Having moved from London to Frankfurt, I never felt the need to adapt to the fast pace of my new location. In fact, I adjusted to taking it slow in this small city. I was no longer rushing to be the first on the tube, trying to beat the lunch time rush at M&S, and... Continue Reading →
Visiting home for a weekend when you live abroad can be described perfectly in just one word: Busy. Or in my mum's words "friend-speed-dating", which I think is a pretty good explanation. It's go go go and the anxiety is real when I am sitting there trying to work out how I am possibly going... Continue Reading →
Spending some time back home after living abroad for nearly two years (and hardly visiting London) has made me realise that life abroad doesn't always feel foreign. At some point the tables start to turn... It wasn't Christmas, it wasn't my birthday, it was just the first 'normal' week I'd spent working in London since... Continue Reading →
My actual plan was to relocate from London to Berlin, so I ended up in Frankfurt. For those who aren’t aware, a friend once said that Berlin is like the Shoreditch, London of Germany and Frankfurt is more like Canary Wharf. And you know what, I totally agree. I would have rather gone to Shoreditch... Continue Reading →
When I last went back to London (home-home), I realised I wasn't checking my phone half as much as I do when I'm at my home abroad. The reason is obvious: I have 25 years of solid friendships to maintain in the UK compared to 18 months of developing friendships in Frankfurt. I am lucky there's... Continue Reading →
"Why would someone leave London for Frankfurt?" Truth is, it was more than just the city that brought me here. Although there are a few things I wish I could have brought with me, I just can't justify moving back to London right now. Here's why: Small fish in a big pond You don't realise... Continue Reading →
Whether you've lived in London all your life or have relocated from somewhere else you can't deny that the cosmopolitan city has it's unique specialities. It's taken me over a year of living abroad to really appreciate this and there are still some things that I just can't let go of. So here it is, 5... Continue Reading →
Every 3 months? Every 6 months? Or depending where you've moved to, maybe even every 18 months? There are of course no written rules but after living abroad just over a year, here's a bit on how I went about visiting (and not visiting) home and why: "When are you first going to come back?" I... Continue Reading →
How annoying is it when people talk loudly on public transport? I constantly think “Can you just shut up!?” and am always relieved when either I or the loud talker gets off. This time however, I just wanted to go over to the seats behind me and tell the loud talker that I know exactly... Continue Reading →
Tears. A lot of tears. Waking up and being alone with my thoughts. Missing home comforts and no longer knowing the city that I live in like the back of my hand. Loneliness. This is exactly how I felt when I first moved out of my family home and went to university in 2009. It... Continue Reading →
Loneliness: A feeling of discomfort and sadness because you don’t have the company you want around you. I understand why people avoid this feeling, it’s not pleasant at all, but what about when you don’t have a choice and there’s no one to spend time with? When back home in London, my diary was busy... Continue Reading →
I spent 3 years working in central London, travelling approximately 50 minutes to work and 50 minutes back home every day. During my last year in London, the commute continued to become evermore tedious, sometimes reaching over an hour as Southern Rail used excuses including “the sun was shining too brightly” as reason for why... Continue Reading →
Touching base I have never felt so excited to see London. Descending into Heathrow airport over the Thames, I saw Tower Bridge and The o2 Arena. I felt a smile spread across my face and a rush of excitement shoot through my body. I was back! Seven months is the longest I have been away... Continue Reading →
But why is 'old' a bad thing? During my first few months of relocating to Frankfurt, I spent my evenings and weekends getting to know the city, making friends and flat hunting. It was time consuming and tiring, and I was aware that my beloved fitness routine was slowly but surely disappearing. Now that I... Continue Reading →
If you know me it'll be no surprise that tears streamed down my face as I headed towards security. I hugged my family a long goodbye, and my heart broke as my God- Daughter wished me a safe flight and good luck in my new job. It wasn’t anything extraordinary really, it was probably about... Continue Reading →
Alisa Jordan Writes 