25 stories
Week one was all about the residence card and registering my address at the ward office. Bring your passport, your lease and a lot of patience, but the staff were kind and spoke s…
I came to Kyoto from Da Nang in 2023, first for one year at a Japanese language school and then for a master's degree in civil engineering. I love this city. But there are things I wish someone had t…
When I came to Toronto as a home support worker, I lived with my employer's family for the first year. It was convenient and saved money, but I wanted my own space and more privacy. Last spring I sta…
After two years in Tokyo, I thought moving to Korea would be easy. Both are East Asian countries, both have excellent public transport and a love of convenience stores. I was wrong. Korea surprised m…
ClaireSouth Korea10 likes1 comments
I came to Montreal from Medellín in 2022 for a master's in environmental science at McGill, and I am now in the third year of my PhD. I have had moments of real joy and moments where I nearly went ho…
ValentinaCanada5 likes2 comments
Two months ago, I cut my hand badly at work while breaking down a case of fish. The cut was deep, and my chef sent me to the emergency room. I had health insurance through my job. I thought that mean…
Last month I spent two weeks in the UK: eight days in London, three in Edinburgh and three in Manchester visiting a friend. I live in Barcelona now, so it was my first trip there as a US citizen livi…
German healthcare is excellent once you are inside the system. Getting inside, especially as someone who does not speak German fluently, is harder than it should be. Here is my experience of finding…
AmaraGermany8 likes0 comments
I moved to Lisbon from Belo Horizonte in 2022. Finding a long-term rental was the most stressful part of the move, and it has not become easier. This is what happened, and why I rate the experience a…
LucasPortugal3 likes1 comments
Two years ago, I arrived in Singapore with two suitcases and a job at an audit firm. Now I have a routine, a small circle of good friends and many opinions. Here is my honest review of life in the Li…
In January 2024, my husband Tom, our two children (then 7 and 10) and I moved from Bristol to Melbourne. I am a physiotherapist, and physiotherapy is on Australia's skilled occupation lists. This is…
I track every euro I spend, which my friends find funny. But it means I can give you real numbers. I moved to Amsterdam in 2024 as a data analyst. Here is what my life costs. My income My gross salar…
WanjiruNetherlands5 likes2 commentsShare the things you wish you had known: paperwork, prices, first weeks, what surprised you.