When you haven’t posted in a few months, you know it’s going to be a doozy. So buckle in and see how we spent our last year in Aberdeen. Life has a funny way of working out. When we first moved to Aberdeen from Paris, I was not excited. And everyone knew it. The first few months were pretty miserable as I adjusted to a new life that seemed less exciting than the preceding four years in the City of Lights. But knowing that it wouldn’t be forever, I was determined to make the most of it. Looking back, I’m proud to say we did make the most of it. With a little help from a great group of friends a ..read more

As expected, with any move to a new country, the first few weeks have been full of ups and downs. Especially when said move is from two completely different places like Aberdeen and Cairo. Here is what we have been up to as we try to settle in and make a new life in the Mother of all Cities. The Good It was a headache trying to find the right information to bring our two cats into Cairo. Bottom line there was no accurate information. But I’m happy to say we weren’t bothered at the airport and the cats are now fellow Cairenes. More on this in another post where I’ll detail how we’ve moved cat ..read more

It’s the first time in my life that I can recall where the saying “good things come in three” has rung true. This past year the saying that seemed to ring true all the time was: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” And that couldn’t be more relevant now either. Upon reflection of the three things I’m about to share, another saying is pertinent at this time and that is: “Everything happens for a reason.” I also can’t help but imagine the yin-yang symbol as I describe what life has been like for us recently. Because in every happiness there is a moment of sadness. And in every d ..read more

This blog is a lot like an online journal of our life (obviously the good parts at least). And since I was away from blogging for a number of months there is so much we enjoyed about our life in Aberdeen this past year, that I want to capture it so we don’t forget.  I do this also because at times, living in Aberdeen gets us pretty bummed out.  We’re not the happiest here, the weather gets us down and other life and work circumstances are far from ideal.  We knew this would be a challenge from the minute we got our transfer letter.  I made it my mission to make the most of ..read more

Inspired by the Wanderful Wednesday blog link-up, this week I’ll be recapping the past year of travel.  It seemed to me that since moving to Aberdeen we didn’t do all that much traveling. Compared to Paris flights from Aberdeen are more expensive, and there isn’t as many options compared to a hub like Paris.  Long gone are the days we can hop on a flight to Spain or Portugal for a long weekend for under 100 euros.  Also, David has less vacation time here and with my full-time Masters taking up a lot of time, we felt like we didn’t really go anywhere.  But all it takes ..read more

I didn’t plan to take such a long hiatus from the blog. As it happens to so many of us, life just got in the way. For me, it was my Master’s program that seemed to just suck all my time and energy. Granted, I could have better managed my time. But after a long day of writing reports, reading and looking at the computer screen, I didn’t feel like writing blog posts and editing photos. There was always tomorrow, or this weekend. Or the plane ride where I can catch up. Then, nothing materialized. I realize now that I began putting too much pressure on myself over this hobby of mine. As I started ..read more

We blinked and here we are, 7 months into our life in Aberdeen. Or in other words, 227 days to be exact, but who’s counting!? It’s no secret that we weren’t excited about moving to Aberdeen, especially after living in Paris for a few years. You may be asking: Why live somewhere you don’t want to be?? But given the employment situation, here we are. So our mission (and we chose to accept it) is to make the most of the expat life in Aberdeen. I wonder how many expat families are out there living in a city, or country, where they don’t want to be? Moving away from home, putting yourself outside o ..read more

If you’ve read my first two posts about our safari experience seeing the Big 5 as well a pack of wild dogs hunting, perhaps you’re thinking of going on safari as well.  I’d highly recommend it! In this post I’ll go into detail about what Madikwe Game Reserve is like from the visitor’s point of view.  I explain why we chose it and what we thought.  Of course, our positive experience was heightened by the fact we stayed at an amazing lodge and saw some incredible sightings.  Nonetheless, I think Madikwe Game Reserve is a great option for honeymooners, couples, adventure seeke ..read more

Vegetarians… you might want to look away now.  This post is not for the faint of heart either.  This is a story of a little impala that could… err… then couldn’t. But first… Wild Dogs: they’re just like regular dogs, right? Madikwe Game Reserve reintroduced the endangered African wild dogs, also known as the hunting dog or painted dog, to its lands over two decades ago.  Today, they are doing well and safari-goers stand a good chance of seeing the resident wild dogs.  Like we did. We first caught up with these fury but ferocious animals while they were taking a snooze in ..read more

When we started planning a January getaway just two short months ago, we knew we wanted to go back to South Africa.  We had already spent a week in Cape Town two years ago and we wanted more.  Maybe it was Planet Earth II.  Maybe it was because I just finished reading An African Love Story: Love, Life and Elephants.  But either way, the idea of going on safari popped into our heads.  It would be a first for both of us.  Everyone we knew who had been on a big 5 safari before all said, “Do it!”  It would be the trip of a lifetime, the chance to see the big ..read more