Moving to a new country is an adventure, full of excitement and challenges. If you’re planning to move to Florence, retire here, or invest in property in Florence, understanding cultural adaptation is just as important as finding the perfect home. A helpful way to think about culture is through the Cultural Iceberg Theory, which suggestsContinue reading “The Cultural Iceberg: What to Expect When You Move to Florence”
Tag Archives: life abroad
The Expat Christmas
I can’t count how many Christmases I’ve spent away from loved ones, it’s been too many. Being away from family can really suck from time to time, and the holidays is definitely a time when it sucks bad. Before I moved abroad, Christmases were very predictable, but in the best possible way. I went toContinue reading “The Expat Christmas”
The Expat Son of the Expat Daughter
I have now, for the first time, had the privilege of visiting my grown-up son at his home, and needless to say, he’s not in the same country as me. I never imagined being on this side of the expat life, the mum whose child lives away, because I was always that child. Like mostContinue reading “The Expat Son of the Expat Daughter”
About August
How is it possible that in August businesses close and Italy comes to a halt? Is this really a thing? Yes! My first experience in Europe was in England, where August, December, or any month is a work month, and the weather is so awful that you don’t even realise it’s summer. It came asContinue reading “About August”
Being the minority
It’s not easy being “other”, being the one who does not belong. But what is an expat life if not exactly that? When we leave our country in the hopes of making a new life somewhere else, we must also understand that the people who live in this place, whose lives have been spent there,Continue reading “Being the minority”
Friendships matter
I have been an expat for most of my life. I was born in Brazil and lived there until the age of 15 when I left for England, never to return to live in my own country. I’ve since lived in France and now also Italy, so after a childhood with the same house, friends,Continue reading “Friendships matter”