Michelle Garrett

I have a riddle for you: What do you call a potluck in the UK? Answer: Weird. Actually, the proper answer is more like ‘odd’ or ‘different’ or even to the culturally astute, ‘very American.’ In the US a potluck

With the rise of reputable self-publishing systems we have also seen a rise in expat publications: novels, autobiographies, and how-to books are filling the virtual shelves. Our expat lives are often so full of adventure and unique experiences that I

Expat life took me by surprise but it’s only because I wasn’t paying attention. It was probably an obvious destination all along. Some people are expats because they fell in love with a person from another country and followed them

The British Museum, grand home of many national (and international) treasures, hosted the lecture for the London Review of Books on 4 February 2013. People waited expectantly for Hilary Mantel to begin her lecture, titled Royal Bodies, because the subject

This is not supposed to be a political post. I’m just confused trying to reconcile the country I see in my mind with the country I see in the media. As an American living outside the States I am occasionally

My search for a traditional, fairy tale holiday season started when I was very young growing up in Minnesota. I learned what traditional holidays were from TV, of course. I watched the usual American holiday favourites such as Frosty the

Not everyone loves living overseas and even people who do will still find a few difficulties from time to time. These are the top 5 things I found most difficult: 1. Understanding that his friends are not necessarily my friends

Sometimes when you’re an expat you want to blame whatever trouble it is you’re having on your expat life. And sometimes it is indeed the case that being an expat may be the cause of or at least an influence

I’ve just said goodbye to my parents who have been with me for a month. I love that they stay a month—now that they’re retired they can do that and it makes the visit so much easier, almost like they’re

I recently had a conversation with Toni Hargis, another Expat Focus columnist, about the lonely position we sometimes find ourselves in as expats. I’m not lonely because I’m the only American in the area, and I’m not lonely because I’m