My family live in an apartment on the 15th floor of building in downtown Izmir. Our view is amazing, but comes with a price tag of “no balcony.”
There is, however, a shared terrace for the residents to use. We’ve spent time there reading and playing in the late afternoon when the city begins to cool off, but ironically, it has been closed off for the last few weeks because a café is being added. This is picture looking down at the terrace from our living room window
Read MoreWelcome to the Preggisode! But don't run away! This conversation is packed full of laughs that you'll enjoy even if pregnancy is far from your mind.
In this episode we talked about allll the pregnancy things. We've had a lot of kids overseas, a combination of 10 pregnancies. So, there are many paths to walk down our memory lanes.
Being pregnant and having babies far away from our passport country can be an intimidating experience. There is also something really special about experiencing pregnancy and childbirth in a different culture. So grab your cup of tea (or coffee) and enjoy this chat.
Read MoreIn this episode, we’re doing our first round of “ask us anything.” We didn’t have time to cover all the questions, but we do discuss our friendship, how to maintain long-distance friendships and family relationships, meeting neighbors with limited language, and embarrassing moments (well, we only had time to share ONE moment this time because Melissa’s story took us by surprise). We also give some rapid-fire answers to questions about books, pets, and what goodies we shove in our suitcases.
Read MoreAt long last, Alicia is back! She's recovered from her whirlwind trip back to Indonesia, and her return inspired today's episode about moving overseas for the first time. In this episode, we discussed how we prepared when we first moved overseas, how we handled (and still handle) those wretched goodbyes, and what helped us when we landed in a new country and culture.
Read MoreWhere are all our housekeeping fans? {crickets, crickets}
Okay, so house cleaning and home management might not top our list of fun pastimes, but they are a necessary part of this overseas life. Whether you keep a sparkling clean house, or you fall into the “God bless this mess” camp, this episode is for you. Our friend, Sharon, joined us to talk all about our home management personalities, household help, and fun tips for keeping up with the demands of life in a busy home. And what house management discussion wouldn't be complete without talking about finger crinkles and floor drains?
Read MoreWhen you moved overseas did you have a plan for how long you would stay? Did you imagine you'd be there for a long time, or are you considering staying longer than you originally planned? In this episode we had a conversation with Kim, our friend in Ukraine, about living overseas for the long haul. We talked about our initial plans when we moved overseas, persevering through times of doubt and hardship, and what we do, proactively, to remain and thrive in our life overseas.
Read MoreOur discussion this week is all about TCK friendships. This topic can be a tough one, but it's oh so important for the health and happiness of our kiddos in their life overseas.
In this episode we break down the discussion into the Early Years, the Middle Years (aka "The Hay Day of School Age Kids"), and then on into the Tween and Teen Years. We talk about things we have done to help our kids develop friendships, our successes and failures, how our perspectives have shifted over the years, and what it looks like to be proactive in creating opportunities for our kids to find friendship.
Read MoreWe’re chatting about new beginnings (NOT new goals). As expats, we don’t have to wait for a new year to roll around to experience new beginnings. Whether it’s a new location, new language, new schooling choice, or new housing situation every time you return to your passport country — it can bring a roller coaster of feelings.
We’ll be chatting about our most recent ‘new beginnings’, what we learned through it, and the unexpected blessings each experience brought us.
Read MoreThe Taking Route Community is growing and we are so happy to see more and more women from around the world connecting and encouraging each other as we all learn to thrive right where we are planted. With that growth comes the need to reevaluate what brings life as we juggle connection online and feeding our multitudes of children. (So.Many.Children.) Doing this podcast is a lot of fun, and brings life, but arranging interviews with differing time zones and sketchy internet is a little less fun. In the hopes of 2021 being the year of less stress, we have decided to change the podcast format…
Read MoreFor our last episode of Taking Route Podcast, we’re doing something a little different — a Christmas Special, if you will. This episode is only about ten minutes — but it’s packed full of Christmas goodness. First, we’ll read an expat-friendly rendition of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Then, Melissa will perform a new song she wrote (it’s record label good, no exaggeration).
Read MoreHey girl,
I know you’re busy. You live in a bustling international city, your kids go to school 25 minutes away, they're both involved in activities, and you're teaching a class on Sunday mornings. You also lead the Bible club lesson on Friday, and you've got local friends you want to see and grow with after the family-centered Christmas holidays and travel.
You still need to take the driving test and the language exam and let's not even get into the things you just want to do: an online theology course, a schedule for being creative, a workout program, a little supplemental nature study or reading lessons with the kids, a day trip for a host country history lesson.
Take a deep breath and enjoy it all because, in two months, you'll be moving into "unprecedented times."
Read MoreThe final stop in our series, “This Global Pandemic,” is in South Korea to visit Oklahoma native, Kara. She, her husband, and their four kids experienced the world of coronavirus, quarantines, and face masks before many of us in other parts of the world knew what was coming. In this episode, she shares the benefits of living in a very communal culture during a pandemic and how she and her husband made the decision to stay put for 2020, even though they had long-awaited travel plans to go to the States. Kara shares about some of the humorous moments of 2020, as well as how she finally gave herself permission to grieve the things that are hard about expat life.
Read MoreI’ve been wearing my glasses these days. For those of you who wear glasses too, you know that when paired with a mask, the combination is not ideal. Usually, I wear contacts 97% of the time, so it may seem counterintuitive that now would be the time I make the switch. But at its root, the reason I’m wearing glasses more often than usual comes down to the same reason I’m wearing the mask: COVID. More specifically, I’m on my last bottle of contact solution brought from the States. Since our country’s borders are closed, I’m not heading back to get more solution (or anything else on the “America List” I keep in my notes app) anytime soon.
Read MoreWe’re coming up on that time of year: the time of turkey, traditions, and gathering around the table with the ones we love. It’s almost Thanksgiving! Will there be green bean casserole and sweet potatoes on your table? Can you even get turkey wherever you are in the world? In this episode, Denise, Alicia, and Melissa talk about all things Thanksgiving. They compare their childhood memories of Thanksgiving with their current expat reality, share what they are most thankful for in this moment, and play a fun ice-breaker game that you can use around your own table this year. So, grab a warm beverage and settle in, because it’s tea time somewhere!
Read MoreNext in our “This Global Pandemic” series we are travel to São Paulo, Brazil to visit Tennessee native, Melissa. Melissa along with her husband and three kids are determined to thrive and not just survive this pandemic. Melissa tells how they dealt with a visiting team of co-workers from America when the world began to shut down and she shares how regular tea times for heart checks with our children is instrumental. She has learned to laugh at the unexpected that comes moving to a new apartment during this crazy time.
Read MoreOne of the hardest parts about expat life is being so far away when tragedy strikes your home country. You want to hug your loved ones, process things out loud with your closest friends, and be near the ones you hold closest to your heart. In today’s episode, we talk with Tamika about what it’s been like to be a Black American woman, married to an Austrian, and living far away from the States as racial tension builds during a global pandemic.
Tamika shares what it’s been like to emotionally process events from afar, and how she and her children have become the go-to American source for their local friends and peers to ask questions about the current events in the U.S. We also discuss the delicate balance of talking with our TCKs about the hard things so they won’t be naive to what is happening in the world — and most importantly, in their own home country.
Read MoreWhen I packed our suitcases to move overseas for the first time, carefully checking each piece multiple times to make sure it was just the right weight, I had no idea that a silent stowaway had crept in that would rear it’s ugly head time and time again once we got to our host country:
