Pauline and I have been busy Expating lately. By which I mean, throwing ourselves into life in our adopted country, and letting everything else fall by the wayside. But we do appreciate the way blogging helps us step back and appreciate the life we’ve chosen. So as the New Year approaches, we’re resolving to throw ourselves back into posting new content – possibly with some new features!
Recently, on a walk in the park, I asked Pauline what the hardest part of living abroad is for her. It turned into a podcast style discussion about expat holidays. So we made a recording of it and posted it on my soundcloud page. You can give a listen here. We included a downloadable pdf for second language listeners that want to read along.
Expat walk & talk
To be honest, this was a impromptu discussion about what was hard about being an expat during the holidays, especially around Christmas. Since we’ve been living outside of the US for a while now, both Pauline and I have a lot of experience with homesickness, and dealing with the holidays while living abroad.
Being an expat adds another level to homesickness. You don’t have a set end to your life in the other country, when you’ll get to go home and pick up where you left off. But studying abroad, going on sabbatical or assignment puts you in the same position as far as homesickness goes. Pauline especially has some great suggestions of what you can do before you leave to help keep a sense of home with you no matter where you’re moving.
The New Format
This is our first try at a podcast version of our blog. If you find the format helpful, or any of the expat holiday suggestions helpful, please let us know! If you are planning on living in Taiwan, or in Central America for that matter, let us know what things you have done to bring home a sense of home on the holidays.
