximum stay of 180 days per year (6 months).

UPDATE FOR VISA INFORMATION:

I stated that for example if one entered the country in July and used all 180 days that would take them to the end of the year, they could leave the country overnight or for a few days and return in the New Year with 180 days more.

THIS HAS NOW CHANGED.... The visa stay is noW calculated on a "rolling year" basis instead on the calendar year as in the past. This means that the number of days you are entitled to stay in the country is calculated by subtracting the number of days (including date of entry and of departure) that you have been in the country in the 365 days previous to this particular entry. The maximum stay in any one "rolling" year is 180 days.

Lets say that you enter Brazil on November 11, 2011 and since November 11, 2010 you had been in Brazil previously for 30 days. You would then be permitted to stay for 60 days and could apply for an additional 90 days the stay could be extended into April of 2012 at which point you would have to leave the country and be away for 180 (the following November) days just to zero the count. Following that you could re-enter Brazil for shorter periods based on the number of days you build up. However, if you were to wish to come back for a 180 day stay you would not be able to do so at least until after the anniversary date of your departure (April 2013).

Permanent Visas

Permanent visas may be requested for various reasons, most commonly are:

- based on having a Brazilian spouse (legally married)

- based on a stable relationship (common law relationship – heterosexual or same-sex)

- based on having a Brazilian child (biological or legally adopted)

- retired persons who meet financial requirements

Each of these categories has their own requirements; an internet search will give you the most current information for each one. Be aware that the permanency process is full of bureaucracy and takes forever to complete. Periods of up to two years or more are not uncommon.

RNE and CIE (Registro Nacional de Estangeiros and Carteira de Identidade Estrangeiro)

You apply for these at the Regional Headquarters of the Federal Police. You may reserve a time and date in person or on the internet. Once you have entered the permanency process and applied for your RNE and CIE you will be issued a document called a SINCRE, this will allow you to apply for such things as your work book (Carteira de Trabalho) and to open a bank account. Without permanent status you cannot hold a bank account in Brazil.

CPF (Cadastro de Pessoa Fisica)

This document is like a Social Security number; however it is used for everything including your credit information. IT IS NOT PRIVILEGED INFORMATION IN ANY WAY. You can apply for your CPF at the post office. Your passport will be sufficient identification for your application. You will be told that you have to go to the Receita Federal to finish the process, because you do not have a Brazilian Voter’s Card. This is absolutely one of the most important documents you will need to have… without a CPF you simply do not exist. At least the Invisible Man could wrap himself up like a mummy and be seen. Without a CPF even all the gauze in the world wouldn’t help.

Work Book (Carteira de Trabalho)

Foreigners can only apply for their Carteira de Trabalho at the Regional Headquarters of the Ministry of Labor (in São Paulo it is located at Rua Martins Fontes, No. 109 – Centro). It is issued free of charge, you must supply a 3X4 photo and provide a copy of your SINCRE. Issue time varies from one location to another and depends on the daily demand. Mine was issued on the spot; however it can take up to ten days to get it.

Electric / Water / Telephone accounts

Depending on where you reside in Brazil these are either easy or impossible to arrange in your name. There are NO uniform rules regarding such things here in Brazil, it seems that every state and every utility company can make their own rules. In São Paulo you cannot arrange for an account in your name for electricity with Eletropaulo unless you already have your RNE. I never had this problem in any other state where I have lived. You will need at the very least your CPF and passport to arrange for your water and telephone, cellular phone accounts, etc.

Bank Accounts

The Brazilian banking system is one of the most complex and bureaucratic in the civilized world. You cannot hold a bank account in this country unless you have permanency (i.e. your RNE and CPF), you will need to produce proof of residence, proof of income and other documents in order to open an account. It is a frustrating process and may not be instantly successful. It may take several tries to get it right. I personally recommend opening an account with an international bank such as Citibank, HSBC or others that may also operate in your home country. This may facilitate transfers of funds you may have in your country of origin. If you are coming to Brazil and can’t open an account here then your best bet is open an HSBC account in your home country. If you have an HSBC account then you can perform international ATM transactions at any HSBC or affiliated network machine in the country. Otherwise, you can only perform international transactions at Banco do Brasil’s main branches and only at specific ATMs at that location. Trust me, this one is a real pain in the butt.

If you want to know just how complicated it really is to open a bank account read the following article. It was written rather tongue in cheek, but it is TRUE:

Adventures in Brazilian bureaucracy: Foreigners in need of a bank account? Just follow these 70-plus steps.

Marrying a Brazilian

Also bureaucratic, depending on the state you may be required to produce different documents. In São Paulo you will require an original of your birth certificate (long form bearing the full name of your parents) and have it authenticated by your embassy or consulate, this must also be accompanied by a certified translation into Portuguese. Also required will be certified copies of your passport and entry card. If you are divorced you will also require an original of your Certificate of Divorce which must also be accompanied by a certified translation. Also all documents must have been issued within the previous six months or they are no longer considered valid here in Brazil.

Muito obrigado to James for submitting this excellent information and advice!

see also: A Gringo’s Survival Guide to Brazil: SAFETY

[image: São Paulo Cathedral, via Flickr]

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A Brief History of the Euro's Brief History

By Jamie Douglas

Now closing in on its ten year anniversary, the common European currency seems on the threshold of doom. As Emily Litella † so succinctly put it a long time ago, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another!” As the European Union rushes from one crisis meeting to the next, trying to save the sinking €, its common currency that was introduced way ahead of its time, every day brings more troubling news, but no concrete action that would lead to the only solution left, and that is to remove Greece from the common currency and perhaps the European Union altogether.

To justify this brash statement, I have to take my readers all the way back to the formative years of the European Union. After WW II, many brilliant minds sought to integrate the major European states into a combined union, similar to the United States of America, to do away with the rampant nationalism that gave rise to so many wars in Europe, causing untold numbers of lives to be lost, misery, starvation and hate for generations. Great idea!  There have not been any wars now since 1945, 66 years! That could be a record.

There were several successful forerunners to today’s EU, each having been better than the previous one. Finally, in 1973 after overcoming France’s usual bickering with all the others, the original merger treaty was signed in Brussels, with an integration date of July 1, 1967. The membership has risen from the original six – Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands – to encompass today’s roster of 27 nations.

Question and Answer for the week of October 7, 2011

By Jamie Douglas

I blinked, and another week passed. The region where we are in Mendoza is in full bloom, and all the allergy sufferers are contributing to the well being of big pharma and the Kleenex industry. Meanwhile, your inquiries keep coming, many of them to my personal mail. If you have a question you want answered in this forum, I ask that you please click on this call for questions or use the link at the bottom of the post.

This week I will address two separate questions and on the first one, I again ask my readers in various parts of the world to please add their personal experiences in dealing with emergency calls!

Spanish Suffering

By Jamie Douglas

The all-encompassing financial meltdown seems to be taking a more serious toll on the Spanish economy as well as its people than on most other EU nations. New figures released by the Labor Department in Madrid show 100,000 new filings for unemployment benefits in September 2011. This number is much higher than the Spanish government had forecast, showing the inherent weakness in Spain’s fiscal well being.

The government, as all governments do, is trying to spin these bad figures into something more palatable for the residents of the Iberian Peninsula, with official prognostications that the year will end with net job creation, something that is hardly plausible, given the poor state of the economy coupled with the uncertainty over the Euro. Put bluntly, Spain is hemorrhaging jobs. The government is broke, tax receipts are way down, and the current austerity measures, while assisting in the reduction of new debt, have contributed greatly to ever rising numbers of the unemployed and the working poor, those who are working having much lesser jobs than they occupied 3 years ago.

The official figures forecast by technocrats call for an increase in the GDP of 1.3% for 2011, but with less than three months remaining in the year, the best economists can realistically hope for is 0.5%, way less than the inflation rate, giving the region a negative real growth rate, in other words, contraction, also known as a recession. But the approximately 4,900,000 Spaniards who are unemployed would like nothing better than to go back to work.

Brazil’s Tropical Northeast



Boa Viagem beach, in Recife,
Pernambuco, Brazil



By Jamie Douglas

Those in search of a year round tropical climate should have a good look at Brazil’s Northeast Region, which encompasses almost 20% of the country’s landmass, and is home to approximately 55 million people, or 20% of the nation’s population. The great majority live in the big cities of Recife, Fortaleza, and Salvador, while about 15 million live in the “sertão,” the semi-arid interior lower uplands, the home of the cashew nut. This area has been thoroughly exploited by cattle ranching and cotton farming.

However, the area closer the Atlantic Ocean is well known in the region as well as in Europe for the attractive climates that Northern Europeans prefer in the winter. Visitors will also enjoy some of the finest beaches in all of South America, a very rich cultural heritage famous for candombé, a Bantu-rooted musical genre that is heavy on percussion, along with the famous yearly carnival celebrations.

Marmite and Mosquitoes

Regular readers of my ‘Twitters’ will recognise that I am a great fan of Marmite, which I understand is very similar to Vegemite in Australia. Yes, I readily accept that Marmite is rather like Blackpool or Benidorm - you either love it or hate it; in my case, I like all three. This ‘Twitter’ concerns my recent discovery about the thwarting of these miserable little beasts, mosquitoes, with a healthy dose of Marmite. No, I am not suggesting that you cover your bodies with a layer of the black stuff; although I am sure it would be effective, it may be going a little too far and you would not be too popular at parties.

When we first moved to Spain we lived very close to the salt lakes in the Costa Blanca.  We quickly discovered that, at certain times of the year, attacks from mosquitoes were part of life and, as a result, mosquito blinds and nets were quickly installed in our home. I recall spending a miserable few months with my arms and legs covered with itching, red spots that took weeks to disappear. I spent hot summer evenings on our sun terrace, relaxing and enjoying a few drinks with neighbours - wrapped from head to toes in clothing designed to cover all parts of my body; I even wore long socks pulled over my long trousers. This was not quite how I had imagined life in sunny Spain. Despite these precautions I was badly bitten; the little 'perishers' clearly adored the taste of me.

Australia’s Labor Needs

By Jamie Douglas

Once again, Australia’s mining industry has informed the government of critical shortages of both skilled and unskilled labor. By the end of 2012, 170,000 jobs need to be filled. BHP Billiton is faced with the prospect of having to postpone plans for a AU$4 billion coal mine in central Queensland’s planned Caval Ridge mine if they cannot find enough workers.

As part of the permit approval process, BHP agreed to a government mandated 30% local hiring of the workforce. Try as both parties might, there are just not enough available locals with the necessary skill sets. The company has gone back to the government to ask for reconsideration of the rule, perhaps allowing them to go to an almost 100% fly-in workforce.

BHP plays hardball wherever in the world they operate. The necessity of having to train thousands of new hires is of course an unacceptable strain on profitability in the short term. It is a shame that they don’t look at having apprenticeships and other training programs. The creation of a skilled workforce would benefit them in the long term, as the minerals to be exploited will last for generations to come. But naturally, the cyclical downturn in the world’s economies allows this multinational behemoth to bargain with its prospective employees’ fiscal well being.