#1 2006-01-13 18:51:51
- Julien
- Founder

- From: Grand Baie
- Registered: 2005-03-11
- Posts: 27430
Expat hobbies
Hi everybody,
What's your favourite hobby (appart from blogging
)? Is there any kind of "local hobby" where you are?
Well my favourite hobby (computers) is not very original, but I can say I like the petanque, you know that game we practise in the south of France ...
hey, I was looking for a picture on the web and I realized that they even play petanque in Thailand! (picture from petanque.org)
Have a good week end!
Julien
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#2 2006-01-13 23:03:35
- Olivier de Montréal
- Team

- From: Haute Savoie
- Registered: 2005-05-11
- Posts: 1535
Re: Expat hobbies
Some people play pétanque in Montreal, too! 
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#3 2006-01-14 01:11:34
- blackpurl
- Active member

- From: Belmopan
- Registered: 2005-05-21
- Posts: 39
Re: Expat hobbies
I just do some tradtional stuff...
knitting
crocheting
reading
...boring, I know!
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#4 2006-01-14 12:47:25
- kazana
- Active member
- From: Ireland
- Registered: 2005-12-19
- Posts: 38
Re: Expat hobbies
ah... i've got the best memories of watching old men play petanque in southern france (mirande): even though it was sooo obvious who was closest to the wooden ball, these geezers stood around the centre, wildly discussing who got the closest. i definitely had the impression that they enjoyed those discussions so much, that they'd stop after every round to start all over again.
my personal hobby is playing soccer (quite typical for a german), but i also love to try new things. here in south africa i surfed for a while, and trust me, it's absolutely awesome but very, very exhausting. and you've got to stay on the look-out for big whites...
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#6 2006-01-16 14:42:41
- kazana
- Active member
- From: Ireland
- Registered: 2005-12-19
- Posts: 38
Re: Expat hobbies
yeah, but even though there were a handful of incidents over the past years, i've never seen a shark while in the sea.
many other surfers that have been surfing for years hardly ever spotted a shark, either.
this one guy, though, told of a session, when they only saw a fin, and after scrambling back to shore they only found out that it was a dolphin - not a shark. 
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#7 2009-10-07 02:17:26
- relinonjr
- New member
- From: Quezon City
- Registered: 2009-10-07
- Posts: 2
Re: Expat hobbies
Why don't you try karate? It's a Japanese art of self-defense. Aside from making it a hobby, you will benefit a lot from doing karate. Karate teaches a person to show courtesy and respect, be a positive role model, excel in school and sports, increase physical endurance, improve mental awareness, exhibit perseverance and pride, set and achieve goals, achieve self-mastery and develop patience, concentration, confidence, self-control, balance and coordination and physical fitness.
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#8 2009-10-07 03:01:21
- Jo Ann
- ViP

- From: Lobito
- Registered: 2006-04-04
- Posts: 1546
Re: Expat hobbies
Hobby... hmm...
Writing could be a hobby, but honestly, it's a passion and professional... so I'm good there ;-)
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#9 2009-10-07 06:18:59
- NicoleB
- Animator

- Registered: 2008-11-23
- Posts: 626
Re: Expat hobbies
Photography and the attempt to learn more about it and get better 
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#10 2009-10-07 14:17:58
- oreneta
- Serial expat

- From: Near Barcelona, Spain
- Registered: 2007-01-15
- Posts: 314
Re: Expat hobbies
photography, painting, walking....maybe some gardening soon....











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#11 2009-10-09 14:31:39
- dmartin336
- New member
- From: Santiago Chile
- Registered: 2009-07-13
- Posts: 7
Re: Expat hobbies
Now that I"m re-entering expat life, I'm looking forward to picking up needle-pointing again. I've also enjoyed photography-- I've been the family historian. I also look forward to writing more (both professionally and just blogging). Not as exciting as surfing with sharks...I'll leave that one for my daughter and husband....which they would gladly do (though I have scuba dived to feed sharks). Learning has always been my passion, so I'm up to learning a new hobby or two, improving on the ones I have, and of course learning more about Chile and where ever else we go.
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#12 2009-10-10 06:27:21
- BLOGitse
- Active member

- From: Helsinki
- Registered: 2008-09-18
- Posts: 37
Re: Expat hobbies
Everything I do is my life, part of my life - I don't have hobbies.
Photography, sewing, cooking, pilatesyogastreching in the mornings, sun, traveling... 
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#13 2009-12-13 14:53:28
- rockavitch
- Member
- From: Érd
- Registered: 2009-12-05
- Posts: 12
Re: Expat hobbies
Hobbies include gaming (as I've always been a bit of a nerd since my first Atari), reading, vegging out in front of the telly with a friend or two to watch a movie, visiting forest for a walk and some conversation, put on some music and play along on bass.
Hobbies is not really a term I'd use to describe these things but this is how I like to spend free time and to unwind.
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#14 2009-12-13 17:10:36
- dmartin336
- New member
- From: Santiago Chile
- Registered: 2009-07-13
- Posts: 7
Re: Expat hobbies
Veggin' is good-- the art of doing nothing takes great skill -- and it puts the vacate in vacation
.
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#15 2010-01-04 18:59:50
- JayP
- Active member

- From: Fethiye
- Registered: 2009-12-08
- Posts: 27
Re: Expat hobbies
I love photography. No idea what I'm doing with it but there's loads of inspiration in Turkey so I'm quite happy snapping away and putting the best photos on my blog. I'm also a happy armchair traveller when money doesn't permit real life travelling so I like to read travel stuff. I suppose going to the marekt three times a week is a hobby too. I never get tired of wandering around looking at all the lovely fresh produce for sale.
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#16 2010-01-06 19:43:47
- dpshaer
- Member

- Registered: 2010-01-03
- Posts: 20
Re: Expat hobbies
My biggest hobby as you've probably noticed from the article I posted is playing in and overseeing the development of the Essex Arrows Baseball Club, in Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. I think it has become a bit more of an obsession than a hobby but it is still what I do in my spare time. Well, that is from February to September. In the off season I don't really have any hobbies, does TV count? I love to edit video and photo footage with iMovie with background music and I love to write, although I've never created a blog, mainly entries in a diary I have kept for the past 30 or so years. Does traveling count as a hobby? I've been to about 35 countries. I guess that it more of a passion than a hobby. Nah, definitely baseball and in 2010 my hobby is going to be creating a local little league in Waltham Abbey! How about that?
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#17 2010-03-17 08:43:23
- holy helga
- Member

- From: kuala lumpur
- Registered: 2010-03-16
- Posts: 18
Re: Expat hobbies
mine is cooking-eating-bloging
sounds so unproductive hobby,isnt it?! :p
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#18 2010-03-22 14:32:35
- La Pasera
- New member

- From: Ribadesella
- Registered: 2010-03-22
- Posts: 7
Re: Expat hobbies
I/we write about all sorts of issues and interests, help promote a local donkey sanctuary, restore chair seating (cane and rush), make mosaics .....photography, walking...cooking...
Locally, it is difficult as there are few hobby type activities but we do enjoy the local fiestas and gatherings...cider making is a big big hobby but not as big as drinking it. We often get roped in to collect, press and bottle the produce.
Last edited by La Pasera (2010-03-22 14:33:08)
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#19 2010-03-23 06:28:39
- a_e_mutter
- Member

- From: shiraz
- Registered: 2010-03-10
- Posts: 13
Re: Expat hobbies
my hobbies are:
playing my musical instruments
singing
making my friends laugh and become happy
travelling
who is the same as me?
i leave in iran or persia !!! u c?
can u see my pic?
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#20 2010-07-04 21:20:40
- midclassauhexp
- New member
- From: abu dhabi
- Registered: 2010-04-14
- Posts: 6
Re: Expat hobbies
i like going places - short road trips to visit interesting places which we have a number of here in abu dhabi which is also great as I have been recently into photography too!!
indoors, i like to read, craft, cook and yeah well surf the net and read blogs!!!
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#21 2010-07-04 22:52:51
- Carlos C
- Active member

- Registered: 2009-03-05
- Posts: 56
Re: Expat hobbies
For years my hobby were motorbikes... crossing Europe from north to south, east to west. Nowerdays and in order to keep fit and healthy I changed to a bike with only one HP (myself)
Finishing a day with one hour cross-country...
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#22 2010-07-13 15:28:22
- julie.deruy
- Member
- From: paris
- Registered: 2010-05-10
- Posts: 19
Re: Expat hobbies
Did everyone who likes travelling likes photographing too?
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#23 2010-07-13 15:39:21
- Carlos C
- Active member

- Registered: 2009-03-05
- Posts: 56
Re: Expat hobbies
In my opinion it's the perfect combination of two hobbies. I'm still from that time where we didn't had digital and nowerdays I'm digitalyzing thousands of pics from trips done 30 years ago.
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#24 2010-07-13 18:25:48
- dreamer1980
- New member
- From: athens
- Registered: 2010-07-10
- Posts: 4
Re: Expat hobbies
for some time now My favourite pastime has been speaking in english all day! I find it both amusing and creative
but i have no one to practise with 
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#25 2010-07-16 12:37:41
- Invader_Stu
- Active member

- From: Amsterdam
- Registered: 2006-09-11
- Posts: 96
Re: Expat hobbies
One of my big hobbies is improv (I just mentioned this is the making friends thread). I went to a few workshops at first and found it fun. then I started doing courses and started to get hooked. Now I'm in an improv group putting no shows twice a month (although we are on our summer break at the moment).
It's a great rush getting up on stage not knowing what you are about to do and then just pulling something out of thin air.
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#26 2010-07-16 13:13:06
- Carlos C
- Active member

- Registered: 2009-03-05
- Posts: 56
Re: Expat hobbies
My daily 10/15km bike ride outside public roads. One hour of heaven! 
I don't know if it is the right way to insert a pic but... it's the only way I know. Sorry for any inconvenience! 
Last edited by Carlos C (2010-07-16 13:16:05)
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#27 2010-08-25 19:21:08
- emarinuk
- Active member

- From: Dundee
- Registered: 2010-08-24
- Posts: 40
Re: Expat hobbies
Julien, that petanque looks very similar to the Spanish "petanca"; tho it is mostly played by old men in small towns I used to play when on holidays in my gandad's place. Lately I saw some guys playing it in London... I think is very similar to the bowling the play in Scotland, but I am still confirming it.
AS for my hobbies, well: photography, outdoors activities... single malts, hehehe...
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#28 2010-08-25 20:07:28
- ilyasyousuf
- New member

- From: deira
- Registered: 2010-06-08
- Posts: 3
Re: Expat hobbies
my hpbbies playing cricket and tennis if there is free
i need to wath movies if u need more information whe n we meet after i can tell u
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#29 2010-08-26 17:10:15
- srj
- Member
- Registered: 2010-08-23
- Posts: 18
Re: Expat hobbies
England ,like South Africa ,has a love of similar sports -cricket ,rugby ,football ;great theatre in London ,as well -the winter (unilke in South Africa) is cold and long -time to watch more TV!!!
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#30 2010-10-09 10:03:51
- Hareth
- New member

- From: Abu Dhabi
- Registered: 2010-09-27
- Posts: 3
Re: Expat hobbies
I love ( kick boxing and body building ) .
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#31 2010-11-13 04:58:01
- Albert Alsina
- New member

- From: Bangalore
- Registered: 2010-10-06
- Posts: 7
Re: Expat hobbies
julie.deruy >> I can´t not travel without my camera. So, YES. At least in my case.
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#32 2010-11-17 00:58:15
- toveza
- New member
- From: Prairie Siding
- Registered: 2010-10-26
- Posts: 1
Re: Expat hobbies
My hobby is Computering especially now that I am practically house bound. I am continually updating my webpage, ciaccess.com/~toveza
I also edit a bulletin for my Knights of Columbus Council and send it out ten times a year.
tom vella-zarb [Canada]
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#33 2010-11-17 10:27:03
- pinKnLace
- New member

- From: Ras Al Khaimah
- Registered: 2010-10-31
- Posts: 6
Re: Expat hobbies
nature tripping especially the beach area. malling, listening to music while reading.. duh!
, cooking and blogging, virtual games...
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#34 2010-11-20 22:21:24
- egypt2000
- New member
- From: Cairo
- Registered: 2010-11-20
- Posts: 5
Re: Expat hobbies
i live in Egypt in the capital Cairo it is so crowded city
i like going out to any place specially quiet places...
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#35 2010-11-21 02:06:17
- kiela
- New member

- From: Cebu City
- Registered: 2010-11-19
- Posts: 4
Re: Expat hobbies
my favorite hobby is going out a lot with the people I love.
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#36 2010-11-21 18:48:05
- joanna1007
- New member
- From: Varsovia
- Registered: 2010-11-21
- Posts: 4
Re: Expat hobbies
footbal!!;D
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#37 2010-11-22 06:32:04
- dame de trésor
- Active member
- From: Makati, Manila
- Registered: 2010-03-20
- Posts: 76
Re: Expat hobbies
La Pasera wrote:
I/we write about all sorts of issues and interests, help promote a local donkey sanctuary, restore chair seating (cane and rush), make mosaics .....photography, walking...cooking...
Locally, it is difficult as there are few hobby type activities but we do enjoy the local fiestas and gatherings...cider making is a big big hobby but not as big as drinking it. We often get roped in to collect, press and bottle the produce.
cider making ... hmmmm sounds interesting
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#38 2010-11-24 07:48:43
- jessbuds
- Member
- From: Jubail
- Registered: 2010-11-24
- Posts: 18
Re: Expat hobbies
a_e_mutter wrote:
my hobbies are:
playing my musical instruments
singing
making my friends laugh and become happy
travelling
who is the same as me?
i leave in iran or persia !!! u c?
Hey that's a nice hobby? I play violin myself and painting abstract and singing too. Nice to hear that someone from Iran is into music. What kind of musical instrument you are playing?
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#39 2010-11-25 05:17:13
- nilmanigautam
- New member
- From: kabul
- Registered: 2010-03-28
- Posts: 2
Re: Expat hobbies
my fav hobby is goign for long drives / walks..as of now alone..:-)
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#40 2010-12-03 15:52:14
- haroonsian
- Active member

- From: gujranwala
- Registered: 2010-12-01
- Posts: 42
Re: Expat hobbies
When i was a child in 80's, i saw lads playing with little glass balls (nearly a half Inch Diameter) on the streets, it may be different from petanque, but i do not see children playing it anymore on my streets, i liked having glass balls with me, but did not play that much, i do not miss playing it either, but...
I miss those sights....
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