This was me a few years ago: every surface in our home had some kind of arrangement placed on it. A vase with some decorative twig, a candleholder, bowls, books deliberately placed because of their colors, all of it arranged with much effort and thought. And then, season for season I would replace things. Rearrange […]
Komm, mir léiere Lëtzebuergesch!
25/02/2015 by Leave a Comment
“I just get by so well without it, everybody speaks French, German and/or English, it’s amazing!” “I just can’t face learning yet another language” (often combined with first statement) “There’s no way I’ll need it when I move on” (often combined with first statement) “No time!” “It’s such a funny little language” (“funny” either as in […]
Get it sorted – make a mood board
10/02/2015 by 1 Comment
A mood board is basically a collection of images and text samples organized in some way that helps you explore the desired overall look and feel, or tone, of a project. Mood boards could help you in smaller projects like organizing your spring wardrobe or making a gift list for an anniversary, or in bigger projects like […]
How to get yourself to speak a foreign language
27/01/2015 by 1 Comment
Hélène Rybol is the woman behind the Culture Shock Toolbox, a website for expats and international students – or future ones – and travelers, filled with musings, checklists and mantras. She’s also author of the ebook “Culture Shock – A Practical Guide”. CLEW is happy to feature her musings on how to get yourself to speak a […]
A simpler life: The wardrobe
27/01/2015 by 4 Comments
Have you ever stood in front of your wardrobe thinking you have “nothing to wear”? It tends to be that we can’t see the forest for all the trees. So here is an experiment you can easily do to simplify and minimize your wardrobe. All without the scary part – you know, throwing things away.
HUG!
27/01/2015 by Leave a Comment
Have U Given one today? It’s late January — the dead of winter — and life has gotten you down. It’s dark. It’s cold. Maybe there’s snow, maybe not. It makes no matter. It gets lonely this time of year as you turn inside… inside your house, inside yourself. Whether intentional or not, you may […]
An expat wife goes back to work
20/01/2015 by 6 Comments
What happens when the (desperate) expat wife goes back to work? On and off throughout her expat (wife) years – and all of a sudden there are quite a few of them and she of course has no idea how that happened – the desperate expat wife has looked longingly into offices, missing the office […]
Silent night, holy night – and joy to the world
12/12/2014 by Leave a Comment
When did we go from a peaceful calm celebration with family, friends and/or neighbors to this commercial nightmare? I am not going to tell you that Christmas is about baby Jesus. Of course for some it is, and I respect that. In fact, it is a beautiful way of celebrating. But Christmas can be many different […]
Expat and the City (let’s leave out the S)
03/07/2014 by 2 Comments
When the partially homesick desperate expat wife goes to certain big cities, she might suddenly and surprisingly find herself longing for a new expat experience. In New York for example, she gets all confused, wanting to be Carrie Bradshaw (or at least have her job) instead of Susan, or – God forbid – Charlotte instead […]
Running on a Saturday night
02/06/2014 by Leave a Comment
Last Saturday night’s ING Marathon as seen by the CLEW photographers: Photos by Anje Kirsch and Lisbeth Ganer, 31 May 2014
CLEW 