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{helpful readers}

i am extremely pleased to be part of a blogging community. before blogs existed, i would surf the web for bulletin boards or newsgroups in order to ask and find answers on a particular topic. mostly decorating related, of course. ;) now that i've been blogging full-time for over two years, i could never go back to the old way of the web. blogs are the best thing, you find people who listen and like you and there's an exchange of information through comments and emails. again, not sure how i coped before all of this but man do i love it. recently i wrote a post over at real simple where i blog on m/w/f each week, and it was to ask for help. i couldn't believe the amazing answers that came streaming in. i read through each and every single one, holding on to each word of wisdom, taking notes with pen in hand as i gazed into my monitor. if you are soon to relocate aboard or are about to, please read the comments left over there, they are tremendously helpful. are you an american living outside of the united states? where do you live?
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Comments

Anonymous said…
How on earth do you find the time for all these blogs? And they are all wonderful too!
May 14, 2008 at 3:29 AM
Soie Belle said…
I am not an American living outside the US but a French living in the US!
When I relocated from the UK to be with my husband, I left a lot of stuff behind! it was a great time to reassess my possessions. Lot of clothing and small items went to charity. I gave away stuff to friends. I packaged personal stuff that I knew I couldnt replace. A few pieces of furniture that I was attached to. In my case, it was important to take some things with me as I was leaving for good. For a second home, I would take things to decorate, like art work. Practical things like china, linens, I would buy locally. If you have questions, drop me a line. I have moved almost 20 times in my life, different countries and continent! Good luck :)
May 14, 2008 at 3:40 AM
Anonymous said…
I wish I could answer your question by saying that I was an ex-pat living in Scotland, but alas. Maybe someday. In fact, you have inspired me to make living in another country one of my goals in life. Heck--why not, right?
May 14, 2008 at 5:36 AM
tatwans said…
I am an American living in Sydney Australia. Moved here with 8 boxes and my partner...While he went to work I freaked out about the house, friends, work(or I should say not having any), and other. Take it slow and enjoy, soon enough you'll be back your to old routine and forget you ever moved. I can't wait to hear about all the little quirks that come with moving to a new country. "Thanks" for blogging, it's one of the only things that connects me back to the States.
May 14, 2008 at 6:32 AM
Alex said…
I'm currently back in the states, but my mother's an American living in Italy (for the past 25 years) and my father is American and lives in Hong Kong. Before that, he lived in Korea and France.
May 14, 2008 at 6:32 AM
Retta said…
Hi Holly, I love decor8, and just popped over here to see your new blog! We are Americans living in Hong Kong. We've lived here for 3 years and are relocating back to America this summer. I've had so much fun buying furniture and little things here and there during all of our travels in Asia, and I'm looking forward to seeing your fun finds in Europe!
May 14, 2008 at 7:30 AM
zoe said…
Thanks for the link to your comments, they were very interesting and helpful to read. And also a reminder that other people do it too. I'm an American who moved to Israel for 2 years with my fiance's job. It can be scary and very lonely when you don't know anyone (or what you're doing!), but it's amazing how blogs have created such a network. Honestly, I don't know if I could have done it without them! You read stories of other peoples experiences (trying to buy food with labels written in another language, getting frustrated when all you want to do is find a post office to mail a letter, gawking at the fact that Living Etc Magazine costs $18!) At the end of the day, you have to laugh and remember that as long as you keep your eyes open and try not to clench them with fear or frustration, You'll end up with some inspiring experiences, which in turn makes for a perfectly decorated life.
May 14, 2008 at 9:15 AM
Juliette said…
I'm an American who moved with her German husband (teacher) to Marburg, Germany. It's a great little university town and we live near the center with a great view of the castle. I miss quiet, open, green spaces (and the ocean most of all), but cherish my two balconies and little yard. We bought a junky car when we first moved here last June, but sold it in February to switch to just bikes and car-sharing - I love that we can do that!

I guess being open to new stuff, not expecting a whole lot, and being flexible are key to making the transition easy. It also helped that we moved to an area where my husband already had friends. Your connections to the area will really help you get up the courage to 'get out there' more than if you had none, so that's great!
May 14, 2008 at 9:42 AM
flapjacs said…
Hi, I'm not American, I from New Zealand. I have lived in Japan for twelve years (my husband and two children were born here).

I'm very close to my family. I didn't feel homesick until I had kids. Then it was so tough to be away from (mainly) my mum. When you have kids (somewhere down the line) if at all possible I'd recommend having them in your home country where you understand the system and have your support network in place. You won't believe how much I missed my mum, sisters and aunts when I had my first child and how hard it is when we visit NZ and have to leave.

All the best, I love this new direction on this blog!
May 14, 2008 at 12:12 PM
nothingistrue said…
american recently moved to Switzerland from San Francisco with my Swiss wife and our 2yo daughter. Fortunate to have my wife's family close by, so that helps. Her mother actually helped track down an apartment and partially furnish it before we got here.

We got rid of almost all of our belongings before we moved, though we still have some boxes and a 3-4 furniture items in storage back in SF. We came over with 6 suitcases filled with our clothes and some other personal belongings. We've just been slowly replacing some of the stuff we had (but not all, it's lovely to shed a layer of superfluous stuff).

Hope you have a lovely transition, keep up the awesome blogging!
May 14, 2008 at 12:31 PM
muralimanohar said…
Another American living in Sydney. Been here 3.5 years this time around, but have been back and forth between the States and here for the last 15 years. I married a Kiwi who was raised here, so this is his home base, and the US is mine. All this moving is great for shedding everything but the important stuff, lol.
May 14, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Anonymous said…
I'm an American living in London, UK. I've lived here for nearly 6 years now, and the last year of that has been spent living on a giant ex-hotel barge on Thames (right by Tower Bridge) that my English boyfriend and I bought to fix up, live in, and avoid the property ladder. I'm mostly reading design blogs and dreaming right now, though, because all I see in my future for the next few years is insulation, saws, screwdrivers, and angle grinders!
May 14, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Anonymous said…
My husband and I are packing up to move to London in 2 weeks! We are moving for his job and I can't wait to explore. We just got back from a trip to find a place to live and we can't paint the walls and I am pretty bummed!
May 14, 2008 at 5:10 PM
Anonymous said…
American living in the Bahamas. I haven't lived in the US for about 5 years and don't feel like I will ever really have my own permanent place. So I am living vicariously through all your links!
May 15, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Anonymous said…
Another American in London here. I've been here ten years now -- I came over as a grad student and forgot to go home. There were a few blips along the way where I thought I would have to move back to the states, but everything has had good timing and worked out just perfectly. Property wise, it was (is!) definitely a process, as I started off in a student house, moved into a shared house, got my own tiny beige flat and finally moved to a place I (we!) love just before Christmas...but of course with the market in London what it is right now, we are just renting! But saving now so perhaps we can buy when the market corrects itself.
All the best for your move!
May 15, 2008 at 8:43 PM
Beth said…
I'm from Kentucky and live about 30 miles north of London. I've been here since 1999 and don't really see going back to the States in the short term future. I married a Brit. :)
May 15, 2008 at 9:23 PM
Anonymous said…
My husband and I just made our second international move in 2 years (!) back to Kaiserslautern, Germany. We are both originally from the South, and after several years in Germany we decided we wanted to move somewhere warm, so we moved to Portsmouth, NH (I don't know what we were thinking) and lived there for 18 months before taking a transfer back overseas.

Your blog is ab fab and I have added it to my favorites. :)
May 15, 2008 at 11:41 PM
sarah b. said…
Love the new blog! I'm a Texan moving to The Netherlands in August with my beagle to marry a lovely Dutch guy. I've spent a significant amount of time there over the past 2 years, but I'm excited/nervous to actually LIVE there officially. I'm moving with only a few suitcases of clothing and whatever else I can cram in there. We're going to need to buy every single thing for our new apartment & I'm looking forward to it. (I'm also looking forward to finally not having to drive a car to get anywhere!) I'll be documenting my progress on my blog, of course.
May 16, 2008 at 5:22 AM
haus maus said…
how romantic, sarah! i live only a few hours from the border of holland and i'll be in amsterdam and den hague the 1st weekend of sept so maybe you can meet me for coffee somewhere! :)
May 16, 2008 at 5:28 AM
kirstin said…
I am an American living in the south of France in a very rural village. I have been here for 3 years and make frequent trips to the US. It is difficult and lonely but also a great experience. This is the time for flea markets and Attic sales... may-sept. You can find amazing things for almost nothing. It seems most French don't like old things so they get rid of everything...come visit.
May 17, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Katie said…
I am an American living in Canada (only 1 1/2 hours from the border) but sometimes I feel like I am WORLDS away! I actually took my first "interior decorating" class while living up here and I am in love with both of your blogs! Thanks so much for providing me inspiration for when I get back and get a home of my own! Renting stinks! :)
May 18, 2008 at 2:22 AM
Unknown said…
Hey Holly. I've followed Decor8 for a long time and now I can officially say that I've read through all your posts here on haus maus. Thanks for being such an inspirational blogger.
To answer your question: yes, I'm an American living in Indonesia. It's quite a big change and lonnggg trip over but it is totally worth it and I'm enjoying life to say the least.
Look forward to hearing more from you.
From Bali With Love,
http://annaelizabethpoole.blogspot.com/
August 10, 2010 at 5:48 PM
Unknown said…
Hey Holly. I've followed Decor8 for a long time and now I can officially say that I've read through all your posts here on haus maus. Thanks for being such an inspirational blogger.
To answer your question: yes, I'm an American living in Indonesia. It's quite a big change and lonnggg trip over but it is totally worth it and I'm enjoying life to say the least.
Look forward to hearing more from you.
From Bali With Love,
http://annaelizabethpoole.blogspot.com/
August 10, 2010 at 5:49 PM
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