Tag Archives: expat

HERE WE GO, AGAIN

Posted on May 31, 2013 by

I stood in the pantry and stared at the overcrowded shelves. Spilling with the detritus of the last two years, my eyes moved over the shelf that’s sort-of designated for wrapping paper and the one that’s sort-of designated for holiday … Continue reading →

Posted in expat, Government Officals, Iceland, moving, Parenting, State Department, Summer, Washington | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

NEW STORY: Saying Goodbye

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

Check out my story about saying goodbye in this new anthology. Particularly appropriate now as we gear up to soon say farewell to Iceland. But more on that later. . . The Foreign Service Companion: Moving Your Household Without Losing Your … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ALL-INCLUSIVE

Posted on February 24, 2013 by

When I was a little girl we took a lot of family vacations. My parents were both teachers and they love to travel, so we took full advantage of our summers. Mostly, a family vacation meant piling in the car … Continue reading →

Posted in expat, Holidays, Iceland, Spain, Spring, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

ICELAND’S MOST POPULAR THINGS: Going to Feed Ducks

Posted on October 28, 2012 by

A guest blog by my daughter, R, age 6 1/2 I was with my mom and we walked to the ducks and we found lots of interesting things. And in this story, you’ll find lots of them. And if you … Continue reading →

Posted in expat, Hiking, Iceland, Motherhood, Parenting, Russia, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

DO I KNOW YOU?

Posted on October 13, 2012 by

I couldn’t figure out why everyone was talking to me. Complete strangers wanted to discuss a potential afternoon cold spell, my shoes, the menu. During a long walk along the shore I could barely complete a sentence because I was … Continue reading →

Posted in DC, expat, Foreign Service, Iceland, moving, State Department | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

WRINKLE

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

Somewhere there is a wrinkle. A sheet flips in a breeze. A hand brushes through the air. And with that, it is as if nothing has skipped or moved. Nothing jumped or caught. As if, in a linear manner, life … Continue reading →

Posted in expat, expatriate, Foreign Service, Holidays, Iceland, Pacific Palisades, Summer, trailing spouse, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP: Lambing Season in Iceland

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

We entered the barn to the sound of hundreds of bleats. Small voices, loud moans, baa, bleat, baa, baa. Sheep were everywhere. Ewes with massive, swollen bellies. Tiny, newborn lambs. White. Black. Spotted. “Can you grab me a rope?” The … Continue reading →

Posted in Farm, Iceland, Spring | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

ODE TO THE WHALE

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

When I was a girl, I slept with the whales—above my pillow hung an oversize photographic poster of a pod of orcas and across the room swung a large paper mobile of seven whales: grey, blue, minke and so on. … Continue reading →

Posted in expatriate, Iceland, Spring, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

ICEBERGS! REINDEER & GLACIERS! OH MY! Adventures in South East Iceland

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

Tonight the sun sets at 9:24pm. Tomorrow we get seven more minutes of daylight. After our ridiculously long dark winter, a shift to stretched out bright days means that everything has changed. Not only have the low grey clouds lifted … Continue reading →

Posted in expat, Iceland, Spring, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

SCHIZOPHRENIC SPRING

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

Our house is whistling. It sounds like the wind will yank it up from the foundation and pitch it across the fjord. Someone told me that today the winds reached sixty miles an hour. After our very long winter, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Birthday, expat, Foreign Service, Iceland, Reykjavik, Spring | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments