Happy October everyone! I’m going to try something new this month. I’m being inspired by The Nester’s annual “31 day” tradition and am going to attempt to blog every day during October on just one topic.
I’ve lived seven of the last ten years living outside my home country of the UK. I grew up never moving house after the time I could remember (my parents moved into the house they still live in when I was two) and I had an idyllic childhood growing up in one small Oxfordshire village, knowing the names of everyone in the village, knowing their lives and their news, buying penny sweets in the village shop and exploring every lane, every stream, every field with my friends.
But I had an itch to explore. I inherited my love of maps from my dad and I’d plan out my trips in his big Times atlas. I’d devour the Travel section of the weekend paper. I read every biography or novel of foreign countries I could get my hands on. I read the NGO magazines my parents were sent from cover to cover.
My mum likes to tell people, this one, she was born with wings.
And so, at eighteen, I left home. In the last ten years I’ve lived in South Africa, in Scotland, in California, in Belgium. And now I’m ten months into life here in Luxembourg.
I’ve learnt so much as an expat. It’s a very different experience to live somewhere than to just travel there. I love to travel and explore new places. But living? Finding a flat, buying groceries, paying bills, making friends? This is a whole other adventure.
It’s a life I love, but it’s not without its challenges and it’s frustrations. So this month I’m going to explore both the joys and the hardships of expat life. And hopefully inspire you to try it or give you a few tips if you’re living it now.
I’d love to hear from you at the start of my 31 days to embrace expat life: What stops you from living overseas? Or if you’re an expat (or have been), what was the biggest surprise of expat life?
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I’m so excited for this series!
I grew up in Germany (my parents were missionaries) and reading your post made me so nostalgic for Europe, for doing everyday things in a different language. I’ve lived in my “home” country, Canada, for the last 9 years now, but every time we move cities I realize I still feel like an ex-pat, never quite at home, never totally belonging. Like you said, joys and challenges.
Oh the going home – that conversation I think would take another thirty one posts to cover
So glad you’re here! Which part of Germany did you live in?
I lived in the Black Forest (beautiful beautiful countryside!) in a teeny town called Kandern, with the closest bigger city being Lorrach and the closest large city after that Basel, Switzerland.
Hi Fiona! As a fellow expat, I’m looking forward to following your blog over the next 31 days. =)
Thanks Emily!
I’m so excited to read your blog posts over the next 31 days! Sounds like you have had some amazing experiences. My husband as lived in a lot of different countries growing up. I long to try a new one but can’t convince him it is a good idea yet. Love that you are exploring all this world has to offer.
It’s been an adventure for sure! Maybe we can find the key to convincing him to try it again together
As I settle into my new home in Madrid (I’m a Candian who has recently married a Spaniard, lived the last year in London, the one before that near Frankfurt, and the one before that in Madrid), I very much look forward to this series! I’m hoping to get past the “tourist” feeling and really sink into life here.
Luxembourg is on our trip wish list, so I’m looking forward to hearing about it.
Wow! You have quite the expat life too. I’d love to hear more about it! Frankfurt is only just down the road from us so if you’re ever back visiting old friends it’s the perfect easy add on…
I think the difference of living in another country for say three years versus living in another country with the expectation of it being permanent was what has surprised me the most with this last international move. I hadn’t realized it would feel so different.
Looking forward to this series!
The biggest surprise of ex-pat life? Not so much the changes in life while living abroad. The coming-back-to-live-in-your-home-country – causing re-entry shock. Thát is something I didn’t expect. It took me one and a half years to settle back into my home country after living most of the 16 years previously abroad. But, I am not done with the ex-pat or mission life!
Looking forward to your series!
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