
Raise your hand if you have been here:
Been there. Done that.
My guess is you have, too.
So often when living an international life, we are straddled between brilliant and burdensome. And what we do with that oftentimes gets lost between instagram filters and Facebook posts.
That is why it’s my absolute pleasure to kick-off a special 6 Week Interview Series shedding light on topics that just don’t get enough attention in our globally mobile community.
In this series we use the lens of identity, belonging, culture, art, and parenting to uncover important issues related to expat life, as well as stare the less-than-sexy topics of finances and legal matters straight in the face.
What better way to begin than to welcome special guest, Cath Brew, author and illustrator of Living Elsewhere: Because a life overseas can be tough, and well, sometimes you just have to laugh.
She is the mastermind behind brilliant illustrations like this:
Admit it: you have that drawer, too.
Cath is an Australian artist and heritage interpreter who does what I have seen no one else do: she uses illustrations to help process the ups and downs of global living.
Cath grew up with a love of global travel and has lived in the UK for 11 years, and is fascinated by visceral experiences; those deep inward feelings from which we make meaning. Drawing has helped Cath process her complex thoughts and feelings from life abroad, and hopes that her book Living Elsewhere will benefit and inspire others.
I can tell you from experience: this book will make you snort laugh, and tear up.
I initially invited her to Expat Happy Hour because her work is amazing. What happened, though, was that the interview turned into more of an intimate exploration of the challenges of expat life, how we each have navigated rediscovering our “self” when adapting long-term, and even surprising strategies to stave off depression.
You can listen in right here: Living Elsewhere with Cath Brew
Here is to living elsewhere,