Ever wondered what it would feel like if you were uprooted by your parents at a time in life when you were feeling the most insecure? 16 year old Ruairidh Wynne-McHardy decided to do something about it. Here’s his story:

“So, you wake up and you are in another country and your parents think it will be ‘fun’. And you think that it will not perhaps be quite as easy as that, after all you are a Teenager! Do they have Teenagers in this new country? And if so, do they like the music you like? The TV shows you watch? Oh no that’s silly because they all speak another language don’t they! And do they wear the same labels that you wear? And oh hell! What about school? As if a teenager hasn’t got enough problems; like spots, parents, spots, siblings, spots, parents and no money, that’s a point, do teenagers get jobs out here? I gave my fish and chips job up to come out here!!!

Given that my parents couldn’t speak the lingo without shaming Britain in general, and were rather embarrassingly English: loud voices, don’t care whose looking at them, impervious to fashion etc, how could I find out the things that I really really needed to know to survive in any decent state of teenage normality when I couldn’t ask anyone. And more to the point my parents thought my questions were trivial.

You get the idea? To cut a long story a bit short and accelerate two years of general struggle and ‘franglais’ I emerged the other side of being an Ex pat (prat) in France, yes that’s where I landed, and now… I speak the language, not just the proper language but the lingo of the, yes, the French teenager! They surprisingly do have them here too. I managed to pass my Brevet, (French GCSEs) with distinction and now am about to start at Lycée! I have also found I can help other poor souls like me, surviving the follies of their oh so dear parents, who, incidentally have also managed to integrate and speak the language, even work in French industry.

I realised that I had something to offer of real value; information on how to get started, how to ‘read’ the culture, how to feel less ‘different’ and most importantly, how to let others know it will get better.

A community web site seemed the obvious answer, where other teenagers like me could post their experiences, not just in France, Europe, but world wide, who could exchange tips and hints and entertain with their faux-pas and moments of desperation, when friends back home seem a long way away, when you long for the comforts of your own country but also a site where you can enjoy the difference and rejoice in the (usually) far better weather, the foods etc. Have a bit of fun!

What does TeenxPats.com offer then?
The answer is simple, we provide an opportunity to connect and socialize with teenagers who are going through the same as you, who maybe live nearby.

You don’t have to give your personal details, just the country you live in, you can remain completely anonymous, or not, as you like, and you get a password to log in with and create your own profile and page where you can create your own mini network, blog, photo upload, talk between friends that you invite to your page, create your own groups so if you have started a band or something you can invite likeminded others to join you, perhaps find out if there are other teenxPats in your area?

It’s an easy to use site that lets you communicate with each other and tell others about your own experience moving abroad, good or bad, how you managed your first day in school, the food, the opposite sex, music, clothes, where it’s good to shop in your town, concerts and festivals with something to offer for everyone, explanation of the education system, the things they don’t tell you, how you feel when parents don’t understand how difficult it is for you, and you can’t tell your new classmates because you don’t speak the language yet.

We offer a way of finding friends in your new country and keeping in touch with your old friends. Take a look! www.teenxpats.com

September 2007