The Expats

I traveled quite a bit for work last year, at least in comparison to years past. I always love to travel, even though my business trips are less adventures to exotic locales than doing the same work in a new location, with the perks of gourmet meals, maid service and happy hours. Actually less happy hours than late night meetings in bars (I am in marketing, after all).

What I dream about is actually moving to a foreign city, exposing my kids to a new culture and embracing the challenges and excitement of a different place. When I lived in Japan for a summer one of my favorite activities was browsing the produce and seafood sections of the grocery store. As we become more global the stores and restaurants seem to look the same, but there are still plenty of fruits and vegetables I rarely see outside of my trips to China: dragon fruit, mangostinos (except canned), ginko nuts and lotus root, to name a few. 

In Frankfurt last year I ate three kinds of sausages in one afternoon, finally seeing why currywurst is so popular - yummy. I still love to talk about my adventure with a Japanese friend, as we searched out the best (according to google, at least) soup dumplings in Shanghai. What a joy to get to do that everyday, especially if I got to take some time off work.

Until my husband becomes a mastermind computer security expert engaged in white collar crime, I guess I'll just continue to dream.

This post was inspired by mystery thriller novel The Expats by Chris Pavone. Kate Moore sheds her old life to become a stay at home mom when her husband takes a job in Europe. As she attempts to reinvent herself, she ends up chasing her evasive husband's secrets. Join From Left to Write on January 22 as we discuss The Expats As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.