The decision to move abroad involves toasts in celebration and tearful goodbyes with loved ones. I recall the day we found about the green light to start our new life in Rome. A whirlwind of planning, prepping, and packing churns with raw emotion. Sharing the decision with friends and family is exciting and tough at … Read more
How do you take a scrupulously honest and fully documented insurance claim for 2000 euros, and pay out 599 euros? No problem if you are the weasels we inherited when we arrived here in 2005. They lied, they prevaricated, they lost the papers, and all the time they promised their best attention at all times.I … Read more
Career change is scary, let alone in a foreign country. There are various challenges, setbacks, unexpected surprises and bumps along the way… and you cannot control most of them. But there are some things that are under your direct responsibility, yet I see so many expats around me make the same mistakes over and over … Read more
In my last post I discussed how Brits in America often play up their British-ness depending on the circumstances. Most of us have received preferential treatment, or at least a flurry of compliments, purely because we’re British, or British sounding. (“It sounds so much more intelligent when you say it”. “You could read the phone … Read more
If this is your first visit to my column, you should know that each month I talk about the previous one, in this case April. If you are a regular follower, Bentornato! April was a great month for us, mainly because we moved to a larger and most beautiful property just down the track from … Read more
Until the 50’s, Puerto Vallarta was a small fishing village along a spectacular bay on the Pacific, modestly popular among Mexicans as a beach resort. Then, in 1963, John Huston filmed “The Night of the Iguana” in Mismaloya, just south of Puerto Vallarta. The film’s star, Richard Burton, was involved with actress Elizabeth Taylor at … Read more
Has anyone ever told you the experiences you stumble over can be your greatest learning opportunities? Or that you will surely look back and laugh about some trials and tribulations that seem tough at the time? Throughout the initial adjustment to expatriate life in Rome, Italy, my family has had our share of flubs, mishaps … Read more
I love hearing people’s stories of how they ended up where they happen to now live. Expat and travel stories are especially interesting, because while they can seem like very random life choices and navigation to an outsider, there always tends to be a clarity and a purpose to how things unfold. So the traditional … Read more
Yellow is my favourite colour. In spring in the Morvan the forsythia, cowslips and primroses are a feast for the eye. On the road to Nevers (more about that anon) we pass huge fields of oilseed rape. It has many uses: as a vegetable, as animal feed, and as oil for lubricating and cooking. Here … Read more
I love social media. Technology is evolving so much and I love how we have platforms, such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Pinterest to connect not only with family and friends, but with people that enjoy the same things that we do. There is no way that things will go back to where they were before, … Read more