I vividly remember a conversation Shane and I had after a few years of living in the Netherlands, during which we talked about how cool it would be to say we had lived abroad for a decade. Well, as of May, we’ve met that benchmark! We’ve officially spent a decade living abroad! To celebrate, weContinue reading “Heidelberg, Germany + 10 Years Abroad!”
Tag Archives: Expat
The European Shwits are Back!
Fun fact. We’ve technically been in this new apartment in Germany for roughly two months, and it was only yesterday that we figured out how to register and pay for electricity. 🤦♀️ Good news, we can backdate it. 😆 I say technically back in Germany because we arrived from Ecuador and almost immediately left forContinue reading “The European Shwits are Back!”
Ecuador Reflections
It seems like both yesterday and a thousand years ago we were packing our bags for Ecuador. Now that we’re back in Germany, I wanted to reflect on our experience living there. Without a doubt, we are different people now than when we arrived, in a good way! So, here we go. First, this soundsContinue reading “Ecuador Reflections”
BFF Ecuadorian Adventures, Part 2: Quilotoa Lake
The strike is over! After 18 days, the Ecuadorian government and the protest leaders reached a peace agreement. In the end, they negotiated lower gas prices, more money for education, some debt forgiveness, subsidies for farmers, healthcare improvements, amongst other things. Unfortunately, Sis and Terry still had to cancel their trip (they should have arrivedContinue reading “BFF Ecuadorian Adventures, Part 2: Quilotoa Lake”
Getting a Professional Visa in Ecuador: A Cautionary Tale
Do you know what I hate? Not rules. I actually don’t mind rules. I may not always agree with them, but I know what to expect from the situation. What I hate is ambiguousness. When it comes to bureaucratic nonsense, I get it. There are going to be hoops to jump through. But, I wantContinue reading “Getting a Professional Visa in Ecuador: A Cautionary Tale”
Tena, Ecuador: Arahuana Jungle Resort & Spa
Sometimes I forget that Tena is actually a city surrounded by nature…rainforest nature. A mere 2.6 km outside Tena is this beautiful resort tucked away in the forest. We first heard about Arahuana from Shane’s work colleague, who described this magical Resort del Dia (resort for the day) package. So, a few weeks ago, whenContinue reading “Tena, Ecuador: Arahuana Jungle Resort & Spa”
Tena, Ecuador: Six-month Impressions
It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been in Ecuador for six months! Talking about how time flies feels cliche; it’s simultaneously so overused but so true. On the one hand, it feels like we’ve been here for a while. We’ve settled into our apartment and gotten into a daily routine. On the other hand, whereContinue reading “Tena, Ecuador: Six-month Impressions”
Hello, 2022!
Belated Feliz Navidad and Feliz año nuevo! A little belated, of course. A brief life update. We DO have visas now, but the process is still ongoing. So, more on that later. For now… Christmas in Tena! Since we went home to the US twice this year (🙌), we knew we were going to stayContinue reading “Hello, 2022!”
The Shwits 