Troubled American girl and her mother forced to leave China before the Olympics

by Jamie Rhein on

The story I read today about an adolescent girl with psychiatric problems being pushed out of China before the Olympics reminded me of details people need to consider before moving to another country to live with their children.

The girl, who is from Ohio, was living in Beijing with her parents. Her mother was a teacher at one of the international schools. After moving to China, the girl began to get into trouble due to some psychological issues. Prior to the Olympics, the Chinese officials put pressure on the family to get the girl out of China.

According to the article in today’s Columbus Dispatch, the Chinese government wanted it to be smooth sailing when the guests arrived so people who were problematic, such as, political dissidents and protesters were removed from the city’s scenery. The girl happens to fit the profile of undesirables.

Now that the girl and her mother are back in Ohio, they are having a hard time getting services to help the girl because they are technically not residents of Ohio anymore. They have overseas residential status, sort of. The health insurance they had in China doesn’t cover them in the U.S.

In the meantime, the father is still working in China in order to make enough money to return back to the U.S. Depending on the contract he has, he may not have the cost of a flight back covered in his contract if he has to leave early. This is conjecture on my part, but plausible.

Remember Michael Fey, another teenage Ohioan who had issues while he was living in Singapore with his mother and step-dad? He was also sent back to the U.S., but not before being arrested, jailed and caned for punishment.

Although living the expat lifestyle overseas can be a wonderful experience, for people who have children with special needs, it can turn into a disaster. The support services are generally not there when it comes to special education and mental health issues. At least they are not typically as available as they are in the United States, and people can be left stranded to try to deal with problems on their own with little to no help.

Schools the students attend can be supportive up to a point, but they are in a position where they need to maintain a good relationship with the country in which they are located. If the boat springs a leak, so to speak, the person causing the leak my be dumped overboard. It’s not personal. It’s business.

If you’re contemplating moving overseas with your family, know what services are available in a country before you ever sign a contract and get on that airplane. This is particularly important if you have a special needs child. The stress of adjusting to this new life can cause issues not anticipated as this Ohio family found out.

Art car in Texas under fire. Is it art or junk?

by Jamie Rhein on

The issue of old cars becoming art is not a new one. A few years back, driving along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, I looked out for the 10 Cadillacs half-buried, nose first in a row off the highway. I saw them as funky and fun. The piece was titled Cadillac Ranch.

If you’ve ever driven through this part of Texas, you may understand how anything that breaks up the flat scenery is welcome. At least, that’s my opinion. Some have felt over the years that those cars are nothing but junk–an eyesore. Evidently, they’ve become more junky since I saw them. (see article)

There is another art car issue in Texas. This one is very recent. Another car, this one painted by Austin-based artists as a protest to pollution, is involved in a tug of war between the artists and those who say that a car that won’t run is junk. Those people want the car moved. The car, now a cactus planter, is art, the artists say and they want it to stay where it is on I-35 outside Planet K in San Marcos.

According to this article in the Austin News, a judge is to decide if the car should stay or go. Perhaps, the artists need to come up with a spiffy name and attractive signage similar to what one might see in a world class museum. It worked for Wilbur, the pig in Charlotte’s Web. He was saved from the chopping block by Charlotte’s web- weaving handiwork. “Super Pig” could be translated to “Super Car.” PR can work wonders. Even a weird funky item is enough to draw tourists into an area.

I have looked to see if I can find out the ruling, but came up with nothing.

Peter Pan, Cinderella and more are arrested at Disneyland

by Jamie Rhein on

Meg wrote a post yesterday that had tips on the best time to visit an amusement park. Depending upon your sense of the absurd, or what strikes you as a bit funny– or oddball, or perhaps pitiful, here’s a different take on when to visit–or not.

You may not want to visit when the costumed characters–those folks whose jobs are to make children smile–look like they are being arrested. Or if you want an unusual scene, perhaps you do.

Arrests are what were happening at Disneyland this past Thursday. Peter Pan, Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Snow White and other storybook friends were handcuffed and put into police vans after they realized that life is not a fairy tale after all and staged a protest.

Even though Walt Disney had an idea of what a Utopian society should look like when he created the Magic Kingdom, the vision has shrunk. It doesn’t include health insurance for everyone any more, or wages that are equal to what other workers who are doing the same job in the region are making, according to this article posted at msnbc.com.

Hotel workers, i.e., bell hops, maids, cooks and dishwashers, are the ones who will be affected by the cuts and are not too pleased. That’s why some of them dressed up as Disney characters and headed for Disneyland’s main gate from the hotels shouting out things like, “Mickey, shame on you.”

While the protest was happening, and the arrests were being made, tourists were witnesses to the scene. I bet there were some interesting stories told to the kids who were taking in the action.

The arrests were made based on misdemeanor charges, and everyone is out of handcuffs once more. Negotiations are still in the works. Hopefully, folks will find happily ever after like this Peter Pan in the photo.

And the dollar rallies!

by Grant Martin on

If you’ve been in the EU or Japan any time in the last 18 months or so, you’ve probably walked away from a currency exchange or ATM scowling. With the American economy virtually in the dumpster, oil sky high and our trade deficit in the stratosphere (but coming down!), the value of the dollar has been plummeting like it’s out of style.

While few economists can agree on whether this recession will end (or even if it is a recession, proper), what they can observe is the state of the European economies — and apparently they’re not doing well either. While their struggle with the credit crunch and mortgage crises haven’t been as pronounced as the Americans’, the Europeans haven’t been immune to money problems of their own, most notably fuel and food prices.

So while we might be sinking further into the depths of the credit netherworld, at least the Europeans are right behind us — and so is their currency. Against the Euro, the US Dollar has spent the last month running for the trees, gaining about 8% in thirty days with Ben Bernanke cheering from the stands. That means when you slip a hundred dollar bill under the TravelEx exchange in Heathrow you’ll be getting $67 back instead of $62.

It’s not too late to book that Thanksgiving trip to Mallorca.

[image courtesy Yahoo finance]

Tips for enjoying your vacation, courtesy of the Happiness Project

by Aaron Hotfelder on

If you haven’t heard of the Happiness Project already, you’re really missing out. The blog’s author, Gretchen Rubin, tries out “every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study [she can] find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah.” The blog then “report[s] on what works and what doesn’t.”

Every Wednesday at the Happiness Project is Tip Day, and this week Gretchen offered her six tips for getting the most out of your vacation. Some of my favorites:

“Return a day early. When I was growing up, we always returned from trips at the last minute, to eke out as much time as possible at whatever place we were visiting. But …[o]n this trip, we came back on Saturday, so we had a day to sleep late, do errands, catch up on mail and email, re-stock the fridge, etc. The re-entry day made the trip shorter, but it made the overall vacation experience more enjoyable. It’s no fun to go away for a relaxing week, but then find yourself stressed out again a few hours after you’re back at home.”

“Pack almonds. Several months ago, on a family trip with my in-laws, I realized that my periodic bouts of crabbiness were related to hunger. I seem to get hungry much more often than most adults, and I’m also a very picky eater. For this trip, I packed a bag of almonds, and it made a huge difference in being able to maintain my mood. Almonds made a great travel snack, because they’re light, don’t crumble, don’t stain, don’t need preparation, and are filling and nutritious.”

Find the rest here.

And here are some past tips from Gretchen: tips for feeling happier in the next hour, tips for sleeping better, and tips for buying less.