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Happy Saint ex-Pat’s Day
Posted under Creative Commons (Public Domain) licence. St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, but before you take that first sip of Guinness or tuck into your corned beef and cabbage, consider this: the...
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The Easter Bunny always knows where you live
Yesterday I slipped two Lindt chocolate bunnies into my shopping basket and thought of how much Easter has changed now that my girls are teenagers. The first casualty was the early-morning Easter egg...
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The curse of the comfort zone
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for? Robert Browning When I wear my favourite sweat pants, I feel like I’m encased in a fleecy womb: safe and cozy and warm. They’re so...
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I’ll have a cup of I Was An Expat Wife
Remember a few weeks ago when I posted a shot of my wacky wordle? Now it’s been immortalized in cheap, Made in China porcelain. Very chic, no?
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Road trip: Niagara Falls
When Elder Daughter turned 18 last week, I wanted to do something a little offbeat to honour my quirky adult-child. So instead of getting matching mani-pedis or having a posh Afternoon Tea, we got our...
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U-Curve? Maybe not
The U-curve is a hypothesis proposed by Norwegian sociologist Sverre Lysgaard in 1955 to describe the stages of cross-cultural adjustment. He wrote: “Adjustment as a process over time seems to follow a...
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The 3½ stages of life, according to expats
Living overseas is a big deal. As life transitions go, it’s HUGE. So it’s not surprising that expats who have settled into their new domestic situation live thoroughly “in the moment” — even when the...
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In praise of local friends
Living overseas can sometimes be difficult, especially if your host culture is dramatically different from the way things are “back home.” Many new expatriate spouses feel overwhelmed and disoriented...
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Sometimes it’s the guy who trails
A hundred years ago, expatriate roles were clearly defined: the husband moved to a foreign country to advance his career, and the wife “trailed” behind the husband. Despite a substantial shift in the...
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Battling re-entry shock
Your move overseas probably came with a generous helping of culture shock as you tried to come to terms with your new environment. Fortunately, the intensity of culture shock can be lessened by...
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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
I woke up late this morning after a busy night (dog, chocolates, vomiting — long story) and discovered that at some point over the past few hours, nominations were announced for the Academy Awards....
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Why being a Third Culture Kid sucks (sometimes)
An international lifestyle involves a balancing act between gains and losses. While Third Culture Kids reap the benefits of expat life — including exotic travel, linguistic competence, and cultural...
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The illusion of the “similar culture”
The weirdest thing about moving to France was the culture shock. Not the fact that it existed — I was prepared for that. No, what floored me was how intense it was, especially in comparison to my...
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Easter for expats
Do you ever feel like you’re living on a roller coaster? When I was an expat I careened from exhilarating highs to disheartening lows — sometimes in the same day. And especially around the holidays,...
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Bringing home the TCKs
Photo: iStockphoto.com/ivanushka Third Culture Kids are resilient creatures, but like adults, many find the move back to their passport country especially difficult. As parents, it’s our job to help...
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7 tips on surviving home leave
It’s almost that time again: the start of the annual expat migration back home. Some of you will be going home to stay… but we’ll talk about that another day. Today I’d like to focus on home leave...
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An expat teacher’s story
How was your summer? Mine was spent housetraining my new puppy Max, cleaning up puppy puddles, taking shoes out of Max’s mouth, keeping the two dogs from killing each other, and wondering what the hell...
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