15 years, 7 countries and 3 continents later, I call myself an eternal expat.
The Help: My Unspoken Dilemma of Expat Life
I confess - I have long had a rather complicated relationship with the idea of having help at home. I suppose it can all be traced back to my childhood in Pakistan. Growing up amidst a plethora of house help was the norm, for upper middle-class families such as ours....
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On Expat Superpowers and Getting Out of Tricky Situations Abroad
I looked up at the government officer and could clearly see the confusion on his face. My Pakistani self, didn’t correspond to my American driver’s license or the residence visa in my Italian passport sponsored under my German husband’s name.
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How To Do An African Safari With Young Kids
Despite all the advice of “they’re too young”, a South African safari with our two year old and five year old turned out to be an amazing travel adventure for the whole family!
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“I’ll Send You That Email Tomorrow Inshallah!” Thoughts & Insights from a Muslim Expat Experience
I have never needed to live in a Muslim country, to feel connected to my Muslim identity.
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The Expat Challenge: Managing Dual Careers Abroad
I remember the day like yesterday. I was sitting in our swanky hotel in Singapore, having breakfast. All around me, smartly attired men and women were eating breakfast before going to work. Their suits and ties and laptop bags reminded me of the life I had just said...
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Why I Flew Half Way Around the World to Learn from People I’d Never Met Before – First Impressions from FIGT:
It’s a strange feeling getting on a plane and not knowing what to expect when you land. As expats, this is something we do all the time. Land in a new country and then fumble with a new local currency in our hands. Walk nervously into a café for a coffee meeting to...
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Why Being an Expat is Good for the Soul
The truth is, that I learned how to open myself up to the world at an early age. My parent’s expats adventures in the Middle East and the United States meant that as a child, I was always dreaming of or remembering faraway places. Photo albums full of picnics in...
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Helpful or a Hindrance? Multilingual Parents Raising Multilingual Children
I know what you’re thinking. How could being a multilingual parent, be a hindrance in your quest to raise multilingual children? How could it be anything but beneficial? After all, you are in a unique position to understand your children’s struggles and are in the...
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No Job, New Country, Zero Friends – Why Do I Keep Signing Up For This?”
Each time I move to a new country, I usually spend the first month (or two!) asking myself the same question: “what the @#$#$#% am I doing here?” Friendless, jobless and clueless is usually a pretty succinct description of me at the beginning of each expat stint, no...
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Give Yourself an Expat Pep-Talk
I was standing in the middle of the grocery store, holding my shopping cart, having what could only be described as a nervous breakdown. All because I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember what bread crumbs were called in German. And I couldn’t find them in any...
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Hi, I’m Mariam! When I was 19 years old, I left my home in Karachi, Pakistan to go on an adventure. What started off with just me and one suitcase, has turned into a full-blown expat adventure. Read more about me and my family.
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