• The Best Things To Do in Winter in Ukraine

    Dark, freezing, dismal — these might be the words some people associate with Eastern European winter, and on one hand they’re not wrong. It can be all those things. But it can also be breath-taking(ly beautiful), exciting,…

  • 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,…

  • One of the top things to do in Ukraine is visit the Tunnel of Love. This leafy railroad track is not easy to get to, but it's a fun little mini adventure!

    Things to Do in Western Ukraine

    For a country that’s about the same size as Texas, Ukraine is constantly surprising me with the depth of adventure it offers. In over two years of living here, my ‘to do’ list has grown, not shrunk,…

  • Kyiv Cocktail Delivery in 2020

    I miss going out for a drink. I miss watching cocktails get made and pretending like I know anything at all about drinks. I miss my bartenders. With the COVID quarantine, bars in Kyiv have been shut…

  • Alternative Places to Learn Russian

    After my long rant about why people should stop asking about learning Russian in Kyiv and instead just make their plans to go to the Motherland, you might find it odd that I’m encouraging you to think…

  • The Only Thing I’ve Learned This Year

    It’s my expat anniversary! Three years ago, I boarded a plane headed for Tokyo, where I’d spend a night before going on to Singapore. I don’t remember which airline I flew, though it was definitely not United…

  • 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…