“Just so you know, I think you’re totally insane for wanting to do this.” That was my husband’s reaction as I lay out my plan for my journey back to Canada with our daughters.But let me back up a bit.…
We’re Moving…And it’s a BIG One!
It was only two years ago that we bought our house in France so that we’d have a home-base to go to from Africa that was a bit closer to Congo than Canada was. I’ll never forget my Dad’s reaction,…
Love yourself.
Preface I’ve come to learn that people can take on different personalities when they are operating in another language. This is true for many bilingual people I’ve met, and very true for myself. I’ve spent the last eight years either…
Why 16 Suitcases? My Expat-Life Travelling Dilemma
If you’ve been following along with my Facebook posts, you may have noticed that our family was travelling with 16 suitcases this summer. Actually, most are plastic rubbermaid bins because they hold more. A few people have messaged me over…
Reverse Culture Shock, 3rd Culture Kids, and Other Weird Feelings Expats Have
Have you ever gone on vacation and longed for some of the comforts of home? Your favourite snack? A neighbourhood restaurant? The familiarity of a city? Now imagine if that ‘vacation’ was 5 years long?! When we first left Canada…
A Glimpse Into a School Lunchroom in France
When my husband and I first moved to Paris I spent some time substitute teaching while I figured out what I was going to do with the new life I found myself in. I’ll never forget dreading the fact that…
The Ups and Downs of Expat Life
I love my life abroad; but no matter how great things are now, I’ll never forget that moving to a foreign country was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It wasn’t the country itself that was difficult. As…
The Expat Friendship
Moving to a foreign country on the other side of the world, where you don’t speak the language is a challenge on so many levels that it can be hard to understand the difficulties one faces unless you’ve experienced it…
Why We Need To Love Teachers
I was twenty two years old when I stood in front of the chalkboard, looking out at my very first class. Twenty seven excited and nervous little grade one faces looked back at me, possibly mirroring my own feelings of…
Living In Another Language
“When am I ever going to need this?” That’s was me talking to my Mother in a snarky teenage voice, when she grilled me about my painfully low mark on my report card in Grade 10 French. It was a…