As a long-term expat in the UK, I have learned that the mysteries of tea are much deeper than ‘how do you have yours’ and ‘what’s an Afternoon Tea and when is it supposed to happen.’ From my experience, I would say there are two types of tea ceremony in Britain, the Afternoon Tea and … Read more
I attended BritMums Live, the parent blogging conference this weekend, and as with last year I organized an expat get together on one of the nights. I knew that a handful of the expat bloggers were only in town for this event so I thought it would be nice to get everyone together—selfishly, because I … Read more
I know we’re not really supposed to admit to it, but I also know there are a lot of us expats who prefer living overseas to living in our home country–no matter how much we may go on and on about what we miss from home. An American friend of mine who lived in Germany … Read more
One of the great joys of travel and living in other countries is the food. I love trying new things and I love adding new foods to the menus I prepare at home for my family and friends. Food is a bit like scent, (which I suppose makes sense as much of our ability to … Read more
Did you know that by calling yourself an expat you could be using a politically incorrect term? Or you could be demonstrating your superiority over others? No, neither did I. Like many expats before me I realised that there may be more than one label for my life overseas and I started wondering what the … Read more
Last month I wrote 24 Reasons Why I Love Living in Britain, but the one I left off, and one of the most important and interesting is that I love living in a place where every day I walk through an historical landscape. Two of the areas I have lived in the US are Minnesota … Read more
In my 20+ years of living in the United Kingdom I have been asked ‘Why do you live here?’ many times. The emphasis in the question is on the word ‘here’: Why on earth, if you were going to choose to become an expat would you choose to move to Britain? My recollection is that … Read more
A few days before my first English Christmas, I walked along wet cobbled streets, past the warmly glowing windows of the little honey-grey stone houses built right up to the sidewalk. The faint coal smoke trail lay a trace for my memories forever. Now when I smell coal smoke on a cold night I am … Read more
Some expats like to completely blend in and not draw attention to their differences and I have been one of those expats. However, I have learned to make the most of my American background, because I enjoy how it makes me unique amongst my friends, and sometimes I don’t want to share the uniqueness! There … Read more