The homesick expat. It’s a cliché. But, like most clichés, it reveals a truth. One of the first things people ask me when they find out we live abroad is ‘aren’t you homesick?’ But what is homesickness? It’s more than just missing your actual home. You are now away from familiar routines, familiar faces, familiar […]
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Christmas Guests?
What evokes Christmas for you? For me, it’s the smell of mince pies and tangerines and the twinkle of fairy lights. It’s the opening bars of ‘Fairytale of New York’ and the tears that come all too quickly whenever I hear children singing carols. It’s being at my parents’ house with all my family, which […]
Our Favourite Children’s Books – Book Recommendations from Expat Kids
Is there a greater gift than the gift of a book? I honestly don’t think there is. Books can transport us, they can offer comfort. They can teach us about the world and about ourselves. They can be an adventure, a refuge, and inspiration, a solace. And it’s a pure pleasure to give a child […]
Organising A Move Overseas: Step 1 – Getting Ready
Organising a move overseas can be really stressful, and one of the things that can feel overwhelming is the idea of all the organisation you need to do. Deciding what to take and what to leave. Getting your paperwork in order. Knowing that you are going to have to sort through the junk cupboard/ attic/ […]
Moving On is Hard to Do – My Expat Love Affairs
Like so many of you, we are moving on to a new country in a few months’ time. The hardest thing with any move is the people you have to leave behind. And, while my keyboard could do with clean, I don’t want to be washing it with tears. So this post is about the […]
A Monday Minute – Life Is Like A Game Of Skittles…
Or ten pin bowling. And in this game, it’s us who are the skittles (although at the moment I’m feeling more bowling ball shaped, but that’s another issue entirely…). When you move, you end up in a place with lots of other people you have never met before. It may take a while, but these […]
Expat Author: Stephanie Suga Chen ‘Travails of a Trailing Spouse’
One of the lovely and unexpected things that has happened since I set up The Expat Book Club is that I have made connections with lots of other expat women – all of them are readers, but some of them are authors too. So I thought I would do a series of ‘Expat Author’ interviews to highlight […]
Skiing With Kids? Top Tips on Ski Trips as a Family
The first time I ever skied was three years ago. So my first ski holiday was skiing with kids – we were all beginners. We were also a bit of a ragtag group as my husband opted to snowboard – less because he wanted to look cool (ha!) and more because the many knee ops […]
Expat Traditions – Our Cultural Pick & Mix
What are expat traditions? Well, one of the best things about living overseas for me is picking up new traditions and joining in different celebrations. I love this cultural mash up – or rather, a pick and mix of traditions I have written before about the fact that our family is monocultural – my husband […]
Brilliant Books for Kids…Recommended by Kids
There is a social media post that does the rounds at this time of year. It’s about simplifying Christmas (which I am ALL for) and giving children four things. Something they want, something they need, something to wear…and something to read. It’s the something to read that does it for me. As a recipient (I […]