I missed so many things from home when I first moved abroad; things that I never even used to think twice about. And despite all the new benefits, including walking to work and having Frankfurt's skyline practically on my doorstep, there was nothing more annoying than not being able to buy the deodorant that I'd... Continue Reading →
I'll never forget how confused I was when, at 14 years old, my German exchange partner asked me "Can I use your handy?" I had no idea what she was on about and I'm pretty sure she thought I was stupid when I couldn't answer her. She even said "But it's an English word!" And... Continue Reading →
There's something special about friends coming to visit you abroad. Catching up in 'real life', rather than through a screen, becomes ever-more appreciated and I love being able to share snippets of my (not so new) life in another city. As well as the hours on end of talking, when my visitor first arrives, and... Continue Reading →
Two of my friends in London (who don't know each other) were recently offered the opportunity to move abroad as part of their career. My friend Jay* was offered a job in her dream country, Taiwan**, a place that she had actually lived before and that she knew she would thoroughly enjoy. My other friend... Continue Reading →
An odd topic to write about, I know. But Germany really wins when it comes to practicality on this one and to be honest, it would be great if the UK would adopt a few of Germany's bathroom norms. The separate taps In Britain, we turn on the taps and quickly move our hands from left... Continue Reading →
When given the choice to move abroad, one of the first things we often ask ourselves is "What about my family?" For many of us, family is one of our top priorities in life. Especially when they begin to extend and there are engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and unfortunately sometimes funerals too. We often feel as though... Continue Reading →
An issue I’ve had as I’ve become more independent during my time abroad (and probably with age) is that enjoying my own company and happily making plans with myself can sometimes mean that I don’t socialise as much as I feel I could. I guess this isn’t the worst problem in the world as I... Continue Reading →
When travelling, I often consider if I would ever want to live in the place I'm holidaying in, and it got me thinking about what makes me answer with either 'yes' or 'no.' I already had a personal connection to Germany before moving here from the UK, but if I wanted to relocate again, then... Continue Reading →
I love living abroad and it's one of the best choices I've ever made but every now and again I get this 'ugh' feeling. This frustration with the abnormalities of living abroad. I asked a few international friends what they sometimes find difficult about living abroad and we pretty much agreed on the same points.... Continue Reading →
It creeps up on you when you least expect it and pushes you out of your depth as you try to comprehend these abnormalities that are actually now normalities. In fact, you're the abnormal one now. Culture shock. Two and half years into my expat journey and as much as I have embraced the German... Continue Reading →
Visiting home for a weekend when you live abroad can be described perfectly in just one word: Busy. Or in my mum's words "friend-speed-dating", which I think is a pretty good explanation. It's go go go and the anxiety is real when I am sitting there trying to work out how I am possibly going... Continue Reading →
Living away from your family can be hard. Whether it's a different city, a different country or a different continent, the thousands of kilometres between us and our families can make them feel very unreachable. Being able to get to your siblings', parents' and grandparents' homes in less than an hour really does seem like... Continue Reading →
As most of us do at this time of year, I have been looking back on the last 12 months. I've been wondering where the time has gone, how the changes have happened so quickly and what's to come for the new year. We plan, think about how far we've come and how much further... Continue Reading →
Request annual leave. Book flights. Book accommodation. Go. This is the usual order in which I plan my holidays. I prefer to use my annual leave for travelling and the odd productive day for when the 48 hour weekend just doesn't suffice. No matter how much you love your 9- 5, it's always nice to... Continue Reading →
Whilst I was more than ready to live alone before moving abroad, I decided to live in a flat share to meet people and make friends. Whilst it wasn't always a smooth experience, moving to a new city that you are not familiar with and where you don't know anyone can be lonely. My original... Continue Reading →
There's no better way to learn a language than from the locals themselves. As someone who has lived in two different countries to improve their languages skills, I've found different locals tend to have different approaches towards your language efforts.. Here's a few of the personalities I've come across: The Understanding Local Us foreign language learners... Continue Reading →
Alisa Jordan Writes 