From Virginia to Norway: A Suitcase and Stilettos
Erin
30 July, 2012 10:39
My name is Megan Starr…I am originally from Virginia but now live in beautiful Norway. My Norwegian home is in just as much of an identity crisis as my American life was. I spend my time in between Bergen and Oslo. Two homes is better than one, right?
1. Why did you move abroad?
On a random July night in Las Vegas a couple years back I met a Norwegian boy. Let's just say that not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 
2. How do you make a living?
Yikes. Well, I have had a pretty lousy experience with the UDI (Norwegian immigration services department) and despite having quite a lot of education, I have not been able to obtain a work visa in the country just yet. So…I spend my time freelancing. UDI's solution to my problem? "Just get married". Oh the joys of being an expat!
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From Arizona to Oknawa: More Things Japanese
Erin
26 July, 2012 09:29
Benjamin Martin is from Arizona, USA now living in Okinawa, Japan. He is author of the YA novel Samurai Awakening coming this Fall from Tuttle Publishing, and recently won the 2012 Kengo Tarumi award for his photography in JTA’s yearly contest.
1. Why did you move abroad?
I’ve been interested in Japan since high school when I took Japanese as my foreign language requirement. The more I learned about it, the more intrigued I was, yet I knew I’d never really be able to learn the language until I went. I continued studying through college and applied for the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme run by the Japanese government. I got accepted and after graduation started packing my bags. (More)
From San Francisco to Brisbane: Pieces of Wendy
Erin
23 July, 2012 09:20
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Wendy is a freelance writer and American expat living in Brisbane, Australia. She first moved down under in 2003 after a nasty case of the travel bug drove her to take a long break from college to explore Europe and then Australia. A number of years filled with umming and ahing over what to do with her life took her to various parts of Australia, including an extended stay in Tasmania. In 2006 she finally decided to study journalism and knuckled down with her nose in the books. She left Brisbane for Houston, Texas at the end of 2008 where she worked as a journalist and freelance writer. A couple years later she (and her Brisbane-born fiancé who dragged her to Houston in the first place) returned to Brisbane and is happy to be back––despite her hankering for a decently priced Cadillac margarita on the rocks!
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From Massachusetts to Madrid: Spanish Sabores
Erin
19 July, 2012 09:42
My name is Lauren Aloise and I am originally from a small town in Central Massachusetts, US. I have been living in different parts of Spain for the past three years, and have finally settled in Madrid with my husband.
1. Why did you move abroad?
I’d dreamed of living abroad since I was a child, always reading books about travel and adventure. I thought I could kill the wanderlust with two semesters of study abroad in college, but it was still there at graduation. So I rejected the 9-5 I’d been planning for, got my TESOL certification and applied for the Spanish government’s language assistant program. I planned to live in Spain for a year or two and then return to the US or travel to another country. But things got complicated when I met my Spanish husband-- I’m now an official Spanish resident and long-term expat!
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De España a Uruguay: Construyendo el mundo!!
Erin
16 July, 2012 09:44
No me hace mucha gracia dar mi nombre por internet, aunque no es ningún secreto así que vamos a dejarlo en Andaluz. Soy de Sevilla, una ciudad situada en Andalucía, al sur de España y actualmente vivo en Montevideo, capital del Uruguay.
1. ¿Por qué se fue al extranjero?
Estaba quemado, no se muy bien como explicarlo pero necesitaba irme. Primero pensé en Europa, pero hasta eso se me antojaba cerca… al final opté por América.
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From California to Cameroon: C’est La Vie
Erin
12 July, 2012 09:10
I’m Krys and I’m currently living in Cameroon while working for the US Peace Corps. Though I love it here, there’s no place I love more than where I’m from, California.
1. Why did you move abroad?
My three biggest passions in life are business, travel, and public service, thus, they led me to serving with the US Peace Corps. By living as local, the travel experience becomes an unparallel cultural exchange where one can really cultivate mutual understanding. I’m pretty lucky that I get the option of living abroad.
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From the USA to the Netherlands: Adventures in Expat Land
Erin
09 July, 2012 09:29
My name is Linda, I'm a writer and American from the East Coast living in the Netherlands. I'm married to an adult Third Culture Kid and have two teens, one of whom we now parent across timezones. I write under the name Linda A Janssen not because of any pretension; it turns out Janssen is an extremely common name in Nederland so I kept my middle initial to help sort it out.
1. Why did you move abroad?
It was never a question of whether we'd move abroad but rather of when. Both my husband and I studied international relations and worked in the international arena for years. He grew up in Italy and England, and I lived in Mexico many years ago; we've always traveled extensively (dozens of countries across five continents) for work and pleasure, using the latter to introduce our children to the world and different cultures. My husband got a great opportunity to work for an international organization here in The Hague, and we jumped at the chance.
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De Belgique à Madrid: Madrid & CO
Erin
05 July, 2012 09:23
Je m'appelle Marie, je suis belge et je suis arrivée à Madrid par le biais classique du programme d'échange Erasmus. Ensuite, après quelques allers-retours entre la Belgique et l'Espagne, j'ai décidé de m'installer à Madrid et cela fait 5 ans maintenant.
1. Pourquoi êtes-vous partis à l'étranger ?
(cfr. réponse ci-dessous. Grâce à l'échange Erasmus lors de ma licence en tourisme.)
2. Comment vivez-vous?
Je travaille depuis 4 ans dans une entreprise distributrice de montres de luxe. Je suis arrivée il y a 5 ans sans emploi. J'ai commencé au Real Madrid et j'ai fait quelques petits boulots avant de trouver mon poste actuel. En parallèle, j'ai crée il y a un an mon site Madrid&Co où je réunis ma passion pour la photographie et le tourisme. Un véritable carnet de voyage où je partage mon expérience d'expatriée et l'envie de faire découvrir Madrid et la culture espagnole d'une manière différente. (More)
From Melbourne to Dubai: The Hedonista
Erin
02 July, 2012 09:26
My name is Sarah, and I’m from Melbourne, Australia. I studied wine, worked in restaurants, had my own business selling wine, and then one day, my husband said – Hey, let’s move to a Muslim country! I’ve been living in Dubai for just over four years, and have managed to find plenty of happiness and activity to fill the (watering) hole.
1. Why did you move abroad?
My husband got a job paying lots of money, and I was slowly drinking all my profits. It was time for a change, and he promised I could get a maid.
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