Life Abroad Gives You Stories
Some of mine involved a serious misunderstanding. Quite a few involved me being the serious misunderstanding.
I’m David, an American who’s spent 27 years abroad, including about 20 in Ukraine. You’d think that would’ve been enough time to know what I was doing. The archive provides evidence to the contrary.
Living abroad has given me a life I’m glad I chose. It’s also given me plenty to write about, especially the occasions when I felt absolutely certain I understood what was happening.
Those tend to make the better stories.
Here you’ll find the funny side of being a foreigner, along with the doubts that don’t always make it into the beautiful-apartment-with-a-balcony version of life overseas.
You’re welcome to enjoy it all from your sofa. No plans to sell your house required.
Start With A Story
A good place to begin is with me getting something wrong. There’s a reasonable selection.
7 Times I Was Sure I Was Getting Ripped Off Abroad… But I Was Wrong
I thought I’d developed a pretty reliable nose for a scam. Unfortunately, being suspicious and knowing what the hell’s going on are different skills.
9 Popular Expat Opinions I No Longer Believe
Spend enough time around expats and you’ll hear some confident opinions. I’ve contributed a few myself. Living abroad long enough to reconsider them has been mildly embarrassing and useful for writing.
The Expat Backroom
The Story Behind The Story
Some stories leave me with more to say after the public article’s finished.
Sometimes it’s more personal. Sometimes there’s a thought I couldn’t quite leave alone, even after I’d supposedly finished writing about it.
The Expat Backroom is my paid newsletter for readers who’d like that closer look behind selected public pieces. It gives me room to be more candid about life abroad and the questions it raises.
Enjoy the free writing first. Get a feel for whether you’d willingly spend more time with me. Twenty-seven years abroad is a credential of sorts, but it doesn’t automatically make someone good company.
Is Life Abroad Really For Me?
“I keep wondering if life abroad is actually for me.”
The stories are fun to read. Considering a move of your own can bring up questions that are harder to laugh off.
You can picture yourself having coffee on that balcony. You may have a less developed picture of how you’ll feel being far from your parents, or what you’ll do when the excitement wears off and you’re still there.
These two articles are worth reading before you get too attached to the apartment listing:
Moving abroad and leaving your parents behind
You can want the move and still struggle with the distance. This looks at the family questions that deserve a place in your plans, including what staying close might actually require.
Returning to your home country after being abroad
“I can always go home” is reassuring. It’s worth giving some thought to what happens after your plane lands.
My guide, Is Life Abroad Really For Me?, takes that closer examination further. It’s for people who want to think carefully about whether the life they’re considering fits them, including those already overseas and having second thoughts.
A country can look wonderful and still leave you wondering what you’re doing there. That question deserves some attention.
Is Life Abroad Really For Me? A Private Conversation
“I need to talk this through with someone who’s lived it.”
Reading gives you room to think. A conversation gives you room to explain the part that’s keeping you awake.
Maybe you’re drawn to a move and struggling to work out whether your expectations are reasonable. Maybe you’re already abroad and feel awkward admitting that the life you wanted has left you with doubts.
This is a paid, one-to-one conversation about your situation, drawing on my experience overseas. You can ask questions without pretending you’ve already worked everything out.
I won’t choose a country for you or pretend I know how your life will turn out. I can offer an experienced perspective and talk through the assumptions that deserve a closer look.
Let’s Talk About Your Situation
I don’t provide relocation services or professional advice on tax or immigration matters.
More Stories In The Books
Some of the absurdity has escaped the archive and made it into books.
Expat Life Gone Wrong brings together ten stories from the less predictable side of living overseas. Culturally Clueless offers more occasions when crossing a border turns out to be easier than understanding the people on the other side.
They’re for readers who enjoy the stories and would like to stay a little longer. You can leave the life-changing decisions until you’ve finished reading.
About The Writer
My years abroad include a long stretch in Ukraine, followed by time in Georgia and elsewhere in Europe, including Albania and North Macedonia.
I’ve been doing this long enough to have opinions I once defended enthusiastically and would now prefer nobody dug up. Unfortunately, I’m a writer. Some of them are probably still online.
Expats Planet is where I write about a life overseas that’s been worth living, including the parts I understood much better afterward.
Interested in commissioning a piece or using an existing story? Contact me here.