When Your Passports Are Lost

When we moved from California to New Zealand, we made sure that our passports were all renewed.  Children’s USA passports annoyingly have to be updated at least every 5 years, which makes sense as children age and their pictures need updating.  We booked a holiday to Queenstown and then the Bay of Islands.  In the USA, you need specific identification to travel domestically.  Apparently not the…

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Farewell Belize

In 2010, I was a fourth year medical student, poor, married, with an 11-month old boy.  Somehow I created a two month gap in my schedule.  We wanted to travel and also scope out a potential spot for future global health work.  So, we convinced our pediatrician to give our son his first MMR vaccine early and booked two of the cheapest tickets to Belize.  We boldly made our way on buses, small…

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5 Portland Area Breweries That Will Make Anyone into a Beer Lover

By Jennifer Cataldo  It makes me cringe to admit that I wasn’t a big beer fan myself before I moved to the Portland region in 2014.  I previously lived in San Diego, California which has a decent beer scene as well. I was the kind of girl who would order a Blue Moon or a Shock Top with an orange slice…shudder.  I thought I didn’t like IPAs because I had tried Lagunitas and Stone, which both…

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Just a Man Who Loves Tannat

Just a Man Who Loves Tannat #wine #grape #uruguay #australia #immigrant #expat #southamerica #varietal #tannat #vino #winery #garzon #bouza #stagnari #narbona

This week’s post is from a renowned guest author: Joaquin Erramouspe MD, MPhil.  Joaquin is a medical doctor and researcher, born in Uruguay and living in Melbourne,  Australia.  A close friend who invited me to teach in Uruguay many years ago.  Among his many interests lies a deep romance with Tannat.  Here he explains the grape varietal, which sits at the center of the country and wines of…

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Just a Man Who Loves Tannat

Just a Man Who Loves Tannat #wine #grape #uruguay #australia #immigrant #expat #southamerica #varietal #tannat #vino #winery #garzon #bouza #stagnari #narbona

This week’s post is from a renowned guest author: Joaquin Erramouspe MD, MPhil.  Joaquin is a medical doctor and researcher, born in Uruguay and living in Melbourne,  Australia.  A close friend who invited me to teach in Uruguay many years ago.  Among his many interests lies a deep romance with Tannat.  Here he explains the grape varietal, which sits at the center of the country and wines of…

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10 Things that Americans Need to Know When Traveling in New Zealand

10 things that Americans need to know when traveling to New Zealand. #travel #newzealand #nz #grandparents #thingstoknow #newzealandtravel #visitnewzealand #traveltips #travelessentials #newzealandtrip #newzealandroastrip #kiwitrip #kiwitravel

My parents just finished a 7-week trip to New Zealand.  Here are their tips:  Written by Doris Schick My husband and I just returned to California from a 7-week vacation/visit in New Zealand. Our son, his wife, and their 3 children moved to Auckland, New Zealand in July. By the time December arrived, we decided it was time to visit them and tour the country. We had always wanted to see New…

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After 6 Months of Living in Aotearoa

By Elisa Schick When I reflect on how I felt during the last two years we were in the United States (up until 6 months ago), what rises most to the surface is stress.  All the time.  After I received a text from my daughter’s school that it was locked down and to not attempt to pick her up until we heard more, knowing that it could mean an active shooter, I couldn’t relax.  I would get a similar…

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The First 6 Months of Immigration

After the mad dash of the first two weeks (covered in last post), the following 6 months took us all through the 4 stages of culture shock.  We experienced elation, frustrations, challenges, and all sorts of new experiences.  Some expected, others not.  I didn’t expect our children to simultaneously go through the 5 stages of grief during this time… For Reference:  The 4 stages of Culture Shock…

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The First Two Weeks of Immigration

The First Two Weeks of Immigration. Moving to New Zealand. #expat #immigrant #immigration #newzealand #usa #startingover #newbeginnings #freshstart #reboot #lifechanging #expatlife #expatfamily #abroad #livingglobal #globalfamily #nz #newzealandlife

Prepare yourself for a crash course of starting a new life!  Immigrating is no picnic.  It requires a ton of planning, money, paperwork, and perfect coordination to stick the landing.  Once you land, it is a mad scramble to reboot your life.  As usual, things for us did not go as planned… After two years of being a front line worker during COVID19, somehow my entire family avoided the…

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Tui are iconic in New Zealand. Unknown to me before moving to Auckland. Now we wake to their song each morning. #tui #auckland #aucklandcity #aucklandlife #visitauckland #nz #newzealand #newzealandlife #newzealandnatural #newzealandnature #naturephotography #nature #birds #bird #birdphotography #birdfreaks #birdlovers #birdsofaotearoa #aotearoa #feathers #expat #expatlife #expatfamily #nativespecies #newzealandpics #kiwipics (at Auckland, New Zealand) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWWaAxy-q_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Fisherman, blue hour, Shoal Bay, Auckland. Love there are places in the city where you can find space and tranquility. Great sunsets here, space to be the only fishing, kayaking or windsurfing even though are right across from Auckland CBD. #shoalbay #auckland #dusk #lowlight #bluehour #bluehourphotography #aucklandcity #aucklandnz #sillouette #shadow #water #bay #fisherman #sunsetphotography #sunset #reflection #newzealandlife #newzealandguide #nz #nztraveltips #newzealand #expatlife #expatfamily #northshore #newzealandnatural #newzealandphotography #newzealandpics #kiwipics @thewellspoint https://www.instagram.com/p/CqHf4TZJAnQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sunsets in Auckland can be so colorful, this required my daughter and I sitting patiently atop Mt Victoria as the colors bloomed. #sunset #sunsetphotography #auckland #tamakimakaurau #dusk #clouds #color #aucklandcity #aucklandnz #aucklandlife #visitauckland #nz #newzealand #newzealandlife #cityscapes #sky #city #citylife #mtvictoria #devonport #newzealandguide #newzealandpics #newzealandphotography #newzealandtravel https://www.instagram.com/p/CqHMBM6yRhA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The clouds in Auckland are mesmerizing, but difficult to capture #clouds #auckland #visitauckland #aucklandcity #nz #newzealand #newzealandlife #expatlife #weather #nature #sky #atmosphere #sun #light https://www.instagram.com/p/CqEUXrVSpgw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Silo park. Adjacent to the Auckland Fish Market and waterfront. A great place to walk, eat and let the kids play. Creative and thoughtful use of urban space. Just say Auckland is top 5 best work/life balance cities according to Forbes. #auckland #tamakimakaurau #visitauckland #aucklandcity #aucklandnz #aucklandlife #forbes #forbestravelguide #aucklandphotographer #city #citylove #cityphotography #nz #newzealand #newzealandlife #newzealandguide #newzealandphotography #familytime #familytravel #familyfun #playground #silo #waterfront #expatlife #kidsactivities #cityscapes https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5xwr5y4Pn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Denali National Park, be prepared for: Rain Bears No trails Bring your food and water Difficult to cross rivers Long bus rides Seriously challenging terrain Then amazing wildlife, hiking, views. #denalinationalpark #denali #rain #hike #hiking #hikingadventures #hikingculture #hikinglife #hikingintherain #hikingwithkids #usatravel #alaska #alaskaphotography #alaskaadventure #visitalaska #travel #travelphotography #travelblogger #nationalpark #familytrip #familytravel #outdoors #nature #landscape https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp3glwZSBGo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

How many pictures do you have of yourself that presses you to question your decision making? Here’s me casually swimming by a group of nurse sharks in Belize. Typically docile, they do have rows of serrated teeth and have been known to bite in self defense. I have worked and traveled in Belize for many years. It is a beautiful small country, English speaking, easy to navigate. Amazing scuba, snorkeling, Mayan ruins, beaches, jungles and wildlife. There are small islands to visit and the most amazing ruins in the world are a short drive away, Tikal in Guatemala. #belize #belizetravel #belizecity #belizevacation #belizeit #visitbelize #centralamerica #travel #travelphotography #travelblogger #nurseshark #shark #ocean #snorkel #sealife #wildlife #nofear #swim #travelawesome #dontbiteme #careful #youngandstupid #noregret #travelgram #traveling #makingmemories https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp1SqOXJFQv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

That time we hiked all day in Denali, ran from bears and my little bear slept the whole bus ride back. #denali #denalinationalpark #alaska #alaskalife #travelwithkids #hikewithkids #familytravel #familytrip #familyhike #travel #alaskaadventure #alaskalove #exploringwithkids #tired #longhike #travelblogger #dadlife #fatherhood #parenting #usatravel #nearmiss #living #livinglife #yolo https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp06PR9Sv88/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=