“I think you travel to search and you come back home to find yourself there.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie-Nigerian author There are people “naturally born” to live abroad, and then there are some who cannot even begin to imagine a life somewhere other than in their home country. Of course, a simplistic categorisation such as this one […]
Prawns in a gutter
14/07/2015 by Leave a Comment
If you visit Norway during the summer, you’ll discover that Norwegians love to eat prawns, to the point where we regularly host prawn parties. We like to serve them simply with butter, mayo and lemon, on a piece of white bread. And peeling is part of the fun! So when I recently hosted a «Norwegian» garden party […]
Time for a change: Look Therapy
30/06/2015 by Leave a Comment
Change is a permanent feature throughout our lives, an element with many facets that are often interlaced, some positive, some less positive. There are sought changes, unavoidable changes, unexpected changes. Endless combinations of changes, sometimes scary, because it is more comfortable to settle for what we already know, just “to be sure” and “avoid mistakes”.
Moving – a burden or a blessing?
16/06/2015 by Leave a Comment
There is this quote that I love: “You don’t realize how much you own, until you try to put it all in a box” Can’t seem to find who said it – but I think this quote is very fitting, and real to most of us expats. Anyone who has ever packed up a home […]
Bring me outside!
09/06/2015 by Leave a Comment
When cleaning up my (husband’s) wardrobe, I found an old belt that is no longer in use. Instead of throwing it away I said to myself: «What can I do with this belt?». I always have a project going, and right now it’s renovating a small cabin in Norway that sleeps 8 and has limited space, so […]
Getting home in time
02/06/2015 by 2 Comments
Most topics can be seen from an expat angle. Using the geometrical angle, one side will be the sheer physical distance and the other socio-cultural changes. The endpoint is personal change and a new take on things ranging from small to big and from fun to serious. Even death is within this angle. It was […]
A simpler life: The basic kitchen
12/05/2015 by Leave a Comment
The kitchen is one area where many seem to go over the top when buying stuff. Even people who hardly cook still have a full set of pans and pots, oven forms and cake forms in every shape and size. We complain about our kitchens being too small, and there just isn’t enough cupboard space. We […]
Expat issues: Aging parents
05/05/2015 by 2 Comments
Ana McGinley with advice on how to deal with your aging parents when you live abroad: Every year the number of people embarking on exciting expat assignments increases. For many expats this excitement is dampened by the loss of family we leave behind. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it is […]
DIY: Flower power
05/05/2015 by 2 Comments
During a sunny morning walk in the forest, I came up with this little DIY project: By simply using scotch to make a grid pattern in a shallow and wide bowl, you can fill it with flowers and they will stay where you put them! Text and photos by Ann-Kristin Øvreeide, May 2015 Ann-Kristin Øvreeide has […]
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