If I distill my expat existence down to its most basic components, it’s a lot like January. Yep, you heard me right – expat life is like one long January. I’m not talking about weather, some people’s January’s are filled with sunshine and scorching temperatures. I’m referring to the emotional peaks and troughs of the … Read more
Happy New Year! Living in New Zealand meant that I got to see 2013 before most of you, and it certainly started off on a good foot in my part of the world. I’ll be honest, making and keeping New Year’s resolutions has not always been one of my favourite things. However, moving to a … Read more
Our Islands are in trouble, following the latest political upheaval. It seems likely that our most charismatic politician, our recently dismissed Premier, will now push for independence from Britain. He will have his work cut out for him, because all our voters know that our prosperity might not survive the change; but quite a few … Read more
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 Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life and admired the snow-covered … Read more
I like the colour red. I thought about the significance of that colour as I gave my latest book, ‘Two Old Fools on a Camel’, which describes our year in the Bahrain, a final check before publishing. We’ve enjoyed eight Christmases in El Hoyo, our village in the Spanish mountains, and one in the Middle … Read more
My Expat Adventure Began, not with a Bang but with a Whimper Leaving the USAAfter years of planning, months of selling off our possessions and weeks of camping out at a friend’s house while we made ours welcoming for a tenant, our Panama adventure was finally underway. The plan was for me to go on … Read more
As an expectant expat, there’s a lot of thought required when choosing baby names. If you speak the language, but with a “foreign” sounding accent, chances are, the way you pronounce your kids’ names will be a little foreign too. When thinking of names for my three offspring, a handful of possibilities were immediately off … Read more
Sawadika! Checking in from the land of smiley, happy faces….One of the undeniably pleasant perks of being an expat in Asia, coupled with having a husband in hotels, is the opportunity to fly to idyllic destinations like Phuket in just a few short hours and revel in 5-star luxury. I get it… I’m lucky! Very! … Read more
Silence swept through the anxious crowd. Sweaty fans stopped pushing for a moment and erupted in cheers. Toluca had scored in the final shot. Loud soccer chants began, along with hugging and jumping. Beer, red t-shirts and baseball hats flew through the air. We were watching the soccer match in the alameda – the shady … Read more
Early December rolls around and the enormity of both holiday expectations and the accompanying to-do list descends like the darkness shortening our winter days. Christmas is right around the corner: presents must be purchased in person and online, even made by hand, if you’re a far more talented and craftier type than me. Celebratory menus … Read more