{"id":279,"date":"2017-03-12T14:39:50","date_gmt":"2017-03-12T14:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bootsnotroots.com\/?p=279"},"modified":"2021-12-01T20:01:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T20:01:33","slug":"expat-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bootsnotroots.com\/expat-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Life as an expat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our life has been a whirlwind as of late! The hubs turned 30 last year and I\u2019m itching my way up there so we\u2019ve been talking a lot about the future and where we want to settle \u201clong-term\u201d (in other words longer than 2 years) so I\u2019ve been super caught up in my thoughts. In addition to all of that dreaded \u201clife\u201d talk, I\u2019ve also been traveling like a crazy person for work the past two weeks and now we\u2019re prepping for our anniversary trip to Italy in a few weeks! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Sarah over at Endless Distances<\/a> tagged me this week in an awesome post about expat life I knew this was the perfect week to jump in! Since I\u2019ve been all caught up in my thoughts, putting them out on paper sounded like a good idea. Hopefully this post will give some insight into life as an expat and the highs and lows of living abroad! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.Where were you born, where did you grow up and where do you currently live?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was born in Nuremberg, Germany to a German mom and an American dad (military). We moved to the states when I was a baby and I was raised all over (spending summers with my dad around the country and school years with my mom in Texas). I would say my \u201chometown\u201d is in central Texas near Waco. In fact, the town I grew up in is so small I think it has more cows than people! I currently live in Dublin, Ireland with my hubby and our pup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. What made you leave your home country?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My \u201cday job\u201d is at an American tech company with it\u2019s international headquarters based out of Dublin. In 2015 I sat down with my boss\u2019s boss and suggested that I wanted to live abroad by 2018. 6 months later we were headed to Dublin with all of our belongings and our dog! I got super lucky that my team in the states is also based out of Dublin giving us the awesome opportunity to live overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. What type of reactions do you get when you meet new people and tell them where you are from?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lately, I\u2019ve been getting a lot more questions than I used to. All the way from \u201cDid you vote for Trump?\u201d to \u201cAre you staying here forever now?\u201d In fact, in my most recent cab ride from the airport the cab driver started lecturing me on how Trump America has caused the rest of the world to think that hate and sexism is okay. Can I start saying I\u2019m from Canada yet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. What was the easiest\/hardest part in adjusting to your new country?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Honestly? The hardest part of adjusting has been the taxes! This seems like such a minor thing, but the taxes in Ireland (and Europe in general) are MUCH higher than they are in the states. Otherwise, the adjustment has been seamless for us. We have a much higher quality of life than we did in the states. We hike\/walk a lot more, hang out as a couple more, and overall are much more relaxed than we ever were in Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Images, words or sounds that sum up the expat experience you\u2019ve had so far.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What would you do if you weren\u2019t afraid? \u2013 Sheryl Sandberg<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I live and breathe this quote. When considering moving to Dublin this phrase went through my head multiple times before finally deciding to take the leap. Now look at us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Your favorite food or drink item in your new country?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The availability of cheap, but good European wines and cheeses has been a game changer for us. In fact, I\u2019d say about 75% of the posts on this blog have been written while slightly buzzed on said wine and full on wheels of cheese. For the hubs, rashers (a mix between ham and bacon) has been his favorite part of living here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. What\u2019s the one thing you said \u201cyes\u201d to in your new city that you wouldn\u2019t say \u201cyes\u201d to, back home?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This sounds super silly, but making friends without a forced social structure is \u201cnew\u201d for us. We\u2019ve always lived in places where we were either a) in school or b) already knew a large number of people in the city. When we moved to Dublin for the first two months we struggled to \u201cmake new friends\u201d. So, I downloaded Bumble! And went on my very first every Bumble friend date with one of my now besties in Ireland. Luck of the Irish I guess! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Are there any cultural norms\/phrases in your new country which you cannot stand?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The timeliness drives me absolutely bonkers. \u201cI\u2019ll be there at 7\u201d actually means \u201cI\u2019ll be that at 8:15\u201d. This is true not only for people, but also for transit systems, taxis, and really anything else you would expect to \u201cbe on time\u201d. Funny part of this is that I just recently went back home for 2 weeks and was late to everything\u2026 haha guess it\u2019s starting to rub off on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. What do you enjoy doing most in your new country?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I grew up driving around America. In fact, my very first ever \u201croad-trip\u201d was at the ripe old age of 5 when my nana and papa loaded me up into their camper to drive to Washington state from Texas. I remember playing Old Maid with my nana while my papa drove us across the country. So, my favorite part of living in Ireland? Road-tripping! My second favorite thing to do in this beautiful country is to hike. Even without a car it\u2019s pretty easy to find some epic hiking spots in and around Dublin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Do you think you will ever move home for good?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you would have asked me this question six months ago I would have said no way would we ever move back home for good. But, if I\u2019ve learned anything the past few months it\u2019s that things change (and quickly!) so who knows. \ud83d\ude42 Never say never I guess! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would love to see other expats participating in this expat conversation! Learning about other experiences is so helpful (and oftentimes reassuring!). <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Happy Trekking!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Boots not Roots<\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our life has been a whirlwind as of late! The hubs turned 30 last year and I\u2019m itching my way up there so we\u2019ve been talking a lot about the future and where we want to settle \u201clong-term\u201d (in other words longer than 2 years) so I\u2019ve been super caught up in my thoughts. In … <\/p>\n

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