Category Archives: Before We Go

What We Left Behind – Phantom Pains of Friends and Family Back At Home

Living abroad has been a mixed bag of ups and downs on every front.  But I never realized how much family and friends mean to us, and how “distant” I could feel until disaster struck last week, and close family … Continue reading

Posted in Before We Go, Friends & Family, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Modern Life | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Moving Pets Overseas

WARNING: Service Post Those of you with kids and no pets may not “get” this post.  But for those of us with pets and no kids, the notion of moving overseas brings one thought to the forefront.  What about the … Continue reading

Posted in Before We Go, International Moving, Pets | Tagged , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

The Clothes On Our Backs: Final Choices About Stuff

We’ve lost our minds.  Entering the home stretch, we’ve gone absolutely stupid insane.  Our final week is a maze of meals with great people, selling little bits of our lives, one car (or sideboard) at a time.  But through it … Continue reading

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What’s In Your Suitcase?

The process of moving overseas causes one to look at every material item in their life and assess its monetary value (“Is the blender really worth $11.30 per cubic foot?”).  But you also find yourself making value judgments about hobbies, … Continue reading

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The Long Goodbye

The past few weeks, as we’ve gotten “serious” about packing, canceling subscriptions, disconnecting utilities, stopping direct deposits/payments, and the minutiae of moving overseas, we’ve been blessed to have friends and family ask to hang out with us one last time. … Continue reading

Posted in Before We Go, Friends & Family | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

You Want Fleas With That?

We woke this morning to news that Irish police had found and detonated a bomb on a bus headed for Dublin.  With tensions high in anticipation of the first visit from a British monarch (Queen Elizabeth II) since independence, some … Continue reading

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Five Questions

An Interesting Opportunity Will Come Your Way (Who, What, When, and Where) In December of last year my wife Kalpana accepted a teaching position at University College Dublin (Ireland – Thank the gods not Ohio).  This is a great position … Continue reading

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