Awhile back I crossed paths with a woman by the name of Jill Chandler. She wrote a piece on a blog that spoke to me so much, that I ended up writing about her myself. What Jill had to say was like…
Who Run The World? (Expat) Girls!
*Ping* A message comes through on my phone, and without even checking to see who it is, I can pretty much narrow down who has sent it. My friends here in Indonesia were all accounted for, everyone in Canada was…
The Most Confusing Question to Ask An Expat
“Where are you from?” “France!” My four year old pipes up, pronouncing the country’s name as only a French person does. My husband and I exchange a quick smirk as we sit with our legs dangling in the hotel’s pool.…
Spilling the Beans on My New Expat Life!
I can’t relate. That was exactly what the voice inside my head was saying as one of my expat friends was talking about her life in Africa. What she was explaining was so far from the reality of my life…
Reverse Culture Shock, 3rd Culture Kids, and Other Weird Feelings Expats Have
Have you ever gone on vacation and longed for some of the comforts of home? Your favourite snack? A neighbourhood restaurant? The familiarity of a city? Now imagine if that ‘vacation’ was 5 years long?! When we first left Canada…
15 Things I’ve Learned From Living in France
You spell Champagne with a capital C. If it’s not from Champagne, it’s sparkling wine. After dinner, cheese comes before dessert. It’s easier to walk on cobblestone in a wedge than it is in heels. Cheese, bread and cured meats…
The Expat Sisterhood!
It was a hot and sunny Friday evening and we were two glasses of Champagne in, when my expat-bestie reached for the bottle to top us up. “Just sleep over.” She said with a smile as she went to refill…
Raising Kids in Europe: It Really Does Take a Village
Raising my kids in France means that I’m not exposed to many parenting styles from back home. I know what my extended family does with their kids, and I remember what it was like when I was growing up; but…
Moving: The Tough Part of Being an Expat
Expats often get a reputation for having a pretty cushy gig. And for the most part, I can’t disagree. My life has had a lot of ‘ups’ over the past several years. But it didn’t get that way without a…
The Ups and Downs of Expat Life
I love my life abroad; but no matter how great things are now, I’ll never forget that moving to a foreign country was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It wasn’t the country itself that was difficult. As…