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My Expat Christmas Necessities

Paula Barreca Barnes

With Christmas around the corner and having my family here with me this year, I am in planning mode, which makes me realise it doesn't matter what country we spend the holiday season in, we only need the Christmas necessities to make it feels like a proper family Christmas. SO HERE IS MY LIST OF MUST-HAVES FOR MY CHRISTMAS A Real Christmas Tree - yes I know, this can sometimes be troublesome, especially if have decided to spend Christmas abroad, and yes it can also become expensive as some

Tuesday, November 27, 2018
DO NOT JUDGE ME FOR SENDING MY CHILDREN TO BOARDING SCHOOL.

Paula Barreca Barnes

DO NOT JUDGE ME BEFORE YOU KNOW MY CIRCUMSTANCES People often judge me before they know my circumstances! I have heard it all before, "why would you want to send your child to boarding school?", "why don't you just move back home?" or even "I love my children too much to send them to boarding school". I guess from the outside looking in; it would be easy to come up with a first impression of who I am by my circumstances. Most parents understand and are empathetic with the children from the

Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Two down, one to go (Our TCK has graduated).

Paula Barreca Barnes

Yep, the day has come where my baby girl has graduated from secondary school and just like that the new chapter of her life begins. I often think back to a time when the kids were small (click here), and I loved us all being under one roof. Life was simple, chaotic and a lot of fun! However, there is something quite special about the next stage of our relationship. I love the conversations I now have with the kids, yes I know the obstacles do become more substantial (click here) as they mature

Sunday, November 11, 2018
What does it take to become a trailing spouse?

Paula Barreca Barnes

So what is a trailing spouse? A trailing spouse is me! A partner who has given up their career to follow their husband abroad to pursue his own. In other words, we (my once small family and I) came along for the ride and embark on this strange life with an open mind, a whole lot of newly discovered independence and an entirely new role as the homemaker (whatever that means) allowing me to swallow a huge piece of humble pie as I take a back seat to my career. So what is it really like to be a

Wednesday, November 07, 2018