https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:11:10 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1288204 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 05:15:59 +0000 SugarplumsMom 1288204@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an expat. I've lived abroad for almost 6 years now, a year in Asia, the rest in Scandinavia. It definitely has it's plus and minuses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1288188 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 03:28:03 +0000 ScarletBegonia 1288188@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an expat! I moved to Australia 8 years ago, and have since met my husband and settled here properly. We are expecting our first baby in March and have no plans to move back to Canada.<br /> As previous posters have said, there are plusses and minuses. I LOOOOOVE Australia. Its an easy transition from Canada, the cultures are very similar. I make about double here as a teacher what I would make in Canada, and with more job security. My husband also makes a lot more here as a University lecturer than he would almost anywhere else. Though cost of living here is very high, we enjoy a nice lifestyle. I miss my parents, siblings and friends a lot, but I make it a priority to visit home as much as possible. When my parents get older and sicker, I think it might be more difficult. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it! At the moment, I would say that the positives far outweigh the benefits. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1288177 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 02:14:20 +0000 Kimberlybee 1288177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love watching that show on HGTV called House Hunting International. Being an expat seems so adventurous! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1288126 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:49:02 +0000 looch 1288126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was an expat because of my job and the fact I married a non American citizen. There are plusses and minuses to it for sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1288121 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:46:23 +0000 mynoahbear 1288121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm also an expat. We've been living in Asia for the last 7 years. We are now in our third country (Thailand, Japan, and currently, China) The first 6 months in a new country has really been challenging for me. I always have such a hard time adjusting to the new culture and it seems like when I have everything down and am loving it, we have to move again. I am really glad our kids were born abroad and have the experience of living in different countries and having such an array of international friends. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1288076 Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:08:00 +0000 PinkElephant 1288076@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been an expat for the past 6.5 years thanks to DH's job - I followed him to Asia when we were first dating and haven't looked back! We've lived in Hong Kong and Japan, do nothing quite as exotic or challenging as I expect Mongolia must be - but interesting nonetheless! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1287160 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:22:31 +0000 sunny 1287160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an expat living in the US :-) There wasn't any culture shock coming from Canada -- at least not in the part of the country I live in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1287159 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:20:57 +0000 travelgirl1 1287159@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an expat but Canada isn't as exciting as Mongolia :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1287072 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 15:47:57 +0000 loveisstrange 1287072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Im an expat because of DH's job too. :) England definitely isnt as much of a culture difference as Mongolia though. </p> <p>Im definitely glad that we got this opportunity. Our daughter has a cool story too, since she gets to tell people she was born in England. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1287055 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 15:44:35 +0000 however briefly 1287055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not an ex-pat in the sense that I am no longer an American citizen but I've spent the last ten years living overseas due to my husband's job, seven in Germany and now three in England. My experiences during this time have changed me profoundly and looking back, I wouldn't change anything (not even being so far away from family and friends just months after getting married and at so young an age). </p> <p>My one regret now is that we hopefully have a baby on the way (4DPO after IUI today) and we're scheduled to move back to the US for a couple of years in April. My husband and I REALLY regret not being able to spend the first few years of our child's life overseas but hopefully we'll be able to do it in a few years instead and at least then the kid will be old enough to actually appreciate it a bit :) If we could, I think we would spend all our working years overseas and then move back to the US for retirement in a quiet rural town. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1287000 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 15:28:01 +0000 lamariniere 1287000@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an expat because my DH's job brought us here. However, my experience isn't nearly as exotic as your friend in Mongolia. We currently live in Vienna and I read all of the posts from your second link that linked to Vienna. They definitely resonated with me. </p> <p>I love having the experience of living abroad, learning about a new culture and raising my kids in such an interesting place. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wander-what-its-like-to-be-an-expat#post-1286102 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 10:38:39 +0000 Mrs. Blue 1286102@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A friend lives in China and wrote a post that is featured in an expat blog competition. I think the articles are so interesting and feature many different countries. Here's the link to her article:<br /> <a href="http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/748/top-ten-experiences-survived-on-steppes-of-inner-mongolia">Top Ten Experiences We’ve Survived on the Steppes of Inner Mongolia</a></p> <p>And here's a link that lists the other articles.<br /> <a href="http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/expat-blog-awards-2013" rel="nofollow">http://www.expatsblog.com/contests/expat-blog-awards-2013</a></p> <p>It totally makes me want to up and move somewhere just for the adventure &amp; stories. </p> <p>(wasn't sure which board to post this on) </p>