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The Past!

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  • Feeeeelings

    My Year of Disrupted Sleep

    December 15, 2022

    Way back in early June, I had a conversation with a friend about my sleep habits. “How did you sleep last night?” She asked. “Oh, fine,” I replied. “I got up to pee about five times—” “Oh no,” she looked concerned and I had to laugh. Getting up to pee five times in the night doesn’t sound like a ‘fine’ night’s sleep, does it? But that was my baseline in May and June of this year. It was a fine night’s sleep because, even though I got up almost half a dozen times, I was able to fall back asleep easily afterwards. With the days so long in late Spring,…

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    And then I got published in a newspaper

    August 9, 2013

    He’s Dead So I Can Say Whatever I Want About Him

    November 13, 2017

    A Year of Self-Actualization

    January 7, 2014
  • Berlins and Outs,  Feeeeelings

    Traveling During the Pandemic

    December 1, 2021

    Back in October, I started working on a blog post. I was writing about the accidental Icelandic layover I had in early September on my way to visit the US. I was excited about that post, really grounding it in the sensory experience of being there, and I hope that when you read it, you’ll feel like you’re with me. But the next day, when I continued working on that draft, I decided it was irresponsible to share travel content without first providing some context about how I came to the decision to travel during the pandemic. 400+ angry words about the pandemic later, I decided this ought to be…

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    You May Also Like

    Let’s talk about depression and bicycles

    September 1, 2018

    4 Ways We’re Learning German

    June 5, 2018

    An Ode to Peanut Butter

    December 4, 2018
  • Berlins and Outs

    A Cove of One’s Own

    June 25, 2021

    It was already light out when our alarm went off at 4:43am. Last Sunday, to celebrate the summer solstice and the longest days of the year, E and I decided to get up at sunrise and go for a bike ride. We drank coffee and ate breakfast first – we were in no rush. We just thought it would be novel to be up and out of the house and taking advantage of the absurdly long June days. On our bikes at 6:30am and heading out of the neighborhood, we passed a single cafe that was already open. There were tables set up outside and more than half were filled…

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    Everything is Different Now

    April 22, 2018

    Traveling During the Pandemic

    December 1, 2021

    Have Fun and Be Safe

    March 20, 2020
  • Uncategorized

    One Month in Asia in 23 Photos, 2 Gifs, and 1 Video

    May 26, 2020

    Last Fall, when travel was still possible and we weren’t in the midst of a global pandemic, E and I flew to China for two weeks. We were visiting our friends, Eben and Laura, who had recently moved to Shenzhen to work at an international school. (Yes, these are the same friends who were displaced by coronavirus and now kinda, sorta live in Berlin for the foreseeable future.) After two weeks in China, E flew back to Berlin to start a new job (which you can read about here) and I flew to Indonesia. I spent a couple days on Bali traveling solo for the first time in years, and…

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    Emma 3 Comments

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    We Went to Kenya! Kenya in Africa!

    February 19, 2019

    Can’t see the forest for the baobab trees

    November 9, 2016

    Otavalo From Above

    November 18, 2016
  • Link Round-Ups

    Linkspiration: April 2020

    May 7, 2020

    According to my camera roll from the month of April, we’re spending this pandemic like so many other people: buying ourselves flowers, cooking elaborate meals, and experiencing strange issues during our videochats. We’re also celebrating birthdays to the best of our abilities. At the start of April, I turned 30, and I actually had less of an existential crisis than I usually do on my birthday. (It’s like when the whole world is in crisis it’s easier to keep your own problems in perspective?) Then two weekends ago, we biked over to our friends’ apartment to wish Eben a happy birthday while standing several feet away from each other and…

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    Emma 3 Comments

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    Travel Linkspiration: September 2013

    September 30, 2013

    Travel Linkspiration: May 2013

    June 5, 2013

    Travel Linkspiration July 2013

    August 2, 2013
  • Berlins and Outs

    Der Spargel in den Zeiten der Corona / Asparagus in the Time of Corona

    April 23, 2020

    Apparently, spring is my favorite season in Berlin. In general, fall is my favorite season, but I was traveling outside of Europe for several weeks in September 2018 and October 2019 so I haven’t spent as much time here during the fall. Conversely, this is my third spring spent entirely in Berlin, and… I’m pretty disappointed to be spending it inside. Obviously, I’m happy to protect myself and others by staying home. On the list of issues caused by this global pandemic, missing spring is a minor inconvenience. But it’s my minor inconvenience, so I decided to acknowledge it with a blog post about something that makes spring in Germany…

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    Emma 2 Comments

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    Everything is Different Now

    April 22, 2018

    Wrocław, or Emma Tries to Convince You to Visit Poland

    July 2, 2019

    An Ode to Peanut Butter

    December 4, 2018
  • Link Round-Ups

    Linkspiration: March 2020

    March 31, 2020

    In the last twelve days, I have left my apartment only once but, to be honest, it’s been okay. You’ve probably seen those introvert memes that say things like, “stay home and avoid everyone? I’ve been preparing for this my whole life!” I gotta say though, I feel like moving abroad and trying to be a full-time writer have prepared me well. Before this pandemic, I already worked from home and had to use technology to talk to most of my close friends and family. E and I don’t live paycheck to paycheck, we haven’t lost our jobs, and we don’t have children. We both have health insurance and we’re…

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    Emma 7 Comments

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    Travel Linkspiration: September 2013

    September 30, 2013

    Travel Linkspiration: May 2013

    June 5, 2013

    Linkspiration: April 2020

    May 7, 2020
  • Berlins and Outs

    Have Fun and Be Safe

    March 20, 2020

    At the start of this year, E and I were in Vancouver, where my brother and his partner RJ live, celebrating the holidays. RJ is a librarian and at the branch where they work, patrons were invited to share new year’s resolutions on a bulletin board. One of the resolutions, clearly written by a child’s hand, said, “I want to have fun & be safe :)” After RJ shared this wholesome, heartwarming nugget of wisdom with the rest of us, we agreed “have fun and be safe” was the energy we wanted to bring with us into 2020. It’s only mid-March, but I think we can all agree that 2020…

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    Emma 6 Comments

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    Bikes, Beers, and Beautiful Sunsets

    May 29, 2018

    To Make “Local” Friends or “Expat” Friends, That is the Question

    November 13, 2018

    The Egg Cups of Berlin

    June 19, 2018
  • Berlins and Outs,  Feeeeelings

    Do other people’s life decisions ever make you question your own?

    November 21, 2019

    A blogger I’ve followed for years (and met once in person) just announced that she and her husband are moving back to the US after two years in Italy. They moved to Europe with their dog and young daughter just six months before E and I moved abroad. When we announced our move on facebook, she commented, “Welcome to the fun side of the pond!” It was just one small comment, but I did feel welcomed — to the Americans abroad club by someone who had gone before me. Earlier this year, a college friend who moved to Berlin a couple months before us left for a job in Toronto.…

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    You Moved to Berlin for a Job, Right? How’s it Going?

    October 20, 2019

    Let’s talk about depression and bicycles

    September 1, 2018

    A Cove of One’s Own

    June 25, 2021
  • Berlins and Outs,  Feeeeelings

    How to Write a Book and Celebrate Your Accomplishments

    August 6, 2019

    I recently finished the third draft of my manuscript. (Pro-tip: when you’re writing a book, you’ll feel much fancier if you call it a manuscript.) My manuscript is 87,000 words long and some of those words are even good! Two years ago, after I typed “the end” on my first draft, I stood up from my desk, went into the bedroom, and sobbed. I couldn’t believe I had actually done it and I felt overwhelmed with emotion. I’m a crier (the working title of my book is Crying in Public), so this wasn’t an unusual reaction for me. But it felt like an appropriate way to respond to such a…

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    Emma 1 Comment

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    Visiting Home in New England and Returning Home to Berlin

    October 23, 2018

    Der Spargel in den Zeiten der Corona / Asparagus in the Time of Corona

    April 23, 2020

    100 Days of Learning German!

    July 17, 2018
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