How to Notarize Documents Abroad

STAMP! Image: Unsplash

Notarizing documents abroad can be confusing.

If you are living in another country, you will eventually need to notarize something. Whether it's or your visa application or for your new international mail solution (more about that later!) you will need to get your paperwork stamped + looking official. Here are three options for expats from the US like myself.

1. Local Notary Public

You can use a notary public service in the country where you are living. As an expat you can use a local form of identification or a passport.

The price varies a lot from country to country. In the Czech Republic, I use JUDr. Sylva Kotrbova and she charges less than CZK 200 for basic notarization of one document. She is professional and best of all, super quick about it.

Once I had to get something notarized in London and it was considerably more expensive. I used MD Pryke for GBP 60 after calling around to 6+ notaries whose prices ranged up to GBP 120. Some British notaries public also require an apostille for international documents, which can run double. Yikes. Most of the notaries I found in England were actual lawyers, so maybe that's why the price is high.

2. U.S. Embassy Notarization

Every U.S. Embassy has notaries on staff as part of their American Citizen Services. This is important because for U.S. documentation to be legal, it needs to be notarized by a U.S. authority. If you are submitting federal or state paperwork from abroad, you will likely need a U.S. authorized notarization.

I used this notary service in Bangkok, Thailand back in 2015. I had to write a statement verifying that my BA degree and my passport matched in order to apply for my long-term visa and work permit. You need to get an appointment using their online scheduling form and you're good to go. The same-day procedure takes about 30 mins to complete while you wait. A U.S. Embassy notarization costs USD 50 and can be paid in dollars, local currency, or by card.

3. Online Notary

A new option that I just found today is an online notary. I tried NotaryCam.com and it was super fast and convenient. I wish I had known about it years ago!

I needed to notarize a forwarding address form for USPS. I uploaded a PDF of my document including 2 forms of ID. Then I was connected live via webcam to a notary public based in the United States. The notary verified my identity by looking at my face and then making me hold my passport up to the camera while I stated my name, address, and birth date.

That was it. The notary public confirmed my ID, had me put my e-signature live on the form, and then she closed our video session. Finally, I paid the fee ($25 for US or $79 for International) and we were done. My notarized document with the seal was immediately available for download and also sent to me via encryption over email.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Have you ever had difficulty getting your documentation notarized? What tips do you have to make paperwork easier to handle from abroad?

Karaoke Queen

When I move to a new country, I always pick a karaoke song in the local language to learn. That way on a night out, I can make friends and impress strangers.

In Thailand I used to sing “สบาย สบาย (Sabai Sabai)” by Bird Thongchai. It was a hit back in the day so everybody knows the words--even in neighboring countries like Laos. Plus, not many foreigners know it. Most foreigners only sing "ดู เธอ ทำ" (Du Ter Tum) the backpacker anthem.

Is music a good tool for language learning? Sure, it's good for contextual vocabulary and correct pronunciation, but I don't do it for educational reasons. To be perfectly honest I do it for the reaction. People freak out when they see a foreigner singing in their language. It's like a talking dog.

Once in Kanchanaburi, Stacy and I queued up Sabai Sabai at a riverside restaurant. About 100 Thai teachers were having their staff retreat at the hotel. After we started the song, they rushed the stage,  screaming. A bunch of older ladies shoved whisky sodas in our hands and a long night of Thai dance lessons began. The magic of an "in".

Today I found a song I will eventually be able to sing in Czech. It's by a band called "Three Sisters" and its basically "99 Red Balloons" by Nena so I know the melody. Now all I need to figure out is where (and if) Czech people do karaoke.

UPDATE: After nearly 3 years of living in Prague, I had to accept that Czech people don't really do karaoke. I found one place called K*Star Karaoke in Vinohrady near I.P. Pavolva that has rooms, but it was a one-time deal with friends from soccer. I know there is karaoke at Berlin Bar but it's mostly tourists on holiday. Finally I tried a karaoke bar called Ground Zero in Žižkov with friends one night. The song list was controlled by a Russian staffer who sang every other song and didn't allow anyone from our group to sing songs in English or Czech. Lesson learned. Karaoke is not a thing here.

Tri Sestry – Dederon (tune of "99 Red Balloons")

Čas je díra čas je bič Lepší kdyby vůbec nebyl Nejednou chceš svůj balon Ztracenej je v dětství nebi A letí dál a stoupá výš Letí proudem roků zpátky To jen čas trh oponou Věci mizí - kde už jsou Nejednou chci svůj balón Zpuchřelá a prasklá duše Jistě řeknu - to je on Poznám ho měl jsem ho rád Každa další známá věc Kaugummi a pflege dusche Drážďany a schone schuhe A zde Simson Motorrad Mý gumoví indiáni Z ulice unter den Linden Později jsem se tam zpil Zrovna když byl feuer werk Tmavý pivo se sirupem řízek v sósu s knedlíkem cigára Káro byly fajn Jedno jak se změnil svět já chci zpátky svůj balón já chci zpátky svůj balón já chci zpátky svůj balón Nejednou chceš svůj balon ztracenej je v dětsví nebi Všechny věci cos měl rád na tebe tam tiše čekaj Až se tvůj čas naplní letíš proudem roků zpátky Někde najdeš svůj balón nech ho zatím - ať si lítá

Time is a hole Time is a whip Better if he was not You want your balloon Lost in the childhood of heaven And he flies on and rises higher It's flowing back many years It's only time the market opens Things disappear - where they are I want my balloon Sweet and cracked soul Sure I say - that's him I know I liked him Any other known thing Kaugummi and dusk Dresden and schone schuhe And here Simson Motorrad My rubber Indians From the street unter den Linden Later, I drank there Just when he was a feuer werk Dark beer with syrup slices in dumplings with dumplings cigar Kara were fine One way the world has changed, I want my balloon back I want my balloon back I want my balloon back You want your balloon lost in the heavenly sky All the things you liked to wait quietly there When your time is full, you're flying back over the years Somewhere you will find your balloon let it go - let it fly

Do you know any songs I should learn? What's your favorite song in another language? Does it help you make friends?

Virtual Expats

I follow a Twitter account about expat life called @WeAreXpats. It's a RoCur (rotating curation) account, meaning each week a new expat takes control of the account and tweets about their experiences. Right now it's an American woman living in Japan. Sometimes it's a Chilean guy living in Germany, a Swedish woman in Canada...you get the idea.

The feed is mostly about culture shock experiences and tips for getting used to a "new normal". Commiserating about visas is a given. The discussion about using the term "expat" vs. "immigrant" is another perpetual topic of conversation. 

A few weeks back @StephFuccio had control of the account and shared about her experiences in language learning. A resident of Shanghai, she is a devoted student of Mandarin Chinese. She also documented a trip she took to Thailand to seek medical treatment. Health insurance, pharmaceutical prices, and access to healthcare has been a big eye-opener for me since I first lived outside of the U.S. Her feed caught my eye and we've been in touch ever since.

Steph hosts a channel on PodBean with 60+ podcast episodes that deal with language learning and expat culture. Steph is starting up a new series called Virtual Expat that explores how the internet and tech affect the lives of expats from all over the globe. 

I'm excited to announce that I've been invited to participate in an episode! I've been communicating about my expat experiences for awhile now. This blog actually started out as a pre-Facebook way for family to watch my expat life way back in 2010 when I moved to Ireland. Once everybody and their mom finally got on the FB bandwagon, I abandoned the blog. 

Now as a remote freelancer, tech is an integral part of my livelihood. I rebooted my blog 6 years later to start a content writing career and found success in tech copywriting. Now I use it as a place to share travel information and adventures in technology learning but I am much more active on other social media like Twitter and InstaGram. 

I'm excited to be a guest on Virtual Expat and talk more about the evolution of online tools for expats with Steph. Watch here and I'll post a link when she uploads it in October.

I joined the Hispanic Caucus

Sometime after arriving in Prague, I was scoping out the food scene (first things first!) by scanning Twitter for #praguefood photos. I found an expat with a sense of humor, a focus on U.S. politics, and a soft spot for Starbucks who was sharing about life in Prague. Followed.

After Ana and I became friends in real life, I found out her penchant for civic engagement goes beyond the run-of-the-mill armchair activism. A Mexican-American from Washington State, she actually serves as the global Chair of the Hispanic Caucus for Democrats Abroad.

Learning about Ana's activism came at a good time. As an expat watching the Trump debacle unfold from abroad, I have experienced an overwhelming sense of frustrated impotence since November 8, 2016. Of course I vote from abroad, but what else can I do?

As a result of this lucky friendship, I now have a small way to make a difference. I joined the Hispanic Caucus Steering Committee and I am excited to learn from current members about how to contribute. For now I'll be submitting articles for the caucus's blog, co-hosting our podcast, and participating in the global efforts to get out the absentee vote.

As a Chilean-American who votes in San Francisco County, I want to push for voters to support progress that benefits the greater Latino community across the United States.

Though I'm out of the country at the moment, I want my home to be a place that I am proud of as I travel, a place that protects me while abroad, and a place where friends and family are safe in their neighborhoods. If you are also an expat with spare time, get in touch. Democrats Abroad needs volunteers during voting season or you could get involved in one of the DA caucuses centered around minority communities.

If you dont have time to give but you like Latina feminism, follow @AnaBlackstad and enjoy high quality coffee hunting & GIF curation at its finest.

AI, ML, and RPA: Oh my!

I learn so much from my job. 

Being a copywriter means TONS of research and getting familiar with historical and current events in my clients' industries.

Intro to Automation 

I've spent a year working with a cloud-based Content Management System (CMS) developer out of Thailand so I've had the opportunity to learn about enterprise-level tech and get an inside peek at things like ISO documentation and business process management (BPM). The company has a few light automation modules so I was introduced to the general concept and things like optical character recognition (OCR) software that allows computers to "read" text and handwriting without the help of a human. 

Recently, I picked up another multinational client that specializes entirely in automation software. As a copywriter I have to know a decent amount about the topic so that anything I produce for the client doesn't sound like it's coming from an outsider. That means I've been playing catch up for the past few months. As I scramble to get the basics under my belt, I realized how glad I am that I fell into tech copy for work. It means I get to keep my finger on the pulse of a really cool industry. 

3 Basic Automation Terms

AI = Artificial Intelligence
ML = Machine Learning
RPA = Robotic Process Automation

This all describes automation to varying degrees of intelligence. RPA is the technology of "bots" that do tasks at superhuman speeds. ML involves bots that learn and improve with the help of human input and feedback. AI is about bots organized in complex networks that have the capability to learn and make decisions for themselves based on logical analysis and big data.

I reached out to a guy on LinkedIn who is a freelance AI writer much further along in his career. I asked him where I could learn more and he dropped these three links on me so I'll share. Read with me so we can learn more about the future of automation together. 

AI Trends - the latest in the AI industry
Machine Learnings - fact-based predictions on what the future of ML will look like
Automators World - technical info on RPA solutions, including popular platforms and RPA frameworks in the wider sense

What's the coolest thing you're learning about lately at your job?

Finding My Niche

the cafe downstairs from Study Ltd. workspace in Žižkov, Prague 3

I've been freelancing for 10 months now. As I approach the start of my Master's program, I'm pleased to have created a work structure that is rewarding and will be convenient while I study.

When I started writing, I originally thought I'd focus on travel content. I had a travel blog and I figured if I went commercial, I could monetize my content. Turn your passion into your job, right? 

Turns out I'm not a fan of the kind of travel blog content that makes money. I'm not interested in cultivating a travel persona that gets a following. I don't want to pretend that a holiday weekend left a lasting impression on my soul or that I, a tourist, had an authentic, human connection with someone I can barely communicate with. I don't travel to find myself--no matter how well it sells--and I take issue with the way travel writers categorize entire cultures based on an outsider's POV. Sure, I do informative stuff and take assignments for clients that pay well, but pure travel writing is not my cup of tea.

So what have I been living off of for the past year?

F&B

As a former chef and someone who has been working in restaurants since the age of 17, the production and circumstance of feeding people will always be fascinating. How meals happen reveals science and history, religion and family. Food and booze speak inherently about culture. Food is deeply educational and completely superficial at the same time. I write about the food I eat as I travel and share what I've learned by eating it. I create content for restauranteurs, F&B ventures, and food publications. I focus on source, process, and people. After 6+ years in male-dominated kitchens around the world, I've got big respect for women in food circles. It's an industry of passion (not paychecks) and though I'm out of the kitchen these days, I generally find myself among F&B folks.

NGOs

My career outside of the food world was in non-profits. After college I figured if I was going to spend 40+ hours a week in an office, I'd better contribute to something worthwhile. I started in direct client service and ended up a regional manager for one of the largest international relief organizations in the world. My experience with the program side of the industry meant handling my fair share of marketing and PR from the inside. Now I'm on the outside creating content that builds awareness about missions and quantifies results. I seek out NGOs that work in microfinance, tech, immigrant, and disaster services because it's what I know best.

Tech

Back in 2006 I got out of college with a degree in Latin American studies. I didn't want to teach kids so I joined AmeriCorps for a year of intense career re-direction. As part of the Community Technology Empowerment Project, I was placed with an NGO to run a digital inclusion program. I played with open source platforms, built a drupal site for fun, experimented with coding, consulted on website redesigns, and more. As my career progressed, I continued to be the tech person in the office. I oversaw system migrations and played tech instructor everywhere from the public libraries to disaster volunteer meetings. 

As I tapped back into tech networks again 10 months ago, it was a natural fit. Now I'm writing B2B inbound marketing, web content, software documentation, and tech blogging for clients in the US, China, Thailand, Australia, and Argentina. I'm excited to produce content about some of the most cutting-edge technology on the market: robotic process automation (RPA/bots), machine learning (ML), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). I get to play around in enterprise-level platforms, educate myself about global tech developments, and at the end of the day I get paid for it.

Now that I've landed in one of Europe's most interesting tech hub cities, I am reaching out to folks in Prague. F&B, NGOs, and technology are all critical topics that will shape the next 20 years on a global scale. If you need content and would like to hear what I can do for your organization, drop me a quick message about your project & let's get started.

Work Cafes in Siem Reap: Honorable Mentions

Are you a digital nomad headed to Cambodia to see the Ankgor ruins? Do you need to find a good cafe to work from while you are in Siem Reap?

I spent over a month working remotely from Cambodia. I wrote posts about my top 3 work cafes and a rundown of the coworking spaces available in town.

There are so many places with excellent connectivity that I decided to make a follow-up post about other great options for folks that need to get some work done.

Reminder: I made a list of every cafe I visited and scored them from 0-3. I created an algorithm based on my personal preferences and that's how I got the scores. The scoring rubric involved things like a 0 for tiny circle tables and a 3 for functional air conditioning.

Here are my Honorable Mentions for work cafes in Siem Reap.

The Missing Socks Laundry Cafe (Score 2.33/3.0)
SW side of town, near the Old Market

good breakfast spot too 

Missing Socks is a small cafe. What it lacks in size, it makes up in quality. Each table has an electrical outlet nearby. The wifi is strong. The staff is chatty and knowledgeable about coffee. They have great options for breakfast and craft beer if you want to have a meal before getting down to work. Plus, they can handle your laundry while you work. How productive! Only downside is the neighborhood, which is full of backpackers. It can fill up fast, l so if you are going there to work, have a backup plan.

The Hive (Score 2.28/3.0)
SW side of town near the riverside on Central Market Street

coffee + wifi = work day 

The Hive is a cute cafe trying to do some interesting food. Eggs benny is a hit, salad in a jar is a miss. Coffee is solid. They've got good wifi and upstairs seating so you can work in peace. The staff are extra friendly and helped me with directions to places nearby. If you are interested in detoxing, they have a fresh squeezed juice program. Aussie-owned. Cross your fingers you don't get stuck in one of the legless chairs sitting on the floor.

Temple Coffee N Bakery (Score 2.28/3.0)
SE side of town 1 block north of the Kings Road shopping area





MASSIVE cafe with tons of seating. Two floors of endless booths, corners, and tables. Strong wifi and great coffee. The seating for some of the couch-booths is oddly uncomfortable with a low table and you have to cross your legs underneath. If you are under 30, you may be ok for few hours. The staff are pretty inattentive so when you want another coffee, you have to go up to the counter. Otherwise it's fine.

Common Grounds (Score 2.22/3.0)
SW side of town near the riverside

Thanksgiving dinner that tastes right (!) 

Everybody knows this place. I feel like at at some point it was the only Western-style coffee shop in town that gave free wifi and it's staying alive on the residuals of this reputation. It's pretty non-descript but they've got strong signal and tables with plugs. It definitely began as a Starbucks knock-off. The major plus is that since everybody knows the location, it's a good spot to cowork or stop in to grab a coffee with a friend. They also have good Thanksgiving dinner so American expats will have a soft spot for this one. 51% Khmer-owned and 100% Khmer-managed. This is by design, so the American 49% owners are trying to do responsible things by taking a back seat.

Yellow Cafe (Score 2.11/3.0)
West side of town on Highway 6 a few blocks from Lucky Mall








What a gem! Khmer-owned cafe with low prices, super-sized coffee drinks, plugs, aircon, giant tables, and wifi. Great place to work if you are on this side of town or just want a change of scenery. The staff is friendly and let me user their lighter on a smoke break. The only downside, I am sorry to say, is that they play country music in here. I will never understand why American country music is popular in Cambodia.

There are more. I'll do a final post of honorable mentions soon. Hope this helps!

exploring southern Chile

the port in Valparaiso, Chile

I am half Chilean. My whole family lives in Chile. I grew up in the US, but I’ve been to Chile a bunch of times over the years.

That said, the place I’ve spent most of that time in my abuelita’s kitchen in Viña del Mar.

I mostly help with meals, wash dishes, smoke cigarettes, drink a million cups of tea, and catch up with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

All my trips have been about family time. Family will always be my main reason for visiting.

Time to Explore

Even though I've been on plenty of visits, I’ve never done much sightseeing.

Back in 2014, Stacy and I decided to go for it. We planned to spend Christmas with the family and then take off on our own.

We started by biking all over Santiago and then quickly flew south to Coyhaique to spend a few weeks in Patagonia.

Memories of Southern Chile 

las capillas de marmol Marble Caves en Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chile

I can't forget the stunning countryside views from the bus going down the Carretera Austral, the old ladies who hosted us in their cozy hospedajes, and the striking natural scenery. 

From lakes to waterfalls to the world-famous marble caves, Chile was stunningly beautiful. 

I’m not super great at nature, so it was intense for me. I even surprised myself by strapping on some crampons and walked up a glacier. 

Glacial Exploradores, Chile

Though we didn't make it to Torres del Paine on that trip, we had a gorgeous couple of weeks. Southern Chile is full of impressive natural settings on the grand scale.

Now that I've had a small taste, I will be sure and set aside time for exploring on every visit from now on. Te lo juro!