The Blank Space
Someone asked me recently what the hardest emotional moment of our emigration had been. I thought I should have a big answer. Something dramatic. A crisis, a breaking point, something you could point to and say- that was it. But it wasn’t anything like that. We’d been in the U.S. a few days. Everything still […]
Homesick Over Chicken Schnitzels… Yes, Really
When you emigrate, you miss the big things. Family. Friends. Home. All the time. What you don’t expect is how much the small things can get to you. For me, it’s Woolworths food. And more specifically… Woolies chicken schnitzels. I know how ridiculous that sounds. We live in the USA, where you can get just […]
Emigration doesn’t just test you. It tests your marriage.
Nobody really talks about this. We obsess over the visas, the schools, the shipping containers, the logistics of it all. But underneath everything is something far more fragile… your relationship. Marriage is already a lot. Add kids, careers, the daily weight of keeping life together- it’s full before you even start. Then layer emigration on […]
Watching Your Children Become Something New 🇿🇦 🇺🇸
It caught me off guard the first time it happened. I said a word the way I’ve said it my whole life, and one of my kids corrected me. Not in a cheeky way, not even in a funny way. Just naturally. Instinctively. “That’s not how you say it.” I laughed it off at the […]
Two Hemispheres, One Heart 🇿🇦 🎄 🇺🇸
Back home in South Africa, summer is in full swing. Schools have wrapped up, “Dezemba” is in the air, and the rhythm slows into long, sunny days, braais, beach holidays, and that familiar end-of-year exhale. Meanwhile here in the U.S., school is still in session until just before Christmas. The air is cold, the evenings […]
The American Holiday That Stole My Heart 🦃 ❤️ 🇺🇸
Of all the American holidays we’ve come to know, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite. It’s the least commercial (except for the sheer number of turkeys involved), and possibly the most meaningful. There are no gifts, no pressure to spend. Just families gathering from near and far around the country to pause, reflect, and just […]
🎶🌍 “It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you,
There’s nothin’ that a hundred men or more could ever do,I bless the rains down in Africa,Gonna take some time to do the things we never had” Not long after arriving in the U.S., we booked our first big concert: Journey. An 80s kid’s dream. We were super excited, nostalgic and all those things. The […]
What I Learned About Setting Up a U.S. Business from Afar 🌍 ➡️ 🇺🇸
When we decided to pursue the L1 visa and make the move to the U.S., we knew we had a business to build, but we didn’t fully grasp the implications of meeting L1 visa requirements at the same time. Looking back now, there are a few lessons I wish I had fully understood from the […]
From L1 to Green Card: A Journey Covered in Grace 🇺🇸🙏
On March 5th, 2025 we held our green cards in our hands — just over 2 and a half years after stepping off the plane in the U.S. It may look like a small plastic card to some, but for us (and many other immigrants) it’s the evidence of a journey filled with mountains moved, […]
I’ve acquired a new skill!
This week, I made my first batch of biltong — and honestly, I’m not sure if I was more proud of the result or the fact that my whole house now smells like home.There’s something magical about the taste of biltong ❤️ — that unmistakable mix of coriander, vinegar and nostalgia that instantly transports you […]
You Can’t Put a Timer on Healing 🇿🇦 💔 🇺🇸
On the 15th of August, it will be three years since we boarded that flight to the USA — suitcases in hand, hearts in our throats, and hope tucked somewhere in between. In many ways, we’ve come a long way. We’ve built a new life from scratch. We’ve learned new systems, made friends, bought a […]
Across Oceans, Through Heartache ✈️ 💔 🌍
Emigration is full of layers — some expected, others impossible to prepare for. One of the hardest? Navigating grief across oceans. Just months after we arrived in the U.S., — my dearest high school friend and business partner — received a devastating diagnosis. Despite the odds, she fought courageously and never lost her passion or […]