Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Britain. Show all posts

My U.K. birth story

6 Sept 2017

It is Saturday morning. 3 days past my due date. I had a membrane sweep two days ago to try and get things going naturally. Correction. The midwife came to my house and attempted the sweep but she backed out when I found it particularly uncomfortable. It is Saturday morning and it seems nothing is happening.

my UK birth story


Christmas dinners in 4 European countries

21 Dec 2015

Ah... dreams of a mince pie by the fire. Children quietly playing with their newly unwrapped toys while a delicious smell of fresh cod fish coming from the kitchen.


Foodie penpals: British comfort food

27 Oct 2015

Ever wish you could get a little something from different places without leaving the comfort of your home? We do too.

Our story so far...

21 Sept 2015



A few weeks back, I shared my story over on My Expat family's Instagram account (#thepiripirionmyexpatfamily). If you have just recently started reading my blog or if you are just curious, here is a quick picture-based recap of our family story so far.

Expat goodbyes

29 Jul 2015

As we reach the summer in the northern hemisphere, goodbyes return in full force. Expats leave to go back home or move to another 'home'. Parties are arranged. And everyone says goodbye. It is a sad time to be an expat. 


Saying goodbye is part of our life and an important step into the expat experience.
When we moved to Germany, we had a big party with all of our colleagues and friends. When I left France, I never said goodbye to anyone because it was only meant to be temporary. I feel as though those missed goodbyes when I left France have cost me a few friends and I have always regretted not having kept more in touch with some of them.

Our French-Portuguese-English wedding

10 Feb 2015


I am not sure why but I have never written about my wedding here even thought it is a topic I like to talk about (who doesn't?). In a previous post, I wrote about having to go through several administrative land mines to get there, but I never really wrote about the wedding itself. 

Christmas crackers & other borrowed traditions

10 Dec 2014


As expats, over recent years, we have come to make our own Christmas traditions. We have borrowed a little bit from different countries we have lived in and from our own birth countries. These traditions have become part of our family and are becoming our family traditions.

Being a baby-wearing dad {a Piri Sojourner}

22 May 2014

Today's instalment of the Piri Sojourners comes from Jonathan who is blogging dad and fellow academic. I like his humour in his writing and I discovered he spent time not far from where my parents live as a language assistant. It is a small world. 
Jonathan (Dad's the way I like it) writes about wearing his son and the funny looks he might get doing so. We are a baby wearing family too and love it despite the comments!


Ever since our son was born just over a year ago, my wife and I have regularly carried him about in a variety of slings and baby carriers. In fact, he was several months old before we bought a buggy and we still regularly take him out and about in a sling rather than his buggy.

Pregnancy in Germany (versus the UK)

21 Feb 2014


As my second pregnancy enters its lasts stages, I thought I'd reflect on the similarities and differences of being pregnant in two different European countries. You would think that two European superpowers such as the UK and Germany would have similar practices in terms of how they approach women's pregnancy. Well, think again!

Safety and culture: marble tracks and my 18-month-old

4 Oct 2013


One thing living in different countries has taught me is that safety is not only personal but also clearly cultural. As soon as we moved to Germany, we discovered that, as opposed to the UK, Germany is clearly not as health and safety crazy. And, for me, this is a good thing.

it really works: my proud mum moment

27 Aug 2013

I am really sorry if this post sounds too much like I am patting myself in the back but most parents of multilingual children will understand where I am coming from.


A day at the Portuguese consulate (part 2): a medal for bad service

3 May 2013

In a previous post, I wrote about how our wedding was an administrative minefield for our respective countries' representatives. To be fair though, so far, the medal for worse consulate services has to be awarded to the Portuguese consulate in Manchester, UK. Admittedly, I am writing this despite me being a portuguese citizen. But being married to one, I have had to deal with them and my husband agrees with this anyway.


I won't tell you the story about them taking over 3 weeks to reply to emails. I won't write about how they make you retake any photo you bring them, no matter how much you think they comply with all the standards in the world. I won't tell you about the original document they refused to give back to a friend despite having no right in keeping it and how they sent that document to be archived in Lisbon and our friend having to pay a lawyer to get it back.

A day at the Portuguese consulate (part 1): where is Europe when you need it?

19 Apr 2013


As expats, we have had our fair share of dealing with our respective country's embassies for a whole range of administrative formalities: from a simple registration to registering a birth. Most of the visits are simple and get us what we wanted (or even sometimes more than we bargained for) if a little time-consuming.

Jellied eels and mushy peas or how our family adopted British food

22 Feb 2013

You see I am French. Whenever I speak to someone about the fact that I lived in England for 13 years, the topic of food invariably comes up. If that someone is French, I get something like: “oh poor you!”, “Did you eat lots of jelly and baked beans then?” or “I bet you missed French food!”. It is true that British food has had a very bad reputation for generations and still does to a certain extent. Chirac, former French president said: “It is the country [Great Britain] with the worst food after Finland.” While I know nothing about Finnish food, I know a little about British ones. In my opinion, it is one of the most under-rated in the world. 

Pimms's & scones


You can read the rest of this article on Nomad Parents.
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