Field Notes: A Journey Through Life Abroad

A narrow, weathered alleyway in Stone Town, Zanzibar, featuring historic white-and-yellow buildings and a traditional wooden door under a carved stone arch.

Africa

Inside Stone Town, Zanzibar’s Cultural Heart

Rain is pattering the windows; hardening splashes that threaten a tropical downpour. Sliding open the balcony door, I peer onto the white-and-yellow storefronts below: vendors are already sheltering in doorways.…

A young family stands on a white stone staircase in Santorini, Greece, with iconic blue-domed churches and the sparkling Aegean Sea in the background.

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Interview

Leaving the U.S. to Build a New Life in Greece

When Cara Celeste West left the United States with her young family, it wasn’t driven by restlessness or a desire to escape. It was a deliberate decision shaped by motherhood,…

A small squirrel monkey with a white face and orange fur clings to a vibrant green palm frond, illustrating the daily presence of wildlife in Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica

Top 10 Culture Shocks You’ll Notice When You Move to Costa Rica

Even if you’ve visited a country many times before moving there, the experience shifts once you live there. Vacations offer a curated glimpse, but living somewhere reveals the unedited version.…

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South America

A Welsh Homeland at the Edge of Argentina

A New Wales in the New World Picture this: you’re in a cottage, tucking into a plate of Bara Brith with a cup of tea. The sound of Christian hymns…

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Africa

Helicoptering to Botswana’s Sacred Hills

“Are you ready?” Our pilot swivels his head, and I nod instantly. The helicopter lifts, then lurches forward. I watch as bulges of partially-submerged hippos and wandering elephants appear in…

Families and children playing soccer and enjoying beach activities together in Costa Rica, demonstrating community bonding and social connection

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Costa Rica

Building Community in Costa Rica

Community matters everywhere, but in Costa Rica, it feels even more essential. It’s a gentle net that rises beneath you on the days when the power flickers out, the water…

Kurdish women in traditional dress at community gathering in the Kurdistan Region, representing the vibrant cultural life and social fabric of Kurdish society

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Field Notes

Beyond Conflict. The Story of Kurdish Iraq

Iraq’s recent past has been marked by turmoil and strife, from dictatorial regimes to a brutal war that claimed more than 120,000 civilian lives in 2006, and the advance of…

By moving out of London, Londoners seeking calmer, more affordable lifestyles

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United Kingdom

The Mass Migration Out of London

In recent years, there has been a surge of dissatisfied Londoners moving out of London for greener, calmer, and more affordable pastures. Although net migration numbers had been creeping upward…

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Expeditions

A Serengeti Dream Season

Southern Birthing Grounds Just about everyone with adventure in their soul dreams of experiencing an Africa safari. But Africa is a very big place. You see, the average person has…

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Interview

The Veteran Rewriting His Life Abroad

John H. Davis has lived more than one lifetime. He served in the U.S. Army, deployed to war, rebuilt himself through higher education, earned a master’s degree from Harvard, and…