I am a 33 year old Canadian, born in the province of New Brunswick but lived my adult life in Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving abroad. I now live in Brussels, Belgium. The short answer is we came here for my husband Andrew’s job in the IT sector. Andrew and I are both passionate travellers and we really wanted to see what living in Europe was like.
How long have you lived there and how long will you stay? What keeps you there?
We’ve lived in Belgium for over 5 years. The first 3 were spent in a small Flemish village outside Brussels and the past 2 have been smack in the center of the city. Belgium is one of those places where people come for 6 months to 3 years and end up staying indefinitely. It’s a very easy place to be an expat because there are so many of us here. I love the food, the access to cultural events and above all the ability to travel around Europe. Brussels is such a great location to see the rest of the continent from.
What do you do to make a living?
I am a photographer first and foremost but I like to be busy so I wear a lot of different hats. Besides photography I write and copy-edit for non-native English speakers here in Belgium. I also maintain two blogs – An expat blog called CheeseWeb and a blog for my photography business, ACM Photography.
Describe your average weekday and weekend day.
My average weekday is normally spent in front of my computer: editing photos, writing or copy-editing, and responding to blog comments and e-mail. The weekends from spring to fall are when I do the majority of my photography shoots. I’m a garden and travel photographer so good weather is a must. If I’m not on a shoot or travelling, I try to get to a museum or art gallery or maybe try a new restaurant to write about for CheeseWeb.
What skills have you learned while living abroad?
I think the biggest skill I’ve be forced to acquire is rolling with the punches. I like to be in control of my situation but when you become an expat so many things are out of your hands. Belgium is notorious for red-tape and a lack of information. You really have to be patient and go with the flow or you’d go mad.
What are you missing (professionally) by not being in your home country?
Honestly the professional opportunities are greater for me here than they were at home. My current career is entirely portable and at this stage I could move anywhere with a reliable internet connection and keep working.
If you could live anywhere, where would that be and why?
I’m open to living just about anywhere to be honest. I would like to live somewhere with a bit sunnier weather than Belgium at some point, but the sky is the limit really.
What is your favorite gadget that makes your work life abroad better?
Well the obvious would be my camera gear and my computer without which I would be lost. I couldn’t exist professionally or socially without my internet connection so I really admire people who took on expat life before these technologies existed.
Do you have a favorite book that inspired you to travel or consider a different way of living?
I love travel books in general but I can’t say that any inspired me to take on this lifestyle. I did enjoy the Year in Province books, Under The Tuscan Sun and The Ripening Sun but I also enjoy humorous takes on expat life like A Year in the Merde.
Other than yours, do you have a favorite expat blog?
I read loads of expat blogs and have about 50 in my RSS reader so I couldn’t possibly choose just one. I have a list of my favourites on CheeseWeb though and each and every one is worth checking out.
