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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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    Let’s talk about depression and bicycles

    September 1, 2018

    A Year of Self-Actualization

    January 7, 2014

    Righteous Fury: Thoughts on Politics and Religion

    October 30, 2018
  • 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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    Everything is Different Now

    April 22, 2018

    One Year in Berlin

    March 28, 2019

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

    October 20, 2019
  • 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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    Berlin, Revisited

    September 18, 2018

    Righteous Fury: Thoughts on Politics and Religion

    October 30, 2018

    Getting to Know Schöneberg

    June 4, 2019
  • 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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    This Time Next Week…

    April 24, 2014

    We Went to Kenya! Kenya in Africa!

    February 19, 2019

    So Much Moss

    November 10, 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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    Weekly Travel Inspiration: International Women’s Day

    March 8, 2013

    Travel Linkspiration: August 2013

    September 2, 2013

    Travel Linkspiration: January 2014

    February 2, 2014
  • 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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    A Cove of One’s Own

    June 25, 2021

    The Egg Cups of Berlin

    June 19, 2018

    Berlin, Revisited

    September 18, 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: January 2014

    February 2, 2014

    Weekly Travel Inspiration: International Women’s Day

    March 8, 2013
  • 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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    Wrocław, or Emma Tries to Convince You to Visit Poland

    July 2, 2019

    Residence Permit Problems

    May 15, 2018

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

    October 20, 2019
  • 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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    Emma No Comments

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    Thoughts on One Month of Living Abroad

    May 1, 2018

    Berlin, Revisited

    September 18, 2018

    Righteous Fury: Thoughts on Politics and Religion

    October 30, 2018
  • 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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    Have Fun and Be Safe

    March 20, 2020

    Spring in Berlin: A Video and A Love Letter

    June 12, 2018

    Bikes, Beers, and Beautiful Sunsets

    May 29, 2018
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