On the Move Again, This Time To…

In case you’re new around here, let me catch you up with the basic history of the Worldwide Webers. Over the past 5 years, we’ve lived in 5 countries across 4 continents. We started our journey in New York City, where we met and adopted our first furry child, hopped over to Singapore a few weeks after getting engaged, a marriage and a long flight later we blessed the rains down in Africa by moving to Johannesburg, South Africa with our second furry child, packed up our safari gear and our first human addition to the family to move north to Geneva, Switzerland, and finally added a future spouse for Princess Charlotte after arriving in London, U.K. So that makes 4 additional mammals since 2013, two furry, two smelly, and anyone’s guess which description is meant for the kids vs. dogs. And throughout all the exciting adventures, difficult transitions, endless visa applications, and annoying mover ordeals, my husband and I haven’t killed each other (which is the most impressive thing we’ve done, because…marriage).

Whenever we tell people about our expat adventures, the common reaction is the standard “wow, how cool!”, which is then followed by the casual look over their shoulder to make sure the authorities aren’t about to swarm as they’re clearly talking to wanted fugitives. And then, like a toddler, the “whys” start. “Why do you do this?” Unfortunately, our answer isn’t as exotic as our weekend plans and I generally respond with “why not!”. But in reality, our why is just plain old work opportunities and a desire to see and experience all that we can. Chris works in commodities and I worked in language translation for 8 years, which gave us ample opportunity for relocation. With the arrival of our daughter in 2015, I decided to transition from corporate cat wrangler to full-time mother, which is really the same thing without the salary and vacation benefits. So for the past 2.5 years, I basically birth, blog, and wipe boogers. And if you follow us on social media you’ll agree that the booger wiping is, in fact, a full-time position with our congealed mucus ball that parades as if it’s a human toddler. Each of our expat moves is motivated by either a better professional role for Chris or a better place to raise our minions. The dogs get no say in the matter and often get lured into boxes only to end up on a different continent a number of hours later. But as long as there are trees to pee on and treats to eat they don’t seem to be fazed by it.

So that brings us to present day, where I tell you we’re now living….drumroll please…NO WHERE! No, we’re not turning fully nomadic, we’re just technically homeless as we’re in between homes. We’ve officially packed up and left London and are moving to Geneva, Switzerland! Geneva, you might ask? Didn’t you already live there? Is it concerning that you’ve begun talking to yourself in question format? The answer to all the above is YES! Sometimes life is just like a 90’s song and it really is ironic that just a little over a year after we left Geneva we’re heading back (#alanismorissettegetsme).

In full disclosure, Geneva wasn’t my favorite place we’ve lived so far, but that’s mainly a result of me not really giving the place a fair shake the first go around. Last time with our constant travels and a young baby, I became a professional at making excuses to not put myself out there and make friends or create a community. Anyone that’s moved anywhere domestic or international I’m sure can relate! But with a new job for Chris and a new phase of family life ahead, I’m feeling pretty positive about the whole thing. The toddler will go to bilingual French/English school starting in September, so she can seamlessly transition from cheeky Brit to aloof French girl in a matter of minutes, and the baby will continue to look like he’s never eaten anything but fondue since birth. I, on the other hand, will have to eat chocolate and cheese to fit into our new Swiss community while no longer being able to fit into my pants. This is a hardship I am willing to bear for the happiness of my family. And the dogs will…pee on more trees, I’d assume.

We officially move in May which makes 6 places in 6 years (or 5 places in 6 years if you want to get really literal) and I’m excited to get into our new home and Swiss Miss outfits as soon as possible. Stay tuned for our daily stories which can be watched on either Instagram or Facebook to see how the transition goes! And if you want more than just the cliff notes of how we became these roaming humans then check out The Making of a Worldwide Weber. Or read up on some of the pros and cons of this expat lifestyle in my article, Lost in Translation: The Dichotomy of Expat Life.