Expat stories!

Tell us a little about yourself, 

1 Where do you live now and how long have you been there?

Hi, my name is Karen I’m married to Ed for 20 years now and have 3 beautiful boys born overseas and now live in the Essex countryside in an old farmhouse and have been here for 3.6 years.

2 What do you love about where you live now?

I wanted to be anywhere but London I wanted a slower pace more relaxed and most of all some sun, I loved to chase the sun.

3. What brought you to this location?

It was the right time to move home for the kids’ education and family if 1 went we all went and I’m really happy about that.

How it all began

4. Where was your first assignment, how long were you there?

We left with a backpack to live overseas 6 months in Africa, then a year in Australia and finally Hong Kong where we stayed for 17 years got married and had 3 kids we now had a bit more than a backpack more like a 40foot container!

5 What was your reason for moving abroad in the first place?

To get away from the dreary weather and commute to London to work, to see the world and as mentioned have some sunshine.

6 Did you travel alone, with kids or with a partner? How would you describe your first experience?

I travelled With my now husband he wasn’t when we left we landed in Africa and stayed 6months we loved everything about it, the people the landscape, the animals.

The expat adventure

7. Where have you lived so far?

Africa – 6 months

Australia – 1 year

Hong Kong– 17 years.

Expat life

8  If you could sum up your expat life in 3 words, what would it be?

Adventure, Friends, Life-changing

9. How would you define your experience as an expat? 

It was the best decision to leave we took a risk and it paid off, we left jobs and family and made a new life with friends that became family we saw the world on a shoestring and some of the adventures were once in a lifetime I wouldn’t change a thing and so grateful to of had those years all my boys were born in Hong Kong and had a wonderful childhood, we gained so much knowledge from around the world and met so many wonderful people I would highly recommend it and if one of my boys wanted to go back and live in HK or overseas I’d say great I’ll be visiting soon!

The Now 

10 How has being an expat changed you?

I definitely have such a wide outlook on life, and open to adventure and travel we had to be social and get along with all sorts of people and use each other for information to get to know a place.