• Kyiv Expat Life: April 2020 Round Up

    Canceled plans. That was the theme of April in Kyiv. No more IATEFL Ukraine, where I was going to get listed on the same program as Scott Thornbury. Goodbye to that long-awaited visit to Minsk. So much…

  • Kyiv Expat Life: March 2020 Round Up

    March came at us fast – and not easily. At the beginning of the month, I felt like I was finally getting back into the swing of things, emerging from Ukrainian winter hibernation, exploring the city on…

  • Kyiv Expat Life: February 2020 Round Up

    Just by looking at this blog, someone could assume my life only involves epic train trips, road tripping through Eastern Europe, and an exorbitant number of cocktails. However, only one of those things is true. As my…

  • Two Years of Expat Life, Three Lessons Learned

    Today is my two year anniversary of getting on a plane and flying over Canada to Tokyo, where I’d spend a brief, adrenaline-pumped fourteen hours before continuing on to Singapore. It was the start of my expat…

  • 27 Lessons from a 5 Year Expat

    Five years an expat! A milestone, perhaps. The sapphire anniversary. A longer commitment than any job, city, or relationship has ever gotten out of me. And yet it feels…. Normal. Perhaps that’s what I should have expected,…

  • Lessons Learned from 4 Years as an Expat

    Well, that was a strange year. I’m a month late three months late on my yearly recap of expat life, my annual celebration of crafting the life abroad that I wanted. I love doing this reflection, skimming…

  • My Lost Year as a Moscow Expat

    I think a lot about the ‘right way’ to be an expat. If I were to construct the picture of a ‘good expat,’ they would be someone who speaks the language, has relationships with local businesses, gets…

  • How to Choose Your Next Expat Home

    The snow pants were presenting a problem. As was my Little Red Riding Hood pea coat, my cozy and fluffy sweater shawl, and my snow boots. Leaving Kyiv and moving to Tbilisi in the middle of winter meant…

  • Please, DON’T Teach English to Travel

    US and British citizens, this is mostly for you. I know that you’re bored at home, you’re looking for adventure, and you’re trying to figure out how to use the skills you already have to ditch your…