Yvonne Ericsson is a Swede who’s been calling Silicon Valley home for the past seven years. Yvonne and her husband Jörgen decided to relocate to Silicon Valley with their two children when Jörgen was offered an expat contract with his then employer Cisco. I have known Yvonne casually for a few years and was curious […]
About a year and a half ago I interviewed Danielle Kim about her upcoming move back to South Korea after having lived in the United States for most of her adult life. Back then we discussed her concerns about moving her children who were in elementary school, and her hopes for reconnecting with family back […]
My oldest daughter is finishing up her last semester of undergrad studies – it’s a busy time of life, and an exciting one. Not only is she taking the last of her classes, she’s also starting the application process for her postgrad programs, with all that that entails of deciphering websites, meeting deadlines, gathering references, […]
There is something particularly sweet about winter break and I am usually a bit down the days before school is about to start again. It always comes as somewhat of a shock that it’s almost over – how can it be, already? I am convinced there must be another week off, that the calendar has […]
There is a familiar year-end frenzy in the air when December rolls around. It’s like flipping a switch to go into overdrive: traffic picks up (as if it wasn’t bad enough already), parking is even scarcer than usual and stores are packed. Work intensifies in an effort to tie up loose ends, and at home […]
When talking about success settling abroad as a family, there is no underestimating the importance of the accompanying partner having real opportunities to pursue career, education and other goals. It’s important not just from a long term career perspective but also in order to settle fully and finding an existence that is more than as […]
I am back in my home country for a visit and I feel a tad overwhelmed. On the one hand I am overjoyed to be with old friends and family, eating favorite foods and visiting favorite places. On the other hand I feel like I have abandoned my family, whom I left in the middle […]
Getting a good grip on your financial situation is one of the most important things you can do in preparation for a move abroad. Usually, this means making a budget based on known income and expenses and then building on that by figuring out how much you want to save, what your possible extra costs […]
It may seem too early to think about the holidays just yet, but for anyone who’s been to a grocery or department store lately, the signs are all around. There is no ignoring it – Halloween candy, Thanksgiving decorations, and Christmas goodies are all competing for our attention on store shelves right now. If the […]
What do you do if your partner or children are having a hard time getting settled in your new location, if they are struggling to the point of not wanting to stay? It’s a common enough problem. As a matter of fact, the inability of loved ones to adjust to the destination country is one […]
Last time I moved was an across-town affair about six months ago and it really shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. After all, it was just across town. But, because this was a downsizing move after having sent two of our three kids to college, there was a lot to sort through and […]
As someone who’s been living far away from home for most of my adult life, I have spent a lot of time thinking about where “home” is and what it is that makes home “home”. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to us at different stages of life and under different life circumstances. […]
