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Accepting My Own Journey Part II
In Part II, Dani shares all the ways things feel the same and different, seven years later. In a beautiful turn of events, things shifted positively for her within the days of working on this post and the piece reflects that change, thanks to true acceptance.
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Navigating Expat Life: Building Community as New Parents
Building communities is relevant for people at all stages of their abroad journey, but we've found it to be especially important as we navigate our lives as new parents. Here are some of the ways we're finding a sense of community as expats in Spain and Finland.
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Confessions: I don’t buy into traditional gift giving
Disclaimer: some links in this post may be affiliate links. You can read our disclosure policy here. Dear Chris, Right in the middle of what is considered holiday season in my circle of friends and family, I have a confession to make: I don’t like the traditional gift giving process. I know that many people love this time of year and spend ages picking out a specific gift for the people that they love in their lives but this just does not hold true for me for a couple of reasons. Firstly, while I love finding the perfect gift for someone, I don’t necessarily like the idea of having…
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7 things I like about living in Finland
Dear John, I recently shared a post about 7 things I miss about living in Granada and I would be remiss not to follow that post with another one about things I like about living in Finland. I have decided to make my life here and that is not without reason. My life in Spain was good, some might even say great, but it wasn’t the long-term life I wanted and I can say that I am happy to be slowly building the life I want to live here. Today I want to share some of the reasons why. Safety Not the Granada was not safe, per se, but…
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7 things I miss about living in (Granada) Spain
Dear Cassie, It’s been over 4 years since I moved to Finland for a six month internship and decided to stay here. I have spent those years finding my way through different jobs, extracurricular activities, meeting people, and settling in. Now, as I am finding my own path here, I couldn’t really imagine living anywhere else. At the same time, that does not take away from the fact that the places I have lived and the people I have called my friends have greatly impacted me along the way. As I settle in for a long dark and probably cold winter, I am reflecting on all the wonderful things I…
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Confessions: Feeling Imposter Syndrome at Work (While Living Abroad)
The feeling of imposter syndrome is by no means unique to the experience of living abroad. However, being outside your home country context can lead to questioning yourself and your abilities to fit into the country and company culture even further when abroad. In this post, Claudia shares about her personal struggles with imposter syndrome while living in Finland.
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The Complete Guide to Ambiguous Expat Grief
The word ‘grief’ tends to make us think about the deep sadness that comes from a loved one dying. However, this is not the only kind of grief that exists. In this post, we take a deep dive into "ambiguous expat grief," a wide-ranging, confusing sense of loss that expats / immigrants experience.
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Letters to a New Year (Dani 2023)
Every year we write a letter to the future year with some thoughts about the previous one and some things we want to keep in mind moving forward. This article focuses on Dani’s letter to 2023.
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My Real Life in Spain
Is time spent living abroad 'real life'? What is 'real life,' anyway? In this post, Dani deep dives into her misconceptions of 'real life' and 'adulting' to answer the question of what her real life in Spain looks like.
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Confessions: After 8+ Years Living in Spain, It’s Still Hard to Make Friends!
Dear Chantal, If you’ve been following the Sincerely, Spain blog for a while, you know I have more than eight years of experience when it comes to expat life in Spain. You know that Claudia and I can speak as authorities on the subject but let me tell you—it is still really hard to make new friends! At the beginning of 2022, my husband and I moved away from Granada and into a beautiful new location. As much as I love it, finding myself in a Spanish town where I knew no one has really forced me out of my comfort zone. For the first time in a long time,…
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3 Lessons Learned After Moving to Spain
Today we welcome guest writer, Gabriele, to the blog. After five years living abroad in Spain, she’s sharing with us the three biggest lessons she’s learned. Check them out here.
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Maneuvering Menopause Abroad
Maneuvering menopause anywhere can be challenging, but going through this stage of life can be even more complicated and isolating for women experiencing it while living abroad. Today’s post comes from Jane Ordaz, “The Menopausal Expat,” who shares her insights on it all.
