Earlier this year I wrote a post with five tips for surviving a long-distance relationship and interestingly enough, Google Analytics says a lot of people like it. Since this is my our anniversary week-yes, we are celebrating all week-I thought I’d revisit how we got here and offer some more tips for those of you...Read More
I get a lot of hits and a good deal of personal emails from people who are either involved in a long-distance relationship with an Italian or are planning to tie the knot with a foreigner and want to talk to someone “who’s been there.” Interestingly enough, I’m actually the “foreigner,” in this relationship, but...Read More
I’ve spent hundreds of hours over the last few years reading blog posts and articles about Italy-many of which were written by my real-life expat friends and blogging buddies. Some of those posts serve their immediate purpose, offering a good laugh, a useful tip or an encouraging word of expat life-related advice. Other times, they...Read More
I’ve been traveling to Calabria since 2003-and have lived here since 2006-so it is getting hard for me to remember my first impressions. I remember falling in love with the beaches, being enchanted by the mountains and working hard not to blow my diet at everything I ate in between.Read More
Surviving a long distance relationship is not impossible. No, it’s not easy-but it is doable. I dated my husband five years long distance-he was in southern Italy, I was in southeast Texas-and they were the longest five years of my life.Read More
Surviving a long distance relationship is not impossible. No, it’s not easy-but it is doable. I dated my husband five years long distance-he was in southern Italy, I was in southeast Texas-and they were the longest five years of my life. They were also instrumental in helping us nurture our relationship and establish the foundation...Read More
Hard to believe, but true. This weekend marks my THREE-YEAR anniversary in the Bel Paese. My oh my, how time does fly … It seems like only yesterday I was packing boxes, overloading suitcases and stumbling my way through general greetings and basic Italian conversations and can I just say-I’m so glad that is a...Read More
We’ve discussed tips for packing light, packing well and packing internationally, but packing for the long haul, such as an overseas move or a long-term extended stay is a different story. Where do you begin? What do you take? What do you leave? Argh! Just thinking about it is enough to make you want to...Read More
I’m closing in on my first full week back in the bel paese and have just finished unloading my loot. With my creative airline connections and day-long London-based layover, I not-so-voluntarily had to reduce my amount of American-flavored imports. But some things always make the cut. Here is a quick pic of some of the...Read More
And no. Not “that” kind of girlfriend … more like this kind. I’m asked at least once by each new group of friendly B&Bers how I made the transition from southeast Texas to southern Italy. My response? “… tougher than I ever imagined.” There are endless considerations involved with a decision to relocate to a...Read More