Three British, one Swede,
two French, three Americans.
two French, three Americans.
All bloggers.
Santiago, London, Moscow, Paris,
Washington, Bishkek, Karlsruhe, Copenhagen.
Two aspects; the good & the bad.
One life; the expat life.
Solli, Swede expat in Copenhagen, Denmark
The good: I love the fact that it's easy to find organic food, both in the regular super markets but also on the outdoor markets. Another thing I appreciate very much is that the cycling infrastructure is so well built that I can take my bike everywhere!
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Credit: Solli, Paris, Copenhagen and my life in between |
The bad: Copenhagen is a charming city that I love and among the very few things that bothers me here is that the summers tend to be quite rainy. Not rainy for a short while, I mean rainy from morning till evening, which is a pity because it's the perfect period of the year to discover this city even more.
Lindsey, American expat in Paris, France
The good: The sense of self-discovery expat-life encourages and even stimulates and the agility to adapt to a new life, culture and, in some cases, way of thinking. Life in France has not only opened up doors to opportunities that I may not have been exposed to otherwise but helped me become a more well-rounded and culturally informed thinker. It's a perpetual adventure - whether I'm navigating everyday life in Paris or exploring parts of Europe I've only read about - and that never stops feeling exciting. Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable also emerges from the experience which I think makes us more understanding and accepting people.
A Lady in London
The good: The best thing about being an expat in London is that you never feel like a foreigner. The city is so international and diverse that people from all over the world feel at home here.
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Credit: Julie, A Lady in London |
The bad: The worst thing about being an expat in London is getting set up when you move here. Basic things like opening a bank account, getting a mobile phone contract, and renting a flat take much longer than they do back home.
Muriel, French Expat in London, UK
The good: I love everything about London. There is always something to do. I especially like the fact that I feel less judged over here. I trained as an Engineer in France and decided to become a lawyer when we came to London. In my home country, nobody understood my choice. In London, thanks to my dual training I had a lot more job offers!
The bad: I have to think hard about this one, because I like it so much in London that I eventually decided to become British. OK, maybe the most difficult part is the cost of living in London: everything is very expensive, and I found out what expensive meant when we moved here!
Tamsin, British expat in Santiago, Chile
The good: I love the warmth of the Chilean people, the local fresh
produce (avocados here are just divine) the beautiful weather, mountain views
and the amazing friends I've made over the last five years! It's been an
amazing journey.
The bad: I miss my family more than anything and find it very difficult
to be far from them. Going back to visit is expensive and a huge hassle with
two toddlers in tow. And I hate the smog here in winter, it's unbearable!
The good: Meeting new people from all walks of life; seeing things in the USA and saying 'it's just like in the movies' (because it is); taking new opportunities and creating a wider and different perspective on life; being shocked and surprised about, and acknowledging, the cultural differences between the UK and the USA; enjoying the warmer climate and feeling a little bit like I'm on my holibobs a lot of the time; and spouting forth British colloquialisms so that my American friends don't quite understand what I am saying, because this amuses me greatly.
Credit: Claire, Desperate English Housewive |
The bad: Wanting to try all the new foods and then trying to lose the ten pounds that come with that; trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup at all costs; attempting to understand the healthcare system; always wrinkling my brow at the US obsession with hygiene; not being able to have a glass of wine and chat with my best friends at 9pm at night because of the time difference; wondering all the time if we made the right decision with my son's schooling; and having great experiences and then having massive guilt issues about that when things aren't so good for friends and family back in the UK.
Alex, American expat in Karlsruhe, Germany
The good: The people I met
abroad that have opened my eyes to
new ideas, experiences, and most importantly become my family. Also, things
that come easy in the United States are daily challenges for me in Germany
- character building at its finest.
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Credit: Alex, ifs ands & butts |
The bad: Missing important events in the lives of your friends
and family at home. When something exciting happens, I want to be there to
witness their smile more than anything. Related: the price of a plane ticket home.
The good: Taking the decision to become a first-time in
expat in your 40's pushes you firmly out of your comfort zone, whilst taking
the decision to become a first time expat in your 40's in Moscow puts you so
far outside your comfort zone you forget you ever had one. Despite how
that sounds, this is a good
thing; the little annoyances that can form a part of your daily landscape 'back
home' are revealed as just that - little - and it makes you realise that life is not about 'stuff' but about opening yourself up to
new experiences and to different points of view.
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Credit: Clare, The Potty Diaries |
The bad: There's no getting away from it; 6 months of winter
stinks. Crisp blue skies, pristine white snow, and walking through clouds
of glitter on days of -15degC can all be glorious, but cold is cold. And
Russian grammar is, I'm afraid to say, a bit of a bxtch...
Alex, French expat in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
The good: I love so many things about being an expat. Among my
favorites are: feeling like every day is an adventure, learning a new language,
getting lost in translation, adapting to a new culture (especially as a
manager), making amazing friends from all around the world, partying with a
group of 15 people coming from 10 different countries… If I am being totally
honest, when living in a developing country, it is also great to be able to
afford a lot more things than in Europe, even after having given up a corporate
job for one in social business.
Credit: Alex, Checking out Landlocked Sushi |
The bad: Not being able to take a proper shower during 3 days
because the neighbors are watering their plants (!!!). Missing things like
basil, balsamic vinegar, croissants… and friends and family. But to tell you
the truth, I have experienced the ugly before… It is when it all ends and you
go back to your country, where many things seem somewhat dull. So far, I have
always found it easier to adapt to a foreign country than
readapting to my own.
More Episodes
Gosh, what very glamorous photos, ladies!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to read everyone's thoughts.
Thanks for this post, Alexia! I love this series!
ReplyDeleteNice to have your expat input, Muriel :)
DeleteThank you for contributing!
A great roundup - could not agree with them more. Expat life can be hard but is also highly addicting!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, it's addicting & exciting.
DeleteThese are all wonderful details to read about other people's expat experience! Thank you for sharing them all!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see the variations from country to country. Thank you for your comment!
DeleteThe worst part of my expat life is missing family & friends and, I agree with Lindsey, taxes in France are so not expat-friendly :(
ReplyDeleteTaxes in the UK are not expat-friendly either :(
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