I met another solo female traveller / L.A. native yesterday and it was FUN! She’s a young woman who came to Pakistan on her own and did it “her way” … not going only to the most popular area (“The North”) but also spending WEEKS in one of the least…
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Update: Ali Medical Islamabad Overcharged Me (up to 4,400% more!)
I had no idea that Ali Medical charged me 4,400% more without telling me I had choices.
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Choosing Single Momhood & Travel Over a Relationship (and Normal Life!)
I didn’t start out as a minimalist who STRESSES OUT when I own more than 3 suitcases full of “stuff” but that’s me today. Who we become is shaped by so many factors. We are all different and that’s what makes this great big world of humans so magical. But,…
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It’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE ❤️ …to do. …to learn. …to become an explorer. …TO DREAM! Doesn’t matter where we’re from or how old we are, we all have dreams. One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is permission to follow our heart and follow our dreams. Uncovering and…
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Appendectomy Surgery Ali Medical Islamabad: The Surgeon vs. Hospital Ethics
10 days ago I had an urgent appendectomy surgery that took me by surprise. I’m a foreigner alone in Pakistan, which plays no part in this except maybe the fact that I am female. PLEASE READ UPDATE 24-AUGUST >> I wrote a 2nd article detailing just how much Ali Medical…
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Not Everyone is Free: Thinking About Dreams vs. Duty
It was in 2011 when I moved to India for 3 years that I learned not everyone is free to live their dreams. In the U.S. & Spain, trying to follow our dreams was normal, typically just more of a challenge for women than for men. But in some countries,…
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Starting a Book About My 2 Years in Pakistan
I have Pakistan on the BRAIN!! For weeks I’ve been plotting scenes, choosing what I’d share and what I won’t share, and starting to write the story of my two years in Pakistan and it’s making me relive A LOT! There were countless wonderful new friends. Millions of smiles. Remote…
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Life Abroad: It’s Embarrassing to Be American Now
E Pluribus Unum. That’s the motto of the USA as established by our founders. Unless someone is Native Indian, every American is the descendent of an immigrant. For the most part, NOT posh foreign emissaries but immigrants (rich or poor) who moved to the USA to live a better (or…
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In Pain: Ghosted by Person I Love Most in the World
I had a daughter. I was never a traditional “tv mom” I’m sure, but she was my greatest gift & I love her with my whole heart (yes, love not loved … will explain). When she was one year old, I divorced her father because he was a bully, abusive,…
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21 Years Single by Choice … and I’m Happy
It’s strange to sit back and do the math and realise that it has been 21 years since my last proper boyfriend but that is how long it has been. The year was 2005 and he and I were like chalk and cheese and it didn’t last more than a…
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How Putting On Weight Has Changed My Life
It started back in 2015 if I’m being really honest. I went through a pretty dark time in Hong Kong after losing my job and feeling the weight of responsibility to pay for my daughter’s uni and accommodation fees alone because my ex-husband never paid child support or helped with…
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Mother-Daughter Challenges & Living Far From Home
If 2 people were ever more opposite, it would be me and my sweet Mommy. This is true down to the base core of who we are. And it’s been our greatest challenge to overcome. The obvious is that I am tall and she is petite or she was born…
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Police Update: Pakistan Abuse of Power Article
On Sunday, a gov official in Pakistan informed me that a formal investigation has finally been initiated to look into the crimes of the man who tried to r@pe me in 2024, Fawad Syed Shahnawaz (who pretended to by a coordinator to the chief minister of Balochistan when I met…
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I Was 40 When I Made My 1st Muslim Friend (in Bangalore, India)
A Story for Ramadan 🌙 I made my 1st Muslim friend in 2011 when I moved to India. She was a co-worker who helped me see the truth of her beautiful religion, and helped me to realign decades of misinformation I had in my head. You see, in the U.S.,…
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Realising I Let Myself Fall Into Depression
It’s easier to see CHANGE in others than in ourselves. This year a lot happened and I wasn’t self-aware enough to course-correct the darkness I felt. OR perhaps it’s more honest to say that I let myself lean into it due to a bit of depression. Since January, I experienced…
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I Was Found Guilty of Cybercrimes in Pakistan (PECA Blasphemy Laws)
While trying to secure funding for a project that was approved by Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) last year, I was almost raped by a man pretending to be Balochistan Chief Minister Bugti’s coordinator, a secretary to the Chief Minister tried to extort me for sex, a female politician victim-blamed…
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My Story of Abuse of Power Working in Pakistan
VIEW GUILTY DECISION HERE Since 9/11, I’m the foreigner to explore Balochistan, Pakistan the longest, 50+ days across 10 districts in 2021 (+ 20 days in 2024 = 72 days total). Travelling there was the most fun I’ve had in decades and the closest I felt to a proper explorer…
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Having Male Friends in Pakistan is Complicated
You might think the biggest cultural difference a liberal Californian in Pakistan would experience is around religion but that’s not the case (this is the 3rd Muslim-majority country I’ve lived in, I love them). Where I struggle is around dealing with men. Western women are accustomed to having close relationships…
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Have a Zombie Apocalypse Plan if You Live Abroad
It wasn’t long after my daughter left the nest (and I was deep in empty nest syndrome) that I genuinely – HONESTLY – put thought into a Zombie Apocalypse Plan. Well, for comedic effect, that’s what I called it anyway. It was more like: if the world falls apart, how…
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Go on a Solo Travel Digital Detox for Peace of Mind
Last week I spent 4 days in a lush Malaysian rainforest, experiencing the first meaningful DIGITAL DETOX of my life. My days were spent between fighting an involuntary reflex to reach for my mobile, heading out on adventures, or enjoying long hours of stillness … and it was great. Mostly.…
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Accepting Being Ghosted is Anguish
It’s not often I feel both PURE JOY & ANGUISH so raw. Today I’m the happiest in years, with my life “uncharacteristically responsible” and re-established in my favourite Asian city, Kuala Lumpur. Wonderful clients and (starting next week!) travel adventures that enrich my days. A new radio gig every Friday…
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Every Day I Ban & Block Pakistani Men Online
I moved out of Pakistan months ago but still – even TODAY – I’ve had to ban and block 3 men on social media 😡 If you follow my channel, you know I LOVE Pakistan. Pakistan was my favourite adventure I’ve lived in decades. I have only good things to…
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My Last Day as a Digital Nomad
It’s 6pm and yes those are pyjamas – the official uniform of many working from home! That’s also a vodka soda with a splash of some yummy Malaysian berry something or other, not tea. I’ve been packing up my temporary condo ‘cuz tomorrow’s a big day. Well, I suppose today…
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Living Abroad is Just More Exotic! (PS. I Miss Nomad Life)
Wandering. Adventuring. Exploring. That’s the aspirational way I’d categorise the nomadic lifestyle that I’ve just left behind. On paper (or I guess on Instagram) it looks tempting to live it. Seems like it’s full of mostly highs, which like any life it is not. But that life is addictive and…
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Being Told to “Shut Up & Go Back Home” in Pakistan
SHUT UP & GO BACK HOME 😡 Go back to the U.S. Go back to your loved ones Go back to your homeland where you belong This post isn’t about racism yet I am receiving comments like these daily since deciding to share (confess?) more honestly on social media again.…
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Covid-19 Expat Life: I Want To Stay In Asia
I left home the first time at 20 to travel solo and live in Mexico. From there life has been about exploration, discovery, and living in a way that drove my parents crazy and is far from conventional. Well, now my nomadic lifestyle is in true danger. I’m currently living…
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I Was Attacked By Man With Machete in Indonesia During Pandemic
The Attack: 6 April 2020 at 3:45am Today’s #lockdown video is not a fun one. I was woken up this morning at 3:45am by a man in my room wearing a hoodie, mask, and gloves and wielding a machete. Screaming HELP at the top of my lungs woke my neighbours…
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Expat Life: Lack of Friends Causes Mental Health Issues
I’ve started writing this blog post 10 times, 15 maybe. I’ve even finished it. But that was when I didn’t feel much positivity and those posts were DEPRESSING AS HELL. But that’s changed now so I’m going to try again. The reason I never launched the blog posts I wrote…
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Empty Nest Syndrome: Saying Goodbye Gets Easier (a happy story for single moms)
When she first left the nest, I had no idea what I was going to feel or ultimately go through. I knew that I’d miss my daughter but … nothing prepared me for the almost literal hell that consumed me after she left. I never understood women who had postpartum…
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Empty Nest Syndrome for Single Moms
In this VLOG: How to identify if you have Empty Nest Syndrome How to deal with it as a single mom How NOT to behave with your child because of it I first wrote about the challenges of empty nest syndrome for a single mom when I was living in…