Which Barcelona Neighborhood Best Suits Your Family?
When my husband and I found out our family would be relocating to Barcelona, one of the things I was most excited about was finding a home in the best neighborhood. I happen to love the entire process of house hunting! This was our very first experience living abroad and I couldn’t help but fantasize about our dream apartment. An old world-styled space perfectly renovated with modern luxuries but still maintaining that gorgeous Spanish charm. Views of the Barcelona Cathedral, a short walk to the beach and the melodies of street performers outside my window were all things I thought I wanted in…
7 Expat Lessons One Year Later
“What row are we again, hun?” I asked my husband as we stepped onto the airport tarmac leading us towards a United Airlines Boeing 757. “Uhh, I think Row 19…..seats A through E,” my husband responded and laughed as he checked all five of our boarding passes. We were in for a long nine-hour flight. Non-stop service from Newark, New Jersey to Barcelona, Spain. As we found our seats, shoved carry-ons into overheads and got situated I felt a strange and familiar feeling come over me. Deja-vu really does exist! Exactly one year ago (down to the minute!) we were boarding the same flight at…
Best Cures for Expat Homesickness
Since our family’s relocation from America to Spain, certain seasons bring about a slight tinge of…expat homesickness. In the Fall, I long for apple cider, candy corns, roasting marshmallows and the crackle of the fire pit. In the winter, I miss the first gentle snowfall and rosy red noses on my children’s faces. It’s during these times that I think of our old life in New Jersey. Being an expat living in an unfamiliar part of the world will do that to a person! Every expat goes through it at one time or another, usually around their second or third year in a…
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…
5 Pieces of Advice to Future Expats
I like to think that two and a half years of living abroad in Barcelona has equipped me to offer some insight and advice to those looking to move abroad and become future expats. If living abroad has taught me one thing, it’s that living abroad isn’t so…uncommon! I used to think it was – picking up your whole life and venturing to a world unknown. But actually, it seems like every day I meet a new face here from a different part of the globe. People from all different cultures and backgrounds with rich stories to match and offering great pieces of…
5 Ways to Thrive as a Trailing Expat Spouse
Learning how to take control of your own life while living abroad and thriving as an expat spouse. When I first heard the term “trailing spouse” I kind of laughed. It reminded me of the “ball and chain” reference old married couples use. Kind of like watching a three-legged race where one person is being pulled slightly behind. But as it relates to expats, the trailing spouse actually takes on a much more significant meaning. Yay for us! So What’s a Trailing Spouse? Basically, it’s the husband or wife of their expat spouse that relocates abroad for their significant other’s job. In this…
Must Reads if You’ve Ever Dreamt About Moving Abroad…
I’ve always been a bit of a “personal development” junkie. My parents are entrepreneurs and from an early age instilled a “go for your dreams” mentality in me. Real Tony Robbins stuff that I kind of live for! In my 20s, I read books like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I like to think these authors gave me the confidence to try new things and the drive to keep growing. After two years of living abroad in Spain, I realize the important role these books and many others played in…
The Truth About Being an Expat with Three Kids
On an afternoon in early November, my husband and I stood face to face slightly shivering from both nerves and from the autumn chill in the air. Friends and family joined us, but for that moment it seemed Tony and I were the only ones there. Bright-eyed and giddy, a few less wrinkles back then for me, a bit more hair for him. As we read our vows to one another, our promises for what life together would look like, there were tears through smiles. I read aloud my dreams of starting a family together….. putting an extra emphasis on having “many children”…..and received…
