Two Fat Expats: Recent Episodes
Kirsty Rice and Nikki Moffitt
A catch up podcast for the New Year. Both Kirsty and Nikki’s youngest expat/repat children have now graduated from school and are on their way to university/gap year. We talk film, books and television.
Kirsty:
Disclaimer – Apple TV
The Season – Helen Garner
Apple Cider Vinegar – Apple TV
Nikki:
Zero Day – Netflix
Paradise – Hulu
Black Doves – Netflix
The post Expat Kids on Tour first appeared on .
Kirsty and NIkki discuss how differently there lives may had been had they done what they’d originally planned.
Kirsty’s favourites:
Dinasaur: Hulu, SBS on Demand
Fake: Paramount +
Dark Waters: Amazon Prime
Nikki:
The Gentlemen: Netflix
The Rest is Entertainment: Podcast
The post What if we’d gone home after five years? first appeared on .
Starting a chat with someone new can be a little scarier when you’ve lost that expat hook. You know the chat – so how long have you lived here? Where are you from? Where did you live before you moved here? Nikki talks about her new intro chats as a repat and how she’s coping with conversations that seem to go nowhere.
When were you your most confident as an expat? Was it pre/post expat? Nikki and Kirsty discuss when they were at their most confident and why.
Our favourite things
Kirsty:
Life After Life
The Bear
The Big Swing – Season Two
Angela Hicks on Instagram
Nikki:
The Three Body Problem (Netflix)
Lie to Me
Nikki has given birth to a poet
See you in the first week of August.
The post I’ve lost my hook first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
This week we discuss Expats the television series based in Hong Kong. The series is adapted from the novel The Expatriates written by Janice Y.K. Lee.
Nikki is 6 months in with her repatriation and has a very honest chat about being friendless and miserable.
Our favourite things:
Tiny Beautiful Things
American Fiction
Past Lives
Taylor Swift The Eras Tour
One Day
Expats
The post Expats – The Series first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
What is a good salary in Doha? London? Jakarta? We’ve all seen the questions based on how much money you need to make to survive, today we have a new question. What’s been the biggest cost you didn’t foresee when you moved? What did you forget to factor in?
We also talk about the grieving expat. Going through grief when no-one understands the enormity of your loss. How do we cope with losing expat friends when we’ve moved on to a new location?
Favourite things:
Kirsty:
We talk Robbie Williams, Last Stop Larrimah, and Glen Maxwell’s iconic cricket innings.
Nikki:
Bosch Legacy – Season 2, Hard Fork (podcast), and a little story about lost in translation
What are you watching and listening to? How’s life where you are this week? Link in the comments.
The post How much money will I need? first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
The Trailing Spouse is dead – this week on the podcast we talk about why the “Accompanying Spouse” has arrived. I mean the Accompanying Spouse was always a better term wasn’t it? We all walk side by side don’t we? Sidenote – the term Trailing Spouse will no longer be used in the Two Fat Expats Facebook Group with Accompanying Spouse being the preferred term.
We’re also talking Posh and Becks and how no matter how much money you have or how many football teams you own you’re still going to lay awake at night thinking of schools, finding a hairdresser, finding new friends and feeling like a fish out of water.
We also discuss dealing with strong opinions on your host country from people who’ve never lived there. Has social media made it worse?
Kirsty’s three favourite things:
Somewhere in Queens (Movie)
Blackberry (Movie – Amazon Prime)
The Morning Wars/The Morning Show – Season 3
Nikki’s three favourite things:
Nikki also loved Beckham
Silo (television – apple tv)
Getting a giggle from the silent walking trend aka walking
The post The Trailing Spouse is Dead first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
This week on the podcast we answer a question from the Fatterati’s “Should I go home?” We also discuss the complications of re-acquainting yourself with old friends after repatriation.
Kirsty’s three favourite things:
Exposed (podcast)
Deadloch (television)
Travis and Taylor and everything EVERYTHING about them
Ange Postecoglou and The Tottenham Spurs
Nikki’s three favourite things:
Sex Education Season Four (television)
The Newsreader Season Two (television)
Wilderness (television)
What are you watching and listening to? Are Travis and Taylor the content you didn’t know you needed? What do you think of the social media trend “Taylor put Travis on the map”. How’s life where you are? Link in the comments.
The post Should I go home? first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
🎧 Nikki has repatriated and she’s yet to make a new friend BUT it’s not all bad because she’s living in paradise AND she’s discovered her new favourite drink (a gin mule). This week on the podcast we’re talking repatriation, the good, the bad and the ugly cry. Kirsty’s three favourite things: The Girlfriends (Podcast) What’s love got to do with it (film) Matidlas (Disney + Doco) And I know.. Read More
The post Repatriation – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Cry first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
This was Nikki’s very last podcast before she repatriated.
The post When do you spill the beans that you’re moving? Long term postings or always on the move which one are you? first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
It’s been seven hours and sixteen years…yes I know the song doesn’t go like that but it fits with the intro. It’s been a long time since Kirsty and Nikki have hit the maternity ward so we asked the Fatterati what it was like to have a baby away from home. We also did an expat mental health check, Nikki is now down to her last week as an expat before hitting the repatriation trail. Lots to discuss.
We also gave you our three favourite things (which we didn’t agree on) Nikki loves The Diplomat Kirsty not a fan. Come and have a listen and tell us what you think.
See you next week.
The post Given birth away from home lately? Here’s how things have changed. Also, an expat mental health check. first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
What are some of the unique challenges long term expats face? Savings and superannuation, self care and medical issues? Heart breaking friend break ups? Property ownership and all the tax implications that come with it? We ran through a few.
We shared food discoveries from the Fatterati, what can’t you now live without?
Kirsty’s three things: The Fablemans, Chris Rock, Benjamin Law article on Survivor experience
Nikki’s three things: The witch trials of JK Rowling, Pokerface, MH 370 the plane that disappeared.
The post Want to know the truth? Here’s some long term expat challenges you may not have thought about. Food discoveries from the Fatterati. first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
Also, the ageist expat are you a victim or a perpetrator?
Kirsty’s three things:
Shrinking, The Big Swing and while we’re on the subject….golf!
Nikki’s favourite three things:
White Collar, 1923, Robbie Williams live in Copenhagen
And watch out Amsterdam we’re coming for you!
The post I don’t like it here – what to do when you hate your location. first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
Welcome to our first live audience podcast recorded in Singapore – yes yes Kirsty was in Singapore in 2016 but it was a 4 kids, 20 suitcases and a beagle reading whereas this was the full package!
The theme of the evening was friends. Kirsty asked Nikki will she have to change the way she recruits friends upon repatriation. What will be different? Nikki asked Kirsty How will you replenish or change up your friendship group post covid now that you have quite a defined time split between countries?
We then talked all things expat friendships before giving our three favourite things.
Kirsty:
The Kelce brothers and their mother Donna.
Here’s the video of her post game
Bullet Train:
This NYT article about why men find it so hard to make friends
Nikki:
That 90’s show
Offline – Jon Favreau – Interview with Dr Robert Waldinger (the Good Life – Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness)
Pivot – Scott Galloway – Friendship Aside
The post Doing it live in Singapore first appeared on Two Fat Expats.
Nikki is dealing with the realities of the impact her expat life has had on her family relationships and describes how it feels like a bit of a “kick in the guts”.
We talk about Kirsty’s book and its premise. Ever been described as excess baggage? Get ready for the reply.
Three favourite things Kirsty:
Meet Cute
The Good House
Helen had her baby – The gorgeous Wengel (meaning the good news)
Three favourite things Nikki:
The Sound: Mystery of Savana Syndrome
The Last of Us – Episode 3
New friends long coffees
How will you settle? Expats traditionally have itchy feet so how do you settle when you’re heading home?
How will you plan your expat year ahead? Or how will you divide up your time ahead? Now that expats are back travelling between countries what’s the most effective way to plan your year?
Kirsty’s three favourite things:
She said
Steven Spielberg on Smartless
Have you ever taken your kids to a driving range in the holidays? Highly recommend.
Our author friend Kylie Ladd
Nikki’s three favourite things:
Offline – Jon Favreau. Episode – How to Avoid Distraction with Johann Hari
‘Stolen Focus’ – JH book
Hard Fork (New York Times podcast) – Tik Tok and Chat GPT transforms a highschool classroom (for the better) and is M3GAN real?
The Last of Us – HBO 99% Rotten Tomatoes (not so much a recommendation more a discussion)
How will you cope with no-one giving a flying fig about your expat life when you’re home for the holidays or repatriating? Kirsty and Nikki discuss why expats are hurt by friends and family that appear disinterested in their expat lives. Is it time to accept that you’re really not that special?
How will you deal with newcomers writing you off when they hear that you’re leaving? And how will you keep yourself open to making new friends even though you know you’re at the end of your expat gig?
Kirsty’s favourite things:
The Flatshare
Mathew Perry’s autobiography
Cherry Cherry Yum Yum (NYT’s food)
Nikki’s favourite things:
Treason BBC
The Recruit
Turning on the subtitles to listen to the lyrics in films (Nikki swears you’ll be amazed)
Did you listen to last week’s podcast? Any topics you’d like us to discuss?
Let us know in the comments. xx
Will you be with family or without for the festive season? What do you do to make your holiday season special or is the holiday season non existant where you’re currently living?
Instead of our usual three favourite things with podcasts, movies and television we discuss our three favourite holiday traditions.
Nikki:
Making or tracking down Christmas Crackers and Bon Bons
Buying a christmas ornament from your expat location
Christmas Eve baking followed by a Christmas movie
Kirsty:
No more Christmas Wrapping Paper it’s recycled newspaper all the way with re-used ribbons
Teenagers/young adults filling the adult’s stockings
Christmas Movie countdown (three favourites The Family Stone, Love Actually, Christmas with the Moody’s)
In our would you/could you we discuss what Covid restrictions look like in China right now. Would you/could you move there? We talk to the Chinese Fatterati about their lives and report back.
Would you/could you make your house a home without your shipment? How?
Kirsty’s Favourite Things:
Colin from Accounts
Shetland
Magnetic Eyelashes
Nikki’s Favourite Things:
White Lotus Season 2
Wednesday
Long Lazy Lunches watching your expat kids catch up with old connections
This week on the podcast we discuss travelling between countries with medications and how to navigate when you’ve been prescribed something in one country only to discover it’s banned in the country you’re moving to. Nikki has some big news which leads us to discuss expat redundancy.
Nikki’s favourites
The Rest is History (The World Cup series)
The Inside Man (Netflix)
Limitless (Disney +)
Kirsty’s favourites
The Staircase (Netflix)
Pivot – Episode How to Raise the next Scott Galloway
Fisk (ABC Australia)
This week’s episode is all about the World Cup both in Qatar and South Africa. I’ve written a piece about living in Qatar and the recent press. Here’s a few of the links I talked about: David Beckham Peyton Manning World Cup Commercial Ghanin Al Muftah – the star of the opening ceremony. Michael Sheen – Welsh message Nikki’s three favourite things: Heartbreak High on Netflix The Handmaids Tale Season.. Read More
A quick chat about having the World Cup on your door step. Who has the longest work hours and is it just a part of Expat Life? Should you put up and shut up? What’s it like to work in Qatar during the World Cup? We answer your questions about our 200th episode: When and how did we meet? What was our favourite holiday as an expat? Where would we.. Read More
Are you ‘randomly selected’ for an extra pat down every time you make your way throught the airport? We think we may know the reason why. Listen in to find out why it’s happening to you. Would you/Could you break up a friendship over conversations about your children going to boarding school? Why does it hurt so much and how to gently discuss. Our recommendations: Kirsty: Fed Up, Liquorice Pizza,.. Read More
Nikki walks us through her covid on holidays experience. Would you/could you send packages to a transit hotel? What are the rules? Do all hotels let you do it or are some hotels going to charge you for the privilege? We discuss. Would you/could you set up a contract with your partner on how many times you’ll be heading to your home country (particularly if you’re both from different countries)... Read More
In would you/could you this week we discuss expat insurance. What do you need? Are you paying too much? Or have you forgotten to pay at all? We also discuss recent activity in the Two Fat Expats Group. Anger management, political commentary and killing the spirit of expats one post at a time. It’s time for us to have a chat. 🙂 Our favourite things: Kirsty: The Split season 3,.. Read More
We begin with a couple of would you/could you questions. Would you / could you leave an apple air tag in your shipment (either air or sea) to track your belongings? Would you / could you take a trip home without your family, if you all hadn’t been ‘home’ for a long time? Our favourite things Kirsty – Shane (Shane Warne documentary), House of Gucci (HBO Max), I’ve always struggled.. Read More
We begin with a couple of would you/could you questions. Would you / could you leave your child in your home country and return to live in your expat location without them? Would you / could you change your June / July holidays this year? Travelling in the European summer is going to be manic. We discuss some of the issues the Fatterati have encountered with flights, travel, unexpected quarantine.. Read More
Would you / could you agree to remote parenting roles while in separate countries? Nikki asks Why am I organising sleepovers from 10,000 miles away? Would you/could you tell me what an ESTA is and if so do you feel up to date with its rules and regulations since covid? Our favourite things Kirsty – WeCrashed (Apple TV+), Smartless (podcast), I refused to switch seats on a plane, was I wrong?.. Read More
Would you / could you (and where) would you swim in your current location? Would you / could you listen to a podcast at more than 1.0 speed? (Are we better at 1.5?) Would you / could you pay for the cost of your job interview if it was in another country? Would you / could you live the same life in two countries if you are splitting your life.. Read More
What happens when expat love turns sour. Two stories of betrayal, young love and then twenty years on, how do you protect yourself from getting burnt? Why is an expat betrayal any different. We decide on the best medical face mask to fly with. Stop overs in a time of covid, if you can’t fly direct what do you do in transit and how does it affect your choice? We’ve.. Read More
This week in would you/could you? Would you/Could you go out without a mask where you live? Would you/Could you call Lunar New Year Chinese New Year? Would you/Could you travel with just a ticket and a passport? We speak to Bridgee a Kiwi in Saudi. If you’re unaware of the situation in New Zealand and what it has been like for their expats and residents you NEED to listen.. Read More
We put a call out to the Fatterati and today we have an absolute gift for you. Sit back and enjoy some beautiful expat love stories. How did you meet? Where did it take you? Have you ever had a ten day first date? From a chance meeting on the dance floor in Guatemala, to running into someone while grabbing a coffee in rural china – in their own voices.. Read More
What did we talk about in 2021, quite a bit! Here’s a recap of the best bit. February Kirsty – It’s a Sin Nikki – Bridgerton March Kirsty – I made an adult (Tracey Crisp) The Adelaide Fringe Nikki – The Test Kitchen April Kirsty – Grace Tame – Press Club Speech Nikki – The One June Kirsty – Motherland Nikki – Mare of Easttown July Kirsty – Physical Nikki – Day X – New York Times.. Read More
Is there such a thing as your best Christmas ever? If so, where was it? We run through some of our favourite locations and moments as well as offering up some advice from the Fatterati on what made their Christmases so special. Nikki and I came to the general consensus that we have failed with Christmas this year – if you haven’t tell us what your secrets are. Our few.. Read More
Omicron has broken the hearts of many expats this week. With some of us being days away from getting on a plane before flights were cancelled and strict quarantine procedures rolled out. This week we talk about making plans in the world of Covid. Is it crazy to make plans? Or do we just need to be ready to pivot at all times? Small talk. Does it disappear in the.. Read More
This week we discuss Austria’s decision to make covid vaccinations compulsory. Who’s next? Can you keep your job while being a vacine hesitant expat? We also take a look at a new app designed to assist families to connect. It’s kind of like Tinder for families, would you do it? Will this narrow our expat world or expand it? Our three favourite things. Kirsty is in love with the story.. Read More
This week we discuss the pros and cons of returning to your “home” country for the festive season. We’re also talking Christmas markets in Europe – will they happen this year? Nikki’s trying to not get her hopes up after last year’s heartbreak of watching the markets in Hamburg appear one day only to be dismantled and taken away the next. Nikki wants to know if magic mushrooms are back.. Read More
How much sh*t do you ship? And what effect is it having on the planet? In the week of COP 26 we look at shipping containers and personal belongings and how we can be better at moving our things from home to home. How does a third culture kid react to a fellow TCK telling them that they’re not really from where they say they are because they’ve “never lived.. Read More
This week we talk about the death of the expat blog. Did Bloggers become influencers? Did Instagram kill the art of storytelling? Do we even want to read expat blogs anymore?? Then Nikki talks about her recent Saturday night and why it might signify that she now feels ‘at home’ in Denmark? This week’s favourite things Helen Garner’s lockdown diaries 2021 (this is the link to the audio) Invisibilia. Poop.. Read More
This week we talk about the things you didn’t know you needed until you got there. Nikki is all over her new phone cover for her bike (something she didn’t need in the US). What have you needed in one country that became irrevelant in another? A portrait of Ghaddafi to show your allegiance? Winterized tyres in the Middle East? What has been your hardest goodbye and why? We talk.. Read More
This week we talk about the best vaccination for international travel. What’s the most widely accepted? And will there be restrictions on where you can go and what you can do depending on your vaccine? We also talk about getting the cold shoulder when you arrive. Are you going to be welcome when you return home? Are you better off staying away until travel is a little more accepted? Here’s.. Read More
Business Travel. Are you ready for it? Are you busting to do it or are you a little bit wary? Personal travel is different (there’s a lot more margaritas) and you get to choose the destination and the activities – but business travel may have you heading towards a red zone, stuffy conference rooms and having to knock back that first offer of a hand shake. We also talk about.. Read More
Our two fat questions are vastly different this week. We cover how will menopause affect my expat life? And then what shall I buy as a hostess gift when I go to stay at someone’s house? Broad enough for you? Seriously though, what do you do if you’re an expat and you think you’re perimenopausal. Is it affecting new friendships? Is it stopping you from doing your job properly? Do.. Read More
If you had a chance to have a job in your home country (that you could do from anywhere) or a job locally, what would you choose? What makes more sense? Keeping one leg in the employment market at “home” or getting overseas experience? Does it affect how you settle into your new location? Nikki wants to know how you follow local media in a new country? Particularly if the.. Read More
Nikki gives us an insight into life in Denmark without covid restrictions. Spoiler alert…there was a buffet table! We discuss what airlines are doing to keep customers “on board” . Nikki mentioned this article https://thepointsguy.com/guide/airline-elite-status-coronavirus/ Do you re-invent yourself with every expat move? Can you do it both professionally and personally? Or is re-invention just an expat myth. Here’s just a few of our favourite things this week: Modern Love.. Read More
Okay I’m just going to put this out there. I talked about my clivia not flowering – and if that sounds really really naughty and rude it’s because you’re possibly not across the beautiful South African native. So if you want a smirk and a school girl giggle listening to me earnestly talk about the excitement of my clivia flowering might be it. Onwards! This week we talked about finding.. Read More
Are you trying to get into Australia? This week we spoke to Sarah from Mindful Migration. Sarah explained the options for getting back into Australia, and more importantly how you’ll get out once you’ve got in! Nikki talked about her recent move to Denmark. In case you missed it while Denmark has mandated it’s third covid shot (booster shot) it is officially opening up. Drop your masks, forget the tests,.. Read More
Kirsty has lost her tree, what was once a flourishing jungle appears to now be a burnt stump. Nikki on the other hand is trying to work out where the top of the tree begins. Who do you call when something significant happens? Kirsty wanted to know what Nikki wouldn’t be leaving Hamburg without which took the conversation to Libya, Canada, Jakarta, South Africa, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Kirsty’s favourite.. Read More
With Europe and the US opening up, but Australia shutting down who are the expats who will make it home for Christmas? Also we talk International Schooling, when do you decide where your children will finish their schooling? How soon is too soon? Kirsty’s three favourite things: Australian Story – A Balancing Act Catch of the decade Feel Good Nikki’s favourite things Snowpiercer The Bold Type Day X – New.. Read More
How do you keep your medical records up to date when you travel? Have you registered your Covid vaccine in your home country. Nikki’s decluttering, Kirsty’s rowing on her brand new water rower. Nikki is reading – The Mindful Way Through Depression – Freeing yourself from Chronic unhappiness. She’s also dowloaded “Insight Timer” a meditation app. Favourite things for Kirsty Motherland You can’t ask that Baby Surgeons Favourite things for.. Read More
Okay, let’s get the down low on digital vaccine passports. When and how will they work? What’s your small world story? For Nikki it’s her new apartment in Copenhagen, for Kirsty it’s all about the egg cups in Libya. Our favourite things for the week: Kirsty 1000 hour eyebrow mascara The Power of Being Yourself – with Travis Boak (podcast) Julia Roberts movies Nikki Mare of Easttown – HBO Max.. Read More
Kirsty opened a can of worms in the Two Fat Expats Facebook group with a question (that with hindsight) was always going to be problematic. “How do we make International Schools more accountable?” So how do we? We discuss in today’s episode what makes a great school. Is accrediation important? How do you measure the success of a school and what types of International schools are available? Nikki wants to.. Read More
In our four fat questions we discuss what will happen to the expats who cannot be vaccinated, those who are highly allergic, is this the end of their expat experience? We talk about the most successful moving stories, and is there a cap on how many times you can reinvent yourself in the expat world. Our Favourite things Nikki The One – Netflix Queen of the South – Netflix Conference.. Read More
Our anonymous question this week is all about staying together when you’re physically miles apart. How do you turn those “admin” phone calls into conversations that will brighten your day rather than leave you feeling flat and discombobulated. Our anonymous Fatterati member feels like her phone calls with her partner have become more like reporting in. We call in the experts and offer our own tips. Kirsty’s husband G has.. Read More
Season Seven. Episode Three. Are you trying to get back into Australia? Ever wondered what quarantine looks like? This week we take you inside quarantine in Melbourne, Australia. Long term Fatterati member Kelly tells us about taking her daughter back to Australia to begin University. What do you do if you’re an expat kid and you need a tax file number, medicare card, and bank account. Kelly walks us through.. Read More
Season Seven. Episode two. We’ve received our second anonymous question and it’s another cracker. A member of our Fatterati feels her partner may be having an affair. What would you do? And once you decide what to do what’s the best way to do it? If it were time to separate how do you extricate yourself? We discuss how to take those initial steps if you think your marriage/partnership is.. Read More
In the words of Vanilla Ice “Hey Fatteratti, if you gotta problem yo we’ll solve it”. We kick off with our first anonymous question and bring in the expat experts. Dr Sean Truman from The Truman Group answers all of our mental health issues in regards to expat life. We walk through the fat expats questions. When your children receive the feedback that their accent isn’t really theirs. Seriously. And.. Read More
Here’s the best of 2020 from the Fatterati. January Kirsty – Years and Years Nikki – Fleabag Season Two February Kirsty – Australian Survivor All Stars Nikki – Little Women March Kirsty – Stateless Nikki – Catch and Kill April Kirsty – Unorthodox Rabbit Hole (Podcast) Nikki – Fortunately with Fi and Jane After Life Season 2 (Netflix) May Kirsty – Four Corners – Outbreak Onboard (ABC Australia) Nikki –.. Read More
It’s Christmas week 2020, finally! This week’s four fat questions How do you manage Lockdown #3? How do you deal with four different lives in one email box? Is there such a thing as expat snobbery? What’s on your table for Christmas lunch? Our favourite things Kirsty wrote half her book in NaMoWriMo. 40,000 words, go Kirsty! The High Low – again, the very last episode or the one before.. Read More
Welcome back Fatterati! This week’s four fat questions Do you think your kids would be different had they not grown up as Cross Culture Kids? How? How do you go about college/university applications for your expat teen? What are your three favourite Christmas movies? You can love a city but can it ever love you back? If a city could love you as much as you loved a city, which.. Read More
Covid strikes in Adelaide (we recorded the day before lockdown hit) and Hamburg has had 3000 new cases in the last week but never fear we’re still here to talk all things expat. Our Four Fat questions: What gets you excited about a new move? What’s your clean out strategy before a move? Are you the mandarin or the garlic? It all makes sense when you listen, I promise! But.. Read More
The US 2020 election is over, was it really just a week ago? This week’s 4 Fat Questions If you had three uninterrupted months in your home country what would you plan? How do you present at online conferences in the time of Covid? Send Nikki all your tips and tricks. If you are moving over the upcoming summer where are you at? Why did Kirsty ask that ‘what’s another.. Read More
Nikki’s Corona app is back to green, no more tests required and a surprise birthday visitor for G in Adelaide. This week’s 4 Fat Questions It’s Election day in the US, do you follow US politics more or less than your own country? If you got a ‘Golden passport’ which country would it be from? What did Halloween look like this year where you are? When do you put up.. Read More
Kirsty’s been on a plane, Nikki’s had a Covid test because the Corona Warn App told her to. This week’s 4 Fat Questions How does Australia ‘feel’ now Victoria is out of lockdown? What are some of the things you are having trouble (Covid) finding in your country that you find strange? What are the other questions about the widely reported incident affecting an Australia flight from Doha? How do.. Read More
Kirsty’s youngest is off to boarding school and her husband has had some great scan results – no evidence of disease. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Covid related social media disagreements, just why? Are you saving or spending more with the ‘no travel’ 2020 situation? Have you ever had your credit card hacked, where was it? How are expats feeling about locations that they are not in right now but.. Read More
Mini break over, wouldn’t it have been nice to go on a trip, instead we are watching numbers go up here in Germany. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Corona culture shock, do you have it, will you get it? Best food discovery on your expat travels that you have bought back to your own kitchen? Do you have any missed connections as an expat? Why won’t Nikki share her chicken.. Read More
Kirsty’s beloved Port Adelaide are the Minor Premiers in the Aussie AFL season. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Considerations for negotiating a Covid and beyond job position? How do you research a new expat location? Could you do two weeks quarantine with an 8 day old baby? In what way will travel change post covid? Things we’re loving this week Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Table Read) – YouTube The.. Read More
The one where Kirsty’s daughter has exciting news. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Why are people surprised my husband has to go back to work in another country after his cancer treatment? How far ahead do you have to plan for your child who may be over 18 to stay with you or move with you in an expat scenario? How hard is it still for your favourite people to.. Read More
In Australia chemo and radio combo are over for G, that’s pretty awesome news. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Does being an expat stop you from being your authentic self? How do you cope with a tough week as an expat during Covid? Have you ever been a flight angel / flight buddy and would you? How does visa renewal look during Covid? Things we’re loving this week Flavour –.. Read More
It’s almost Spring in Australia but not quite yet Autumn in Europe, what is that about? This week’s 4 Fat Questions Why is it so hard to communicate through a mask in another language? How and why are Australians ‘trapped outside’ our passport country? When do you move into ‘move’ mode? Different schooling options, face to face, or otherwise? Things we’re loving this week JoJo Rabbit (movie) TIP – Two.. Read More
In Germany, school is back for the new year, but for how long? This week’s 4 Fat Questions How confident are we of face to face schooling continuing? What would you be doing now if you were a man? How do you look at your country when you’re away and when you’re ‘home’? Expat surveys, ever more than clickbait? Things we’re loving this week WSET course Live football The Resilience.. Read More
Another short break while we carried on with life things in our current Covid worlds. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Top tips on talking to Teens about moving? The new country 15 vs the Covid 19? Creativity during Covid up or down? From us to you – all the love Things we’re loving this week Quibi – quick bytes of tv Little Fish Delicious Magazine Podcast Global News Podcast BBC.. Read More
We’re back! Short break while we tended to other things but we are back for you and have a new set of questions to discuss. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Would you have an expat pre-nup and what would be in it? Is it summer if you can’t holiday, what should the Fatterati think about or do? Do you kiss your kids / family on the lips? How do you.. Read More
Nikki had her big birthday and the next day Hamburg announced the ability of up to 25 people to meet up privately in your own house. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Where will you retire? Why are people Covid shaming? How have you kept your kids immunization records? Repatriation – do you stay with family or rent elsewhere on return while waiting on return? Things we’re loving this week Untamed.. Read More
Exams are over and Buddy is off to puppy pre-school. This week’s 4 Fat Questions Have your children ever done a travel timeline? How to move items that are too big to go on the plane with you but too expensive to send via courier? Do you have a favourite outfit or personal item from your expat life? Will a global economic slowdown mean a global mobility slowdown? Things we’re.. Read More
It’s sparkling online learning exam week in Hamburg and an exciting new resident has arrived in Port Wilunga. This week’s 4 Fat Questions What do you look for in a cost of living comparison website? Repatriation this year, what will look different? Send my bag or Parcels to go? Significant birthdays during Covid? The book website – From a Birdie, the aggregator sending parcels / packages website – Easyship.com, Cost.. Read More
Kirsty mentions something about the ‘football’, and it sounded pretty exciting to her. Also the TFE Fatterati AFL tipping competition re-starts this week, find the link and details in the facebook group. This week’s 4 Fat Questions How do you move your desktop computer, hand baggage, checked or container? When you change hemispheres do your children jump forward six months or settle in for six months? Have you been to.. Read More
Nikki’s kids return to school but not quite the same way as Kirsty’s, another reminder of our different Corona worlds.
This week’s 4 Fat Questions
- If your child goes to school in another country, how do you deal with things you don’t agree with?
- 14 days in Quarantine as it is done in Australia now (put in hotel room for the entire time), what would you pack to take in with you?
- What’s a common mistake first time expats make?
- Are shipments going to take longer because of COVID?
Things we’re loving this week
- 10km walks (both of us)
- Hannah Gadsby – Douglas (Netflix)
- A Mindful Month with A Smiling Mind
- Rabbit Hole Podcast Episode – Seven: ‘Where We Go One’
- Rodham – by Curtis Sittenfeld (book)
- 538 Episode – One Virus a World Full of Responses (Podcast)
Nikki is back from her first international trip in the time of Corona, and it was quite the experience, we discuss.
This week’s 4 Fat Questions
- What do you do if your container goes overboard?
- How long would you keep an item in storage in your home country?
- What are your best online shopping tips during Covid? Have you been a long time online shopper?
- What extracurricular activities have YOU done in different countries you have lived in?
Things we’re loving this week
- Dying for Sex (Podcast)
- Dead to Me – Season 2 (Netflix)
- Dear Abby’s mother’s definition of maturity
- Four Corners – Outbreak Onboard (ABC Australia)
- Sweet Magnolia’s – Season 1 (Netflix)
- Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)
Phew – Kirsty’s son does not have Coronavirus, so the streak of no new cases in South Australia continues.
This week’s 4 Fat Questions
- Boarding schools in other countries, are you reconsidering this for your child/ren given issues around current international travel?
- If you are moving THIS summer, what additional hurdles are there?
- Leaving rituals, how have you left places before, how do you leave during Covid 19?
- How will schools greet new families in the coming school year? No more welcome bbqs?
Things we’re loving this week
- The Last Dance (Netflix)
- Ben Crowe – Mojo Crowe on Instagram and the SEN radio discussion about Ash Barty
- Wind of Change (Podcast)
- Becoming (Netflix)
We talk Mother’s Day 2020 and Germany’s current R number which is creeping over 1.1 right now and may mean changes in Nikki’s future.
This week’s 4 Fat Questions
- Does an expat have the right to protest in their host country?
- If you were going to double your bubble who would you pick? Would it upset anyone?
- How important is your luggage to you?
- Is quarantine fatigue something that expats recognise as familiar?
Things we’re loving this week
Kirsty’s loving creating and following a routine (while writing her book 🙂 )
- Start with a morning ritual
- Focus on 3 big tasks for the day (do the one you don’t like first)
- Schedule calls and meetings in the afternoon
-
Follow the 52-17 rule (Pomodoro technique)
-
Never have I ever (Netflix)
- All Rise (CBS – lockdown episode)