Category: Observations on Ex-pat life
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Too late for a new start?
It’s obviously a little late in the year to post a “new year, new goals” post, but nothing in 2024 went as planned, so why should 2025 be any different? Let’s take our cue from the lunar new year instead. To be honest, I have been reluctant to commit my goals to paper for fear…
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New beginnings
Every September feels like a fresh start for me as well as for my kids. We’re all turning over a new leaf, putting summer in the rearview mirror and focusing on the push to learn something before the holidays come. As with many (most?) new expats here in Ireland, I’m currently in school too, but…
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London was calling
We just returned from a super successful bank holiday weekend! This was our first bank holiday where we flew to another country, and London did not disappoint. I have been to a lot of countries but somehow, I had never been to England before, so I was as excited as the boys were. We landed…
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Forever friends
In 2016 we moved to Shanghai, my first experience living overseas. I had no idea what to expect – especially when it came to the people we were going to meet. Over our three years in China, we made friends in our apartment building, in our son’s school, in the expat association I joined, but…
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First impressions of Ireland
Today the sun is shining, a gorgeous, mostly blue-sky day. The leaves are on the trees and spring feels like a real season here in Dublin. Weather on the surface seems like a secondary concern for any given place, but at times it can feel like the most important thing in the whole wide world.…
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The first months back
Well, it’s been five months since we repatriated back to the US. For so long all I thought about was what life would look like when we returned, both professionally and personally. I felt so ready for the change, but I think I forgot to properly prepare everyone else for the up and down emotions!…
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Time of my life
I’ve been trying for weeks to put into words how I feel about leaving SH. It’s been two months of goodbyes, last time at this restaurant or last date night or last friend coffee, and I have to say I am exhausted by it all. We have had some truly memorable moments over the past…
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The language of fun
We attended our last SH birthday party over the weekend. As I stood there listening to the Spanish being spoken all around me, it clarified something for me. SH is not just about speaking English or Mandarin. It is not a black and white experience where you interact with either people who speak your native…
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Making friends, saying goodbye
This post originally appeared on Shanghai Mamas. Spring. The dreaded time of year in Shanghai when we tally up all the friends who have just told us they are leaving as soon as school lets out. And every year it seems like a bigger number than the year before. Friendships here are often much more…
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Travel tips for families: part 1
After three and a half years and over 60 flights(!) with kids, we’ve become efficient with our travel process. I wanted to share a few tips I find helpful when flying/traveling with little ones, as well as some places we loved with kids, and some I recommend avoiding until the kids are older. This is…
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Shanghai Mamas blog post: A time for reflection
Below is a piece I wrote for Shanghai Mamas. If you are a mama in Shanghai and haven’t yet joined the Shanghai Mamas tribe, now is your chance! Head on over to their site and check out all the great events they put on and the advice they have for expat moms. We are coming…
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Resolutions: the start of year three
Last week marked the two-year anniversary of our arrival in Shanghai. So much in our lives has changed since that first lonely week in our new home. We returned from a summer in the US and easily settled back into the school/ayi/work/activities life we had carved out for ourselves over the past two years. Everything…
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Abroad in Australia
I started this blog to talk to moms in Shanghai who are in a similar situation as me—away from family and friends, potentially for the first time, and trying to figure out how to make a life for themselves in a totally foreign land. After a year and a half meeting friends from all over…
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The holiday hurry-up
The end of the year always brings with it the anticipation of family holidays, the rush to see friends at holiday parties, and the excitement of opening presents with little ones. As an expat, I feel a need to hurry up and get into the holidays even more than I did when I lived at…
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1 year in
Yesterday was our one-year anniversary of living in Shanghai. I thought it would feel more momentous somehow, and it ended up being just another day. But I think that’s good. I think it means I have finally stopped thinking of myself as someone who just moved here, and instead look at my life here as…
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Saving “mianzi”
When I first moved to Shanghai, I was so excited to be connected with a woman around my age and in my neighborhood who could introduce me to Shanghai. We’ll call her Alexa. Alexa was bubbly, always ready to offer tips on places to buy food, take the kids to play, and where to go…
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Abroad for the second time: what a repeat experience means for a Shanghai ex-pat.
When you live abroad, you encounter people at all different stages of life. This type of lifestyle lends itself to a more adventurous person, and many of people I meet are on their second, third, or even fifth ex-pat assignment. For those with multiple countries under their belt, the prior experiences can really shape what…
An Ocean Away 