At long last, Alicia is back! She's recovered from her whirlwind trip back to Indonesia, and her return inspired today's episode about moving overseas for the first time. In this episode, we discussed how we prepared when we first moved overseas, how we handled (and still handle) those wretched goodbyes, and what helped us when we landed in a new country and culture.
Read MoreSo, you’re going to do it.
You’re moving to a country that’s foreign to you, with a language you don’t understand, a climate that you’re not used to, and a whole lot of people you don’t know.
You’ve got your reasons, and I’m sure they’re tremendous. You’ve got your plans and your goals, and maybe you’ve even got a calling. Those are all good things, so as someone who’s lived abroad longer than some (and shorter than others), I’d like to welcome you and say CONGRATULATIONS!
In addition to a hearty welcome, I’d also like to offer some musings for the move. Here are some concepts and resources that have been a deep well of help for me, and many others too.
Read MoreOur journey to living abroad has been marked by "last times" and living like nomads. Like many who embark on new lives across an ocean, we experienced a last Christmas, a last set of seasons at home, a last time for certain experiences, and the list goes on. When we sold our home in the foothills of the Cascades with a view of Mt. Rainier, we lived temporarily with family for three weeks before we drove across the United States to spend a year in Texas. After a week of hard work, we put our condo on the market. I took a photo, wrote a caption, and claimed a hashtag so I could look back on the defining moment for years to come (#goodbyeklahaniehome). We then spent two weeks celebrating Christmas as we knew it before we said goodbye to the place where my husband and I had grown up and where we started a family. Now, we were leaving this place.
Read MoreWhen we moved overseas, I had the unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start over with my home decor, and I didn't want to squander it. I had a vision for a home that would help us breathe, make others feel welcome, and inspire me to do more of what I wanted and needed to do -- like be creative and hospitable, rather than stare at my phone, procrastinate, and mope. My goal was to strike a balance between minimal, for sanity’s sake, and showing off all the stuff I love, for joy and beauty.
Read MoreI don't want to go back.There. It's out now. Free for all of the web-a-world to see. I've been afraid to say it out loud; fearful that admitting it will make me weak, wrong or make it more true.When we sold almost everything seven years ago and moved 10,000 miles away, it was easier. The adventure was before me. What's that old saying? Ignorance is bliss.I had yet to get that call that my grandmother suddenly died in her kitchen, alone. I hadn't missed my brother's medical school graduation. I hadn't missed holding my new nieces and kissing their soft little cheeks. I hadn't missed birthdays, Thanksgivings and Saturday morning cups of coffee with friends.The internet is a beautiful thing. It helps me to stay connected. But it can feel artificial. I'm always watching life of my loved ones unfold on a screen while I am oceans away.I don't long for the perpetual heat. And the people questioning my every move, watching my children like hawks and taking picture of us like they are the paparazzi and we are the Jolie-Pitt clan.
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