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!... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
The best and worst of Shanghai–making friends and saying goodbye
This post originally appeared on Shanghai Mamas. You can find the article here: http://shanghaimamas.org/the-best-and-worst-of-shanghai-making-friends-saying-goodbye/ 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... Continue Reading →
Highlights from our travels in Asia
As our time as expats winds down, I can't help but think of all our adventures throughout Asia during our three years here. Below are some of my favorite shots from some of the coolest sites we saw. I will have a "best of" post coming soon, with details of our favorites places to take... Continue Reading →
Perception vs. Reality
There are so many ways that living abroad is universal regardless of your location or home country. It takes a while to assimilate into any a new place and learn a new language, but some places are just naturally magnets for expats like Shanghai. As a foreigner here, you are in good company with several... Continue Reading →
Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind. –... Continue Reading →
Can your friendship survive repatriation?
Summer in Shanghai is repatriation time. As the school year ends, families say goodbye to their time abroad, often returning to the same place (and life) they had before. Sometimes people begin new lives in another foreign country, but either way there’s an adjustment for the friends who leave and the friends who stay behind.... Continue Reading →
Being in the here and now
I recently wrote an article for the Shanghai Expat Association (SEA) Courier magazine on what a spouse needs to do to get her family ready to repatriate or move on to the next expat assignment. I spoke with a dozen women who live or recently lived here, which in and of itself was an awesome... Continue Reading →
The not-so-long goodbye
In almost a year of living in Shanghai, only recently did I experience my first true initiation into ex-pat life: a good friend moved back home. I knew it was coming, as she and her husband had alluded to the potential for months. But their final exit came fast, something I know now to be... Continue Reading →
An Ocean Away 