I don’t have all the answers, but I’m asking a lot of questions!
My Nationalities. Being asked 'Where are you from?' terrifies me!
Countries I've Called 'Home' (UK, South Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, The Netherlands)
%
% Of Time Spent Wondering: 'What does that mean?' 'Where am I?' 'What did I just eat?' 'What the **** am I doing here?'
%
Gratitude.
Identity; raising global children; the pitfalls of giving up your career to move abroad (as well as the benefits); making and losing friends; repatriation, and many more.
I also love to write about our travels and I usually do so in long-form storytelling.
I was born in the UK to a South African mother and a Dutch father and moved to South Africa when I was 11. I have British, South African and Dutch nationalities.
I left everything familiar behind to begin a new life where everything was strange and foreign.
So am I British? Sometimes. Am I South African? Probably. Am I Dutch? Technically.
15 years, 4 countries, 3 kids and 1 cat later we’re still on the move!
Honestly, this expat life has not come easily to me. I’m not good with change, but I do love an adventure! But gradually I’ve become used to the constant state of flux, the perpetual feeling of being different, and now I can’t imagine living any other way!
Expats are often given a bad rap: we’re privileged, entitled, out of touch with reality. But actually, the reality of expat life is far removed from those awful clichΓ©s.
Everyone who leaves their home to make a life in a foreign country (permanently or temporarily) faces similar issues:
A loss of identity, difficulty understanding and adapting to the host culture, a feeling of displacement. We worry about disrupting our children and how constantly moving during their formative years will affect how they form lasting attachments as adults.
I write about these issues as a way to bring my own perspective of stillness to the constant movement in my life.