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Yesterday was my very last “First Day Back-To-School”.

My kids started school before the photos with a poster of their key milestones that year were a trend, so I have no tangible memory of what they wanted to be when they grew up, what was their favorite colors that year, etc

One of my friends commented on my Facebook post (this year but also years before below the photo of my way of documenting 1st day 😉) your last Freedom Coffee!!. We used to joke that once kids were back in school OUR vacation were starting (because everyone knows that stay-at-home moms are on vacation all year round right 🙄). The Freedom coffee was the first coffee we could enjoy free of kids, talking about our summer and how we would tackle this new year but also trying to shed the “mom” talk and go back to “woman” talk (🤯).

*** oh no she’s not done talking ***

Coffee have always been a way to connect but in the Expat world it’s the ignition of your new life. Not only will you most likely get friends (and if you are lucky Best Friend) but you’ll also get answers to all your questions because that’s when you realize that we are all clueless at some levels trying to navigate this new country.

But in order to enjoy your Freedom Coffee with company you first have to get friends and in the expat world you find your squad at Welcome Coffees. The school Welcome Coffee is the obvious place for your first friends…. You have things in common: you have great taste in school (😉) and then the kids…. Sometimes they are even in the same grade and sometimes, jackpot, in the same class!. The other place to find people to connect with are Newcomers Group Welcome Coffee (there are some for every nationality) where you are not Little Timmy’s mother or Mr Jones’ Wife… you are just YOU.

There were no Welcome Coffee this year and I feel so sad for all the newcomers, especially the very new one who are just embarking into Expat Life because it will take them longer to connect.

*** back to one line comment underneath a photo tomorrow. Thanks for reading. ***