ExpatActually

About Me

Hi! Hello. Welcome! I'm Whitney, and I'm so happy you are here. Serendipity- it was meant to be! Here's a little more about me.

Chances are your adventurous spirit or wanderlust soul landed you on this page, and I am thrilled you found me! While living abroad is exciting, it can also be daunting and overwhelming. Deep breaths, hun. Deep breaths. I am here to help you navigate the rollercoaster of expat life and find joy in your new life abroad. You better believe, planting roots on foreign soil comes with all the emotions!

6 Questions to Ask Before Becoming an Expat

I am a globe-trotting momma who craves new experiences and finding purpose in every day. I firmly believe you are sitting right where you are for a reason. God doesn't make mistakes, and you making a massive relocation was all part of his grand plan. Crazy but very cool! Growing up in a small town, I never dreamt my two boys would be bilingual and born in separate countries. And now we live on a completely different continent altogether. It's mind-blowing to me. The past five years have brought a tremendous amount of happiness, turmoil, and changes that would make your head spin. But those bone-chilling, life-altering moments...? It's ALL worth it!

Curious? 6 Questions to Ask Before Becoming an Expat

From seeing ColdPlay in Bangkok and watching my kids swim with wild penguins in South Africa, to tossing a line in a remote fishing village in Vietnam and almost losing a child to the Arctic Ocean in Iceland (whew!) I am beyond grateful for this wild ride...even if I did have to home school in foreign language for seven month during the pandemic! Ahhh. As a couple, we've traversed over 50 countries and our sons have tasted the air and felt the Earth of almost 40 during their young lives.

I said YES to the ringleader of our chaos almost 14 years ago. Since then, we've lived in four, US states and two additional countries. Heck, we slid into our first international move when our eldest was 16 months old and I was six months pregnant!

Want to know more about our story?

My Mission: I want you to know there is purpose in life abroad.

Plain and simple. You have purpose in a foreign country. You do not exist to simply hold air. Whether you are single and struggling with finding your niche amongst new friends, career-driven and clawing your way through new cultural norms at work, or a trailing spouse searching for a fresh identity. You have purpose. You are here for a reason, and I am here to help you dig in, make life run smoother, and have a little fun along the way.

It may take you all day to pay two bills. You may go to three different grocery stores, so you can finally tackle that shopping list...because, lost in translation is a real thing! But never lose sight that you have meaning in what you are doing. You are valuable and the life you have chosen is wildly important. And always remember, the next time someone asks what you do all day, proudly say

"I'm an expat actually, and it's insanely hard work."

Want to make life easier? Discover true joy in life abroad?

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