I think, at heart, I am Icelandic. Because in Iceland, on Christmas Eve, books are exchanged and everyone snuggles up to read and eat chocolates. Sounds like bliss, right? There is no gift that makes me happier than a book. To give books, to receive books. And shopping for books is pure pleasure; a book […]
expat
Expat Long Distance Relationship: Tips on Going the Distance
I’m in an expat long distance relationship. With my husband. He is in Paris during the week and home in Germany with me, the kids and the dog at the weekend. So part-time long-distance. Of course, this was never in our plan – but as we all know, our expat plans rarely ever go to […]
Castles in Germany – Schloss Neuschwanstein, a Fairytale Castle
There are so many amazing castles in Germany. But Schloss Neuschwanstein is the one I really wanted to visit. A Fairytale Castle A fairytale castle. That really is the best description for Schloss Neuschwanstein. Perched dramatically amidst the spectacular Bavarian mountains it is famous as the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle. It also featured […]
Making Changes? Make Sure You Find Your Cheerleaders
It’s a year since I set up ‘Making Here Home’ and started writing this blog. But making changes is never easy; there was a full year before that where I just thought about it, but was too scared to try. What happened between that first year of thinking and worrying and the second of doing? […]
When Your Expat Plan Doesn’t Go To Plan…
Just when everything starts to feel right, everything changes again. Sound familiar? Yep, another move is on the cards. This was not in the plan. The *plan* was to do 3-4 years in Bangkok and then move back to England. Well, that plan didn’t happen. I worried about a lot of things before we moved […]
Expat Resources
When we moved the first time the word ‘expat’ was new to me. I didn’t even think about whether there would be expat resources available. I read one book – from the relocation company – about all the reasons expat assignments fail. Basically it’s because of the TRAILING SPOUSE…yep, another term I wasn’t really familiar […]
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Last Night a Book Club Saved My Life…
Book clubs. So much has been written about book clubs – the rise of bookclubs, the fall of bookclubs. There are books about book clubs and even a film about them. A million memes about book clubs…which are largely related to the amount of wine consumed at book clubs. So, I know, another article about […]
Crazy Days of Summer
Ah, the triumph of hope over experience. Every year I think it will be different, every year it’s the same. It’s the last few weeks of the school year. When time goes on warp speed and EVERYTHING gets crammed into these last precious days. Right now I can’t keep track of what’s going on, who […]
Moving on? Here are some thoughts for the leavers…
It’s that time of year again when our heterogenous expat community can be grouped into two distinct tribes: the leavers and the stayers. And for those moving on, it’s a busy, emotional and often stressful time. This year, I am happy to report that I am a stayer. But the downside of that is having to say […]
Expert Tips on Making Your Expat House Feel Like Home
A big part of any relocation is getting settled in your new expat house. But often this means a furnished flat, full of things you haven’t chosen. Or a house where none of the things you have shipped seem to quite work. So what can you do to make your expat house feel like home? And how […]