Expat marriage is a blog that addresses the unique stresses and challenges that married couples face when living and working abroad.
Coping with the heat
Moving from a country with a relatively moderate climate to one which has hot summers has proved to be quite a challenge. It certainly would be easier if we had the luxury of air conditioning, however, unfortunately we don't. Feeling hot and sticky is not the most...
Fresh Paint
We are approaching the six-year mark in Hungary. We are feeling tired and the house is a little tired too. Our bedroom was very much in need of some fresh paint and as we pulled out furniture we realized how much dust had settled and that we needed to blow away some...
Water, water everywhere…
Where is the summer? Grey skies and rain have replaced the normal blue skies for this time of the year. The rivers are rising and yet more rain is on its way. Here in central Europe we have seen the flood waters reach record levels and we are grateful we live on a...
Naked Marriage
I recently read an article that quoted Anouk Turksma as saying, "Being abroad shows people their 'naked' marriage without the web of family, long-time friends and a known place in society around it". All the other expats out there would probably agree. Naked:...
Is Your Marriage Hot or Cold?
Is your marriage hot or cold? We have had on-going heating problems for quite a while. As the temperature began to fall we found it was increasingly difficult to cope. It turned out that not only did we need our heating fixed but we needed a serious upgrade. How many...
Turn the Other Cheek
You may think I am going to write about the principle of resisting the temptation to retaliate (Matthew 5), but instead of being hit on both cheeks in Hungary you are more likely to be kissed on both cheeks. The double kiss is a greeting for family, friends and...
What to do when your marriage is feeling the heat.
Anyone living in a hot climate knows the welcome relief air conditioning can bring. They may also know just how oppressive it can be when there isn't any air conditioning. Unfortunately, our car decided that removing the heat from inside the vehicle was a little too...
Moving Logs and Getting Rid of Planks
This morning we had the challenge of removing some logs from between the old house and the garage where they had been lying for the last four years. They had stayed put simply because they were really heavy and we simply didn't know what to do with them. As I looked...
A Missionary’s Desert Island Discs. Your needs for emotional survival.
Do you ever feel that you have been shipwrecked and ended up on a desert island? People surround you, yet you still have a deep sense of loneliness. If so then you are going through what many expats experience when they are first shipped abroad. You have needs,...
Teabags and Travel Insurance
BritishExpats.com recently wrote an article about the concerns of the Foreign Office regarding Brits visiting relatives abroad. With over 5 million British Expats it isn?t surprising that a hoard of relatives set off to sunnier climes each year. The Foreign Office?s...