Expat Life Blog
Stories from the Borderland
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Sour Coffee and the Ghost of a Memory
In a café, I observe the barista meticulously preparing two espressos, showcasing surgical precision. This routine, reminiscent of cherished memories, highlights the emotional connection people have to familiar practices, even when it comes with a sour taste.
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Colorado’s Long Winter: Moving the Frozen Lakes Within
Having grown up on the eastern Ligurian coast, snow was once synonymous with day trips and ski holidays—a foreign, ethereal element. Now it mirrors the quiet reset of the expatriate experience: a temporary suspension where the old world is muffled, and the new one hasn’t quite revealed its path.
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The Befana Makes a Stop in the Rocky Mountains
On a crescent moon night, Befana, the ancient Italian figure, observes the frantic pace of the human race. What if, instead of rushing, we embraced transformation, recognizing that past struggles fuel new beginnings?
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The Most Devastating Fire in Colorado: Regrounding
On December 30, 2021, a fire threat prompted an evacuation, forcing many families, and mine with them, to confront the fragility of their life in Colorado. After five days of displacement, we returned to a changed community.
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Christmas Blues and New Traditions
Being far away is a privilege that comes with a price. But the ultimate meaning of the holidays is the transformation and the connection.
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High School: Warriors of the Tablet
As my son embarks on his high school journey, I grapple with the unfamiliar educational landscape in America. The extensive choices and cultural exhaustion highlight the challenges of parenting as an expat. Instead of adopting combative school mascots, I envision fostering curiosity and resilience, focusing on exploration over competition.
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The Intoxicating World of Public Libraries
The library serves as a vital resource and community hub for immigrants, offering diverse literature and programs for families. It fosters a sense of belonging while illuminating the stark realities of homelessness and wealth disparity.
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When You Can’t Say Thank You
As expat women, we pride ourselves on our Expat Resilience. We moved our lives across borders, navigated new bureaucracies, and built new networks from scratch. When you’ve achieved your success through “the sweat of your own labor,” a deep reluctance to express gratitude can set in.
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Turkey Day: Between Thanksgiving and History
Moving abroad often presents an idealized version of home, especially during Thanksgiving. However, as expats, it’s crucial to recognize the complicated history behind the holiday, marked by both joy and sorrow. Acknowledging these dualities fosters deeper gratitude and understanding, encouraging a more nuanced appreciation of cultural traditions.
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Roosevelt’s Arena and Carbonara
Every time we stumble through a sentence in a new language, misinterpret a social cue and feel that flash of shame, or navigate a complex bureaucracy that makes us feel small…we are in the arena.
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The Rec Center: A Gym for Socializing
The sky is still dark, and the air is crisp, but I’m heading toward more than just a workout. In a country where I am still learning the nuances of ‘how things are done,’ the Rec Center is the one place where I don’t feel like an outsider.
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Halloween and the wisdom of the In-Between
A reflection on Halloween, the joy of dismantling decorations while keeping special trinkets, the tradition of trick-or-treating and how this all leads to thoughts on adolescence and the expat experience of balancing cultural identities.
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East Wind
‘What brought you here?’ is the question I have been asked more often as an expat. In this post I talk about winds and family memories of weather changes, dual identity, and feeling rooted yet always nostalgic for my homeland, a land of borders and rich history.
Expat Life Blog Stories from the Borderland
New Moon Coaching for Expat Women 