By Jolanda Heijnen Jolanda is an international spouse from the Netherlands. She followed her husband who is doing a post-doc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Before moving to Berkeley, Jolanda worked at one of Europe’s largest steel manufacturers as a Product- and Process Technologist, combining aspects of data science and data analytics. Here she talks about more »

By Rumela Lahiri Rumela is an international spouse from India who just arrived in Berkeley. She is following her husband who is doing a post-doc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Rumela has a  Master’s degree in Communication Studies and, before accompanying her husband to Berkeley, taught Communication at a college in India for 3 years. Here she talks about more »

By Ruth Weinhold-Heße Ruth is a journalist and an international spouse from Germany who is currently living in Berkeley while her husband does a post-doc at UC Berkeley. Here she talks about the Friday Morning Coffee, a group for international spouses/partners facilitated by Yvonne Lefort that meets weekly at Caffe Strada in Berkeley. Friday mornings, my mood more »

y work as a career consultant and intercultural trainer brings me into contact with many people in career and life transition. At UC Berkeley, where I have been working as a consultant and teaching a course called “Creating A Fulfilling Life in America,” I have met many international spouses and partners going through intercultural, career more »

aura is from Barcelona, Spain and is 37 years old.  She first came to the US with her boyfriend three years ago. When she arrived, she was holding a fellowship that allowed her to work in the communications department at the Advanced Light Source in the Lawrence Berkeley Lab (LBL).  After that, she returned to more »

On June 28, 2012, UC Berkeley held a PhD Colloquium on Dual-Track Couples, and I was invited to speak on this topic. Over 70% of PhDs are in dual-career relationships. This “Two Body” problem adds to the stress and uncertainty caused by the already challenging academic job search process. The purpose of the colloquium was more »

If you’ve ever looked for a job, you know it can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience.  If you’re from another country, finding a job in America can be even more daunting.  You’re immediately at a disadvantage because you don’t have American work experience, your social and professional network is in your home country, your more »