• 6 Tips on How to Prepare Your Kids for Moving Abroad

    From a fellow expat parent, here are my best tips for preparing your little ones to become expat kids! Planning for a family move can be super stressful and feel like an overwhelming list of to-do’s! So when we talk about moving overseas to a foreign country, well that’s just a whole different ballgame guys. Language barriers, cultural differences, and endless paperwork are all-consuming! It’s easy to loose sight of what’s truly important – and that is how to best prepare your kids for their move abroad and transition into becoming expats. No amount of online research can truly equip you or your…

  • Take the Quiz: Should I Move Abroad

    Before Tony, my husband, and I became expats we would sit in front of the TV and watch other families move abroad. Our favorite show was called House Hunters International and featured a different story each episode. You’ve probably heard me talk about this before ha! Sometimes the people moved for work. Others simply for a change in life. But either way, their lives took a major turn and across the borders they headed! We would watch in awe how these people did it. Left all that was familiar to enter a world unknown. And we wondered, could we ever do the same…

  • tips to help anyone learn the basics of catalan

    An Introduction to Barcelona Language (And It’s Not Spanish)

    One of the biggest misconceptions about Barcelona is that Spanish is the primary language. But contrary to popular assumptions, there are several other languages spoken in this country other than Spanish depending on what region you come from. Like many things, we didn’t find this out until after relocating here! Different Languages of Spain In northern Basque region where Bilbao and San Sebastian are, the language is called…Basque. In our home city of Barcelona the first language is Catalan. Cata-who?! Yes Catalan, which comes from the region of Spain known as Catalunya including Barcelona, Girona and stretching as far south as Tarragona. This…

  • 4 Qualities Being An Expat Won’t Change

    It’s inevitable that choosing to uproot your life and move abroad to another country will forever change you. In some ways, such as language development and cultural appreciation, for the better. In other ways, such as gaining some extra pounds indulging in the local cuisine, for the less. But after almost two years living abroad, I can confidently say there are a few qualities about myself personally that are planted in my American New Jersey identity and won’t change. Whether I relocate myself in Barcelona or Brisbane, it’s who I am. And you know what? I’m totally okay with that! Related Article: Why…

  • True or False Barcelona Rumors

    It’s one thing to do your research online when moving to a new place, like I did when our family relocated to Barcelona. But you only really find out what’s rumor or truth until you see and experience for it for yourself! Turns out, lots of rumors about Barcelona aren’t actually true. If you’re lucky enough to visit or live in this incredible city, learn the facts from someone who figured things out the hard way. 7 Rumors and 1 Truth About Barcelona LANGUAGE – Everyone speaks English: FICTION It makes me chuckle when I look back on the advice we received from…