Moving to Brunei in December was the third time I’ve moved countries, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier, maybe I need more practice! I moved to Japan for 2 years in 2009, Abu Dhabi for 6 years in 2011 and now to Brunei, for at least the next 2 years. Moving here was a process that took about 3 months. As soon as we got home from our North American and Cuban summer trip we began selling things. We had to post and repost our furniture and appliances on several different medias to do it, we found it was definitely a buyers market. The most common thing you’ll hear when selling things in the UAE is “what’s your last price”? Let me tell you, after a while, this is the most annoying phrase anyone can say to you! In the end though we managed to sell everything and it was a strangely satisfying experience cleaning a completely empty apartment. I know, my childhood is gone!   

Now, looking around our almost completely set up house in Brunei, I’m glad we made the move. I just hope it will be easier next time. Practice makes perfect, right? Speaking of Brunei, I’m starting to get the hang of this slower pace of life and having more family time is always a bonus. We’re going to Canada soon to visit family and say goodbye to my father-in-law who recently passed away. These are the times where living so far away hurts. Being strong for my husband is all I can do at the moment. I know my lovely mother-in-law will be looking forward to seeing us and I can’t wait to be with her again.  

Once we get back we plan to put baby into daycare so she can have more social time with kids her age and we’ll start hanging frames up on the walls. I’ll be posting from Canada as well so stay tuned! 

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the adventure!  

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, one of my favourite days of the year, apart from my birthday a week later and Christmas. So, I thought I’d write a post about my husband. Christian is from Canada, I’m from New Zealand, in any normal set of circumstances we would have never met. Luckily for me though we were posted in Fukushima, the same prefecture in Japan, just a year apart. He arrived in 2008; and was at the welcome party I went to in Tokyo, in 2009. We met, we talked, and then we went our separate ways. A few weeks later we saw each other again at the prefectural welcome party. It seemed like every time I turned around he was there, so I thought we talked a lot that night. He didn’t seem to think so though, we met up after the party and ended up talking all night.

Slowly, our friendship grew into a relationship, even though we lived 2 hours apart we saw each other most weekends. Christian and I have been through a lot together! We were in Fukushima during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which I might write about one day. Needless to say, he has become my rock. Christian is a great traveler, a wonderful father, and a supportive husband. His level-headedness (is that a word?!) has kept me calm and I couldn’t imagine sharing all the adventures we’ve had with anyone else. I’ve traveled solo before but it is so nice having someone to share all the experiences with. I found my person, travel buddy, and fellow life adventurer when I met him. I love you, Christian!

Long may our adventure continue!  

Wedding day

Cake!

Hi there! It’s been a while since my last post, but after months of living out of a suitcase we have finally made it to Brunei! Country #33! It feels so good to be here, and, one of the things that excites me, we don’t have to share our walls, floors, or ceilings with anyone. For the past 6 years we’ve lived on the 16th floor of an apartment building. Now, we have a beautiful old house with a huge back yard. My daughter loves it! We’re hoping to be here for at least the next 3 years. Our journey here was interesting to say the least! Moving your life across the world is expensive and this is only the third time I’ve done it. We had 31 boxes shipped here, we were also ‘slightly’ overweight at check-in… 

Let me tell you about my first impressions of Brunei! It’s lush and warm, with great food and friendly people. Driving in this country is awesome! Everyone is so courteous, patient and kind on the roads. Things do go a little slower here so coming from Abu Dhabi its taking me a little longer to get used to. I always seem to be driving behind people who are following the speed limit exactly! Not that it’s a bad thing but after coming from a country where you’re allowed to go 20kms over the posted speed limit, I have had to adjust my driving a bit! It has rained almost every day here but that’s normal for this time of year. Our backyard is a lake at the moment from all the rain over the last couple of days but it has been fun to watch my daughter splash around in the giant puddles. Speaking of my daughter, she is loving life here. She will high five, fist bump or hug anyone that looks at her. She loves to wave at any kids she sees and will eat anything! So far, she has tried dim sum, gyoza, and the stinky durian, and loved it all! Check out the Instagram link for some photos of that! 

That’s all I have for you now, I have some more posts planned and I’ll also be posting regular updates on life in Brunei. Thanks for reading, I hope you’re enjoying your life adventure!