After graduating university, my plan was to move to Medellín, Colombia.
First, though, I wanted to spend a few months in Panama where my then-boyfriend Harry was living and would continue to be based most of the time.
Sadly for me, fresh out of art school, Panama didn’t present much of an art scene.
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Places are just like people.
They all have some good in them along with some bad… some embarrassing things they try to downplay in public… and things they proudly wear on their sleeve…
They have good days and bad days.
They can react to a person the same way a person can react to them.Continue reading
Could Royal Baby Archie be the herald of a new dawn for Americans overseas?
I’ve been following his story with rapt interest…
As Harry and I get ever closer to starting a family of our own, the consequences of an American born overseas who may not spend much time Stateside is on my mind… Continue reading
I’ve recently been commiserating with one of our editors-at-large…
She’s also a third-culture kid. Born in Singapore—with British and Canadian lineage—she was raised for much of her life in Asia and the Middle East.
Like me, she has few real roots to any one place in this world, which comes with its own set of complications…
She hasn’t had a permanent residence since she graduated college nearly 10 years ago. She’s realizing only now what a serious impediment that is. A kid just out of college has little life administration to attain (what 22-year-old has ever thought about needing to maintain residency anywhere?), so the fact of a permanent address didn’t even occur to her back then.
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Properties shape us more than we know.
Settling into my new apartment here in Paris stirred up memories of all the houses in my life—and how each one shaped my future.
In Maryland, before moving to Ireland, we lived in five different homes, but none were very special to me. What was special was the home I spent much of my childhood in (perhaps more time than in the others combined)… my grandparents’ house. Continue reading
When Harry told his friends and family back in D.C. that he was moving to Paris from Panama, he was shocked to be met with true concern…
“Is it safe over there?”
“Aren’t you worried about terrorism?”
“But I hear about bombings or riots over there every year!”Continue reading
In preparation for our recent move to Paris, my husband Harry and I had a plan.
Because we were already visiting the City of Light for work, or passing through on the way to other destinations, we decided to stop by as frequently as possible—even if it was just overnight.
Half of this strategy was to bring over extra suitcases (stuffed with not-often-needed mementos, books, winter clothing, and other things we didn’t think we’d miss for a few months) and store them here until we could join them.
The other half was to house hunt. Continue reading
As one of the most unassuming countries of Europe today, it’s easy to forget the power trip that Portugal enjoyed for centuries…
I’ve spent so much time in Spanish colonial cities in my life, but I’ve still not been to Brazil. I didn’t make it to Goa while in India either. And, until two weeks ago, I’d never visited the motherland herself.
So, I return from this first trip with a smattering of trivia on the country, her culture, and history. Turns out, modest little Portugal made some pretty astounding impacts that persist to this day…
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Don’t judge a country by its food.
Or, at least, by the first dish you experience.
On my first day in Portugal I feared that the Mediterranean diet wouldn’t be for me. The Portuguese seem to eat nothing but meat… and often in a hardy form.
Picture a lasagna of pork, chorizo, bread, and gravy and you’ve got yourself a Portuguese special.
When I ordered a veal appetizer, out came a bowl heaped with red meat—no additions or adulterations. (My best guess is it could only have been intended for multiple diners.)Continue reading
After almost 12 years away, I’m finally back in France.
But just how long I’ll get to stay this time is anybody’s guess.
You’d be forgiven for calling me a serial expat. But, I was born into it, rather than choosing that path for myself…Continue reading