I am an Australian expat who wears multiple hats: mother, trailing spouse, marketer and blogger. Our family have done the 'ultimate' travel trip: living for eight years as expats in New Jersey, USA. Although we had to relocate back to Australia, I have documented our adventures and relocation trials in this blog, and continue to write about these memories, until there's no more to tell!
EXPAT LIFE: Tipping in the USA has to be one of the most confusing things to deal with for the new inexperienced expat. There are no exact guidelines and it’s no exaggeration to say there is a huge amount of variety in local behaviours, traditions and practices. And here lies the difficulty. As an […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: If you haven’t heard of charter schools, then you are missing one of the most interesting debates in public schooling, at least here in the US. ‘Charter Schools vs. Public: Is One Better Than the Other?’is just one article amongst many education news stories, that continue to grab parents’ attention. […] Continue reading → 
EXPAT LIFE: Although Australians speak the English language, like any overseas place you go to, the USA has its own unique terms for many things. Getting to know these can be a bit like learning a foreign language to new expats. The funny part comes from the cultural mismatch of having different meanings for the […] Continue reading → 
RELOCATION: Now we’ve talked about the more difficult things in New Jersey public schools for expats, let’s talk about the fun and interesting stuff that happens, that doesn’t happen back home. Some of these are just sort of interesting and others are ‘Woohoo!’ things that I’d love to export back home. So without further […] Continue reading → 
RELOCATION: Was I expecting school to be the same here as back home in Australia? Of course not. The fact that there are differences doesn’t necessarily make them all bad, just different. In fact some of the dissimilar things in New Jersey schools are so excellent that I wish we had them back home. But there are […] Continue reading → 
As a follow on from an earlier article ‘What is the New Jersey School system like?’, during May, I will be publishing a series of six posts about New Jersey schools. My aim is to make the challenging decision of choosing the right school, a little easier for Australian and other expat families. This is […] Continue reading → 
RELOCATION: If you are moving to New Jersey advice is easy to find on the internet. There are many articles around. There are also many articles available on international relocation. You should definitely read as many as you can, to get up to speed on what to expect. This article however, focuses on providing moving to New Jersey advice, specifically for […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: Spring is finally here. If you think I’m a bit late in saying that, then you are correct. Spring in New Jersey starts officially on March 21st or 22nd every year. But it sure doesn’t feel like it then. The weather is still cold and there is always the possibility […] Continue reading → 
RELOCATION: This article is a continuation of last week’s post on ‘Can you use Australian Electrical Goods in the USA?’ As a follow on, here are some guidelines to help decide what items you may be able or want to pack when you relocate. 1. Electrical Goods you probably won’t need If you are going […] Continue reading → 
LIFE IN NEW JERSEY: Now that it’s spring, it’s a perfect time to see close-up, some of the best examples of New Jersey wildlife, without even leaving your own backyard. Coming from Australia, I didn’t really know much about what animals lived here or where you might even see them. I’m embarrassed to admit that […] Continue reading →