Hi there! I’m Alicia and I’ve lived in Indonesia for the past eight years with my husband and our four children (8, 5, 3, 1.5). At some point, you will see almost all of them make an appearance in my kitchen tour — which is perfect, because it shows how often my kids gravitate into the kitchen. This is my fourth kitchen since moving to this country. I’ve experienced a little bit of everything at this point.
Read MorePeople do not entertain with an evening meal in this culture. I’ve tried over the years to invite people over for dinner but it has always been awkward. It involves them pushing the unusual western food around on their plate. Learning to adapt to the culture in this way has been hard. I’ve had to die to my own desires and culture of what “hosting” looks like and take cues from my host culture. Now I just host guests with traditional tea and cookies. At Ramadan we host a large “buka puasa” with local cuisine.
Read MoreSome of you might think this episode is not for you. “I’m not a creative person,” you might be saying to yourself. On the contrary, my friend. As Lauren reminds us in this episode, “there are so many ways you can be creative without owning paintbrushes.” In this episode, we talk with Lauren Hooper (podcast host of How She Creates) about how to make time for creativity while you’re living abroad.
Read MoreHi! Sudah makan? (which means ‘Have you eaten?’ and, interestingly, is a common greeting in our host country.) My name is Kari. My husband, two sons (3 years old and 9 months old), and I have lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for four years. If you come over on any given day, there’s a good chance you’ll find me a lot like this: in the kitchen, my hair in a mom bun, and a child hanging off of me.
The apartment we’re in now is the third one we’ve lived in since moving to Malaysia and this kitchen is by far my favorite! This picture is looking into the kitchen from the living room.
Read MoreWe knew about the state of the home before we moved, and we were confident in our ability to take this project on. We had renovated our kitchen in the states, how hard could it be in Cambodia?! As it turns out, it is very, VERY hard. The lack of online shopping alone is enough to drive you bonkers in planning for a kitchen. My sister-in-law is funding this project (thankfully) and requested a modern kitchen. I didn’t want to let her down, I wanted to create a Pinterest worthy kitchen.
Read MoreOur kitchen is actually rather spacious, and the two doors you see house our laundry room (I use that term quite loosely) and a squatty potty. I know you’re jealous. In the rural parts of Laos, indoor kitchens are rare. If you happen to get lucky enough to find one, basically it just means you’ve got a countertop and a sink. We have no cabinets or shelving, so we have to get creative with storage.
Read MoreWe moved into this rental house about eight months ago. It’s brand new, with a yard for our two little boys to run around in, and a great location near the lake— wow, so much to be thankful for! But of course, every home will have pros and cons. In this case, we had to put the kitchen in the “con” column. First off, I will say that I am SUPER grateful for the newness and cleanliness factor (nice to work with a clean slate this time around). I love the windows that let me enjoy the neighborhood’s comings and goings, and the windows bring in an excellent breeze while I’m washing dishes.
Read MoreWe’ve been in China for five years now, and in that time, we’ve lived in four cities and five apartments. Our current apartment was newly finished this summer by our landlord, so while we didn’t have any say in the renovation process, it is clean, new, and functional for our family.
I spend a large part of my day in the kitchen either cooking meals, fixing snacks, or prepping food for storage. Our family eats a Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) diet, which essentially means that we generally avoid eating meat, dairy products, and eggs and minimize intake of oil, salt, and processed sugar.
Read MoreWhen we first got here we were overly ambitious and attempted laundry by hand. 2 years in and we realized it wasn't getting easier and we weren't getting better at it. I guess growing up with a washer and dryer all your life makes such chores difficult to relearn. We were blessed this year to be able to get a washing machine! Most washing machines/washing stations are close to the kitchen in Nepal. Ours is on it's own little patio right outside of our kitchen!
Read MoreNamaste! I'm Rachel. Former elementary teacher from Kansas City, now language learning expat living in a villagish-town in India. Life here is usually a little crazy.... Whether at home, trying to figure out how to get a flea covered animal out of our attic, or driving along curvy mountain roads trying not to hit a cow. My husband and I lived overseas as singles, but are now facing the challenges and joys of our first year overseas as a married couple.
Read MoreMy husband and I live in a country in West Asia. We moved into this house 6 months ago, but it’s been a part of our lives for over two years—we had the privilege (burden?) of designing and building it ourselves. This isn’t what expats here normally do, but then, I am not a normal expat—I am married to a local and we plan to live here until we die, God willing. We haven’t finished installing all we hope to in the kitchen (wooden blinds for windows, a range hood, etc.), but here is a tour ‘as is’.
Read MoreThe tea nook is my favorite place in this room. It's full of vintage tins I’ve collected over the years and every tea you can imagine from all over the world, plus all my favorite mugs from local artists we’ve met throughout our travels (and of course our office themed mugs!). The water isn't great for drinking here so we have these water jugs that produce instant hot and cold water and it is the greatest gift! I drink a lot of hot tea throughout the day thanks to that guy.
Read MoreWhen we first started looking for a home, I was very discouraged by how many homes didn't have an open floor plan. But then we came upon this new apartment in a brand new building that fit in our price range and I was hooked! I pictured plants everywhere and baskets, a coffee bar, and a little stool for my daughter to help me cook. Even though this kitchen isn't exactly what I would want in every single way, it met all of my necessities and I am beyond grateful for the big ole window that brings in all the natural light.
Read MoreHey guys! My name is Whitney, and my family and I live in Jordan. I am married to my high school sweetheart, and a mama to three children. Currently, I am a full time language student spending my days attempting to learn Arabic, which is not always easy for a girl from the south.
If I am being honest with you, I love our apartment, but am not the biggest fan of our kitchen. It’s so… RED. I love all things clean and white, and my dream kitchen would be just that.
Read MoreMy cabinets are full of very random dishes, like mismatched coffee cups — including three Starbucks mugs. We have limited ourselves to places we've lived so the collection doesn't get too out of control. We have plates that don't match, my husband's beloved Auburn University Tervis tumblers, gazillions of plastic plates and cups for when lots of expat guests come over, etc. While I long for dishes that match and are pretty, it's hard to commit to the investment in nice dishes because, well, we still have little kids. In the last six months, I think we've (and by we've, I mean they've) broken a tea cup, two bowls, and two small plates. It's easier to not be frustrated when it's a hodge-podge anyway.
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I can find anything I need for a kitchen here in Spain, as we have Ikea, department stores and even Costco (which sells stuff that’s too big for our place). However, it’s all much more expensive than in the States, so we shipped a lot when we moved, and most of it was kitchen items. I brought my knives, stainless steel cookware, cast iron, and my Kitchen-aid mixer. I still haven’t purchased a converter though, so the mixer has yet to run.
Read MoreOur kitchen has a very modern, European vibe (we’re pretty sure it’s from IKEA.) I love the look of the countertops. I don’t love the white, shiny cabinets. You can see every fingerprint on the surface! The dishwasher is hidden in the cabinet to the left of the sink. I really like that the buttons are not on the outside so that curious little fingers aren’t turning the dishwasher on and off all day.
Read MoreIt has been a struggle of learning culture, learning language, and finding my voice. Because we live in a small town, I don’t know another American in our area. When we first moved here, I was 7-months pregnant with our first child and it was very isolating. Our home quickly became a refuge for me. In the beginning, being able to cook and bake gave me an outlet after a hard day, and opened doors to reach out to my neighbors.
Read MoreAs any expat knows, it takes a long time to figure out how to do things in your new country — especially home improvement projects. We needed a lot of help! First, our hostess's son arranged for a plumber to put in a small sink in one corner of the room. Next, a very talented lady in our churc
Read MoreIf we’re honest with ourselves, we’re probably all interested to see what others’ people’s kitchens are like. The kitchen serves a huge purpose. It where we prepare meals and serve others. It’s like the Grand Central Station of the home, receiving a large amount of foot traffic. And for expats, the kitchen can also be one of the quirkier parts of the home.
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