Abu Dhabi in review

I moved around a lot as a kid. My parents worked in the hotel industry so every few years we would be in a new town, never living anywhere for more than 5 years. I’m grateful for this, it taught me to be adaptable and flexible, and I met a lot of great people, too. So living in Abu Dhabi for 6 years has been a change, for my husband as well who had a similar living situation growing up.

I’ve absolutely loved living in Abu Dhabi! It means a lot to me. It’s where my husband and I made our first home together, where our daughter was born, and where we had so many awesome adventures from. The Middle East is a fantastic base for travel, one of the reasons why I’ve already traveled to so many countries!

I’m going to miss it here, I truly am. I guess that’s why I’ve had a hard time finding the motivation to pack, I’m sad to be leaving. Brunei will hopefully be just as exciting for my family and I, I’ll keep you posted! We’re having an apartment sale this weekend, wish me luck!

I’ll leave you with some photos of my time in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

P.S. The gold bottles are a tradition my husband and I started when we moved here. Before every trip we would share a bottle, then write our destination on the bottom.

Country A to Z!

I’m a list person. I love a good list, any list. To-do lists, shopping lists, bucket lists, you name it! I thought I’d post a list of countries I’ve been to so I can update it as that number climbs. The countries will be listed alphabetically but will also have the order in which I visited them.

  • Armenia 13
  • Australia 1
  • Austria 24
  • Bahrain 23
  • Brunei 33
  • Cambodia 21
  • Canada 3
  • Cuba 32
  • Estonia 29
  • Finland 28
  • France 7
  • Georgia 14
  • Germany 27
  • Greece 26
  • Japan 2
  • Jordan 31
  • Kenya 11
  • Laos 19
  • Maldives 6
  • Netherlands 8
  • Oman 17
  • Peru 12
  • Qatar 5
  • Singapore 22
  • Sri Lanka 15
  • Sweden 30
  • Tanzania 10
  • Thailand 20
  • Turkey 25
  • United Arab Emirates 4
  • United Kingdom 9
  • United States of America 16
  • Vietnam 18

I, as any travel lover would, have a wish list of countries I would really like to go to! This will also be updated.

  • Argentina
  • Bahamas
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Brazil
  • Costa Rica
  • Cyprus
  • Denmark
  • Ethiopia
  • Fiji
  • Hong Kong
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Jamaica
  • Madagascar
  • Mexico
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Nepal
  • Norway
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Portugal
  • Seychelles
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Vanuatu

Which countries are on your list?

Welcome to 32andCounting!

32. That number has two meanings for me. I’m 32 years old, and I’ve been lucky enough to live in, work in, or visit 32 different countries and I hope, just as my age, that number will increase. That’s a country a year, but it took until the age of 27 before that number went above 3!

Long story short, I’m from New Zealand, living in Brunei with my Canadian husband, whom I met in Japan, and our two year old daughter. We recently moved to Brunei after spending the last 6 years living and working in Abu Dhabi. My daughter, in her short little life, has already been to 12 countries. So, come along with us as we explore the world, and I hope I can inspire someone to do the same!