A story of love, values, and international careers — 1. Balancing Dreams and Logic I am a dreamer with a business and engineering background. I respect analysis and yet make room for gut instinct. My biggest dream was to marry someone I love and travel the world with him. Luckily I got to do both. We’ve been to 52 countries together. My favorites are…

From the diary of a former expat — Life as an expat can be heady at first, but it can get lonely too. You may have read glamourized accounts of expat life. So I am going to try a more de-glamourized and vulnerable one. The most exciting phase is when and how it starts. Then it’s about how…

The Walled Cities Across the Adriatic Sea — I have traveled every quarter since 2011, discounting the pandemic. 2011 was the year I fell in love with a guy who loves travelling as much as I do. It’s a marvel we get to do this while managing two full-time corporate jobs and now a toddler. Travelling is like…

Remember, all problems are human problems. — As someone who started in the corporate world over a decade ago, I can tell you it’s not always easy to see if you are adding value, especially if you change geographies and add the cultural conundrum to the mix. Having faced a burnout, I know this. (Here’s the story…

It can make an enormous difference — In the pre-pandemic pre-kid world, I got used to vacations in exotic locales in Europe or Asia. This made life exciting back then. This year my husband and I decided not to go anywhere to avoid long travel with a toddler in tow. So, I won’t be in Porto (as…

It’s not ‘your money’, it’s ‘the money’… — This is the first time I am writing about money online. How do you talk about it when in your gut you think it’s not your value? Also, you’ve been fortunate to have enough to meet your needs and strong wants. I don’t come from a lot of money. Like…

Not a traditional romance story — Most weeks I celebrate small wins. Like something at work or something in writing. This past week, my biggest win was getting my 2-year-old home in the evening from daycare. It seemed way more special. Navigating change is tricky, especially with a toddler. Every milestone and development is a cause…

But, don’t mistake it for niceness. — I haven’t always been kind. When I started working in India, I remember myself as a straight shooter who didn’t mince words and got used to adopting an aggressive style. I told myself this is who I needed to be in order to get the job done. I worked in…

How I channel the limitless supply when I need — It’s possible for the dark to become light. It’s possible for the fogginess to become clarity. So, ignore the voice that says otherwise. All you can do is make the journey sunny. This is what I tell myself when I am low. Feeling down becomes the sign to stop and…