Ten Years an Expat

On September 6, 2025August 27, 2025 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

Somehow this month marks ten years since Tucker and I first sold most of our belongings and moved abroad. We really had no idea what we were getting into or how we were going to maintain the kind of life we knew we wanted, and even now, I’m not sure I could tell you how exactly we’ve managed to continue moving abroad again and again. I think it’s mostly been an experiment in just how flexible we can be, which is fitting because that’s one of the first skills you develop when you move abroad!

Over the past ten years, we went from the US to Poland and back to the US (to pay off all our student loans), and then we headed to China for a few years and then back to the US (this time for global lockdown), and then onto Mexico, and now Canada. It’s been a crazy decade to say the least, but the places we’ve lived and the people we’ve met have continued to shape us year after year in innumerable ways. And for this month’s somewhat reflective post, I want to share some of the many ways we’ve changed and grown as a result of our expat ways.

We’ve become flexible to the extreme

As I alluded to earlier, when I think of the many skills we’ve developed as a result of moving abroad, flexibility has to be at the top of the list. Whether it’s little things like using Celsius with some people and Fahrenheit with others or big things like not knowing where we’ll be living next year, we’ve gotten incredibly good at going with the flow. When I look back at my early observations from our first year abroad, it always makes me laugh at how hard it was for me to relinquish control. Now I feel like I struggle when I have too much control! It seems I’ve really grown to love letting the universe decide for me.

We’re totally fine with ambiguity

Another early observation I often made had to do with not always understanding what was going on around me. In unfamiliar places with new languages and customs, the level of ambiguity you experience on a daily basis skyrockets. Are we supposed to do something here? Should we ask about that? What does this mean? Questions like these and general uncertainty used to plague us. Until they didn’t. Until we learned that there’s really no wrong way, only different ways. Eventually, we also learned the difference between being expats as opposed to pioneers. Expats get to rely on the experiences of those who came before them, and we definitely do. But if/when that fails, we’ve also learned to simply accept not knowing.

We’re stoic bureaucracy-handlers

One of the most taxing parts of maintaining legal status as an expat has to be all the paperwork: visas, residencies, IDs, taxes, health cards, driver’s licenses, bank accounts, etc. The list is never-ending. After so many years and so many forms and appointments, I can very confidently say that bureaucracy is messy and incredibly frustrating everywhere. We now just assume every process will take a few attempts and several months (if not years) of our lives, which has really helped set expectations and allowed us to remain stoic and unfeeling while jumping through hoop after hoop after hoop. Government office waiting rooms are great places for mindful meditation, you know.

We’re accidental minimalists

In addition to becoming masters at handling immigration processes, we’ve also become expert movers. We know exactly what we need and want in our homes, and over the years, we’ve shed all the fluff. And whenever we happen to collect additional fluff, we’re systematic and unsentimental in removing it before the next move. People are often surprised that we’ve moved countries so many times with nothing but suitcases. Quite a few suitcases, but still. It’s actually pretty easy to do when I remember all the things we took on our first move that we never used. Or when I remember all the things we’ve used in a particular place that wouldn’t make sense anywhere else. These days we tend to take a lot more art with us and a lot fewer dead appliances.

We’re expert home-makers

Speaking of homes though, we’ve had a lot of them over the years. From country to country or even apartment to apartment, every place we’ve lived has always felt like home. Early on in our expat experience, someone advised me to prioritize setting up our home because we’d be surprised at how quickly “later” becomes “never”. Well, we took that to heart and always make sure our apartment is set up before tackling other tasks. We also work really hard to make sure we feel at home in the community as well, which means joining groups, meeting neighbors, learning names and faces. It can be difficult being the new people in town, but we’ve found the quicker we reach out, the quicker we feel at home.

We’re nothing if not adaptable

Another skill that makes itself known every time someone visits one of our far-flung homes is our adaptability. No dishwasher? No problem. Drinking hot water in summer? Sure, why not? Have to do everything over the phone? Got it. Everywhere we’ve called home has changed us in so many ways. Sometimes we forget what was normal for us before moving abroad because we’ve so strongly adapted to several different lifestyles now. This is how I know it doesn’t really matter where we live or what we do because the skill of adaptability is such a broad and encompassing one, that I know we’ll be just fine anywhere.

We’re always adopting new habits

Likely due to all the adapting we’ve had to do over the years, we’ve also gained quite an assortment of international habits. For example, at some point, we became a strict no-shoes-inside household, and when I think back to all the shoes that walked across our carpeted US apartment floors, I shudder. I also can’t believe we lived 25 years without an electric kettle! You’ll have to pry that out of our cold, dead hands now. Similarly, after living in both tea and coffee cultures, we now find ourselves enjoying both regularly. We also find ourselves checking sunset/sunrise times, the weather, and the air quality index more than most, which are all habits we picked up in different places at different times. It’s interesting to note which things stay behind in the places we leave versus which ones we take with us as the ghosts of homes’ past.

We’re an interesting mix of cultures to say the least

Similar to our eclectic mix of habits picked up from around the world, I would say that we ourselves have ended up a strange mix of all our homes. It’s rare that someone immediately places us as American. Even when hearing us speak, our accents don’t give much away, especially when speaking something other than English (you’re likely to hear a very strange combination of linguistic features depending on the day). We also have very strong inclinations toward European showerheads, the use of chopsticks, and what should and should not go on a taco. We self-identify as Polish-American-Canadian-Tapatío laowais, and we’ll happily talk your ear off about life in Poland, the US, Canada, Mexico, and/or China because each of those places is a part of us and always will be.

We’re excited to make every day an adventure

All these fun little quirks keep us tied to the places we used to call home, but one of the best parts of being a perpetual expat (no matter where we are) is the fact that every day becomes an adventure. The smallest tasks are new and exciting, and we never know what we’re going to learn. This is really why we keep doing it; why we haven’t “settled down” yet. We’ve learned to love the daily micro-adventures and mini-challenges that keep us on our toes and forever entertained. Every time we start over in a new place, we get to experience so many firsts again. We get to find a new set of favorites and develop new habits that only enhance our lives. An adventure a day certainly keeps the boredom away!

We’re constantly learning and reflecting

And last, but not least, all this moving and growing and changing allows us to continually learn and reflect. Before each move, we get to look back at our time in a given place and reflect on everything we did, all the changes we experienced, and what we could or should have done differently if given the chance. And then…we get another chance! I sometimes refer to Poland as our “first pancake” because with hindsight, it’s easy to see how we’ve continually gotten better at being expats. All these skills (and more) have been honed over the years, and we’ve learned how to make the most of our time in the places we call home. Of course, we also realize just how lucky we are, so to all our homes: thank you, dziękuję, xièxie, gracias, and merci for the best decade of our lives!

Ice Ice Baby

On February 24, 2024February 23, 2024 By Dani Francuz Rose2 Comments

Well, we’re officially waist-deep into winter, and even though we’ve been ice skating, snowboarding, and snowduck making for months now, I still feel like I haven’t got my fill! So, in order to up our winter games even further, we spent last weekend in Québec City, a winter wonderland if ever there was one, and even more spectacularly wintery, we also spent a night at the Hôtel de Glace (aka the Ice Hotel).

This was definitely a once in a lifetime kind of experience, and I don’t want to forget any of the specifics, so this month, I’m sharing a detailed timeline of events as recorded by the many pictures I took throughout our stay. Bundle up and enjoy!

17:00 – Check in

Technically check-in started at 4pm, but we were a little late getting to the resort area for a few reasons. One, it was snowing, so everyone was driving slower than usual, and two, we totally forgot to bring our bathing suits and had to make a pitstop at Value Village. It happens. Luckily, the Hôtel de Glace and all of Village Vacances Valcartier is only 20-30 minutes outside of Québec City.

Once we arrived and found our way to the correct front desk (this place is massive, so it wasn’t as easy as you’d think), we got the usual check-in spiel plus a few irregularities. When you stay at the Ice Hotel you actually get two rooms: one outside made of ice and snow and one inside the Valcartier Hotel where you can put your bags, shower, brush your teeth, and at some point, finally take off your hat and gloves!

But before you can don your all-access pass of sorts, you have to watch a safety video and sign a waiver. The safety video talked a lot about what to wear and what not to wear overnight and expressed many times over that you must completely dry off after showering or hot tubbing before you go into your rooms at night. They also gave us maps of the premises and showed us where we could go if we needed help during the night.

17:45 – First look around

Needless to say, the excitement levels always increase when there’s a waiver to sign, so we quickly dropped off our stuff in our “dry room” and went to see what the Ice Hotel was all about. It’s divided into roughly three sections: the chapel, the communal rooms, and the individual rooms. The chapel was beautiful, but there wasn’t a wedding that day/night, so it was pretty empty. The communal rooms included several galleries, seating areas, the ice bar, and an ice slide. To say there was a lot to look at would be a gross understatement.

Between the ice sculptures, snow carvings, lights, and music, my senses were on overdrive. I think my favorite room was the “club room” with light-up instruments and DJ-ing composers on every wall. Tucker liked the “fire room”, which, although no warmer than anywhere else in the Ice Hotel, definitely felt cozier with the heatless fireplace, warm colors, and fur-lined benches. Of course, the ice slide was also super fun – it was in the “dinosaur room” and had us laughing hysterically as we scooted our way down the slide. You know what’s not very slippery? Jeans.

The individual rooms are also open for viewing during the day (of course, they did have ropes near the doors, so you couldn’t get on the beds or mess with any of the lights or anything). This year there were 30 guest rooms. The vast majority were single bed rooms, but there were a few doubles and even a triple as well. Every room had a theme and was designed by a different artist. My favorite was probably the exploration room with huge ships, maps, and a compass on the walls. Tucker liked the science-y ones, of which there were many.

It honestly took us quite a while to see all the rooms because this part of the hotel is very maze-like, and we weren’t always sure if we had been in any given hallway before or not. The walls of the hallways were also covered with art, and there was a workshop room off to one side, which housed photos taken and machines used during the building process. During this part of our initial walk around, we also noted the hot tubs and sauna (free for guests to use) and started thinking about how we were going to manage that in the heavy snow with only our thrifted bathing suits and big winter boots.

19:30 – Drinks at the Ice Bar

But before we dealt with being cold and wet, we decided to cash in our complimentary drink tickets. The ice bar was SO COOL! Yes, pun-intended. The bartender was all bundled up as she mixed our drinks, the “Lave-Glace” and the “Accident de Ski-doo” (clever because it had a splash of red Grenadine and a little sprig of juniper in it) and poured them into ice glasses. The drinks were beautiful and tasty, and the glasses, well, the glasses were challenging. They were obviously really cold, but also very heavy and had very thick edges – not the easiest thing to sip on. Despite the odd mouth positioning required, we still felt pretty amazing drinking our fancy cocktails in the très chic Hôtel de Glace.

In hindsight, I should have held on to my ice glass since we opted to bring our own beers into our room later, alas we were too excited to shatter them (prematurely) into the collection bins. We also debated getting another drink at the bar because they had a lot of interesting cocktails and were surprisingly not that overpriced. But after another short walk through, we opted to hit the hot tubs instead, hopefully while they were still empty and we had enough time to enjoy them and fully dry off before heading to our frozen beds.

20:45 – Hot tub and sauna in the snow

I really want to do a polar plunge before we leave Canada, and perhaps now I understand just how uncomfortable that will be when it happens. Running from our “dry room” to the hot tubs wasn’t so bad (I did wear my socks and boots with my bathing suit lol), but running to the sauna after the hot tub was painful, especially for my feet. From the crazy hot water to the crazy cold snow made my feet feel like they were burning! Stepping into the sauna was very welcome…that is until we had to get out and do it again.

Ultimately, lots of lessons were learned, like: the more towels you can take with you, the better; be sure to remember to take your shoes with you when you go back and forth, and also, just like we’re not really beach people, we’re not really hot tub or sauna people either, which is apparently a lesson we’re still in the process of learning.

22:50 – Final preparations

After we had our fair share of extreme temperature fun, it was time to prepare ourselves for sleeping overnight in a room that was approximately -5°C (23°F). First, as per the instructions, we had to be completely dry. Then, we had to decide what to wear and what to bring with us into the room. I don’t think I’ve ever planned my pajamas quite so carefully. In the end, we went for having as many options as we could – layers that we could take off or leave on depending on how warm we were in the sleeping bags they gave us. As for the snacks (much more important, obviously), we brought some local Québec beers, the rest of our Québec mix popcorn, and some chocolates from La Fudgerie. It was perfect!

23:30 – Bedtime snacks and hunkering down

Between 8-9pm the individual rooms portion of the hotel was closed off for the staff to clean and prepare the rooms for the overnight guests. When we pulled back the velvet curtain of our room, we were surprised to see they had raked the floors in addition to changing the sheets and leaving the sleeping bags. It felt very Zen and very cold. But we were ready! We rolled out our sleeping bags (rated for up to -30°C/-22°F), got into the liners as instructed, and put our outerwear away for the night. After enjoying our little picnic and watching a few videos, we zipped ourselves fully into the sleeping bags (well, mostly), and drifted to sleep.

4:17 – Slight panic

I say “mostly” because I actually struggled with zipping mine up over my head. I felt super claustrophobic and ended up choosing to be slightly colder than necessary just to keep my face from being covered. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night I woke up and the sleeping bag had fallen away from the top/back of my head a little, and I was very cold. That got my thoughts and heart racing as I wondered if I was doing irreparable damage to my system. You know, the normal things that keep a person up at night. Thankfully, I was able to calm myself down, readjust, and fall back asleep.

8:00 – Wake up call

As part of the check-in process, they informed us that someone would come to wake us up the next morning at 8am. This was in part to make sure that everyone would be up and out before they had to clean up and open for business again and also to make sure everyone was alive and well. Fortunately, we were! The sleeping bags, if anything, kept us too warm, and the main struggle we had was just getting comfortable enough to sleep through the night. Even without the claustrophobia issue, the sleeping bag was a bit like a strait jacket – not much movement possible, and if you’re not a back sleeper, good luck falling asleep as you lie there feeling like a mummy in a fluffy sarcophagus.

8:15 – Back to sleep

So, after not the best night’s sleep we’d ever gotten, we were very happy to return to our “dry room” once again and sleep in our nice, warm king size bed for a few more hours. Usually, we say there’s no place like your own bed, but honestly, this one was definitely a close second, especially in that moment!

11:00 – Check out

And just like that, our stay was at its end. We packed up our bags, scraped the snow and ice off the car, and headed back home to enjoy the rest of winter from our very own “dry room”.

Most Memorable Meals

On November 22, 2022 By Dani Francuz Rose1 Comment

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about memorable meals of years past. Tucker and I have been extremely fortunate with all the incredible food we’ve been able to enjoy around the world, but what exactly is it that makes a meal memorable? The quality of the food? The location, the company, something else? I was curious, so I decided to delve a bit deeper by asking Tucker to reminisce with me about the meals we’ve shared over the years. In particular, the ones that, even years later, still stand out among the rest and why that might be the case. Here’s what we came up with:

Thanksgiving Feast: Crater Edition (Ecuador)

Likely because this was a recent experience, and it has a connection to the upcoming holiday, the first meal to pop into our heads was the Thanksgiving dinner we had after hiking the Quilotoa Crater in Ecuador. There are so many reasons this meal stands out in our minds. First, we had just hiked several miles into and out of an incredible caldera at elevation in the rain, so to say we were hungry would be a massive understatement. Then there’s the fact that all the hikers ate together in pretty much the only little restaurant open there, which made for a very festive meal. And finally, the food itself was incredible. I had a perfectly grilled steak with chimichurri and ají, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob – just an impeccable holiday meal; Tucker had a whole seasoned and grilled fish with homestyle fries and a plethora of interesting sauces, and, of course, we shared several ice-cold, local brews. It was absolutely perfect and extremely well-earned.

Weird Valentine’s Day Tradition (HK)

The next thing we thought of has actually become a sort of strange tradition over the years. Since we first moved abroad in 2015, we’ve spent the vast majority of holidays away from family, friends, and all that was once so familiar. Usually this means we get to learn new ways of celebrating the holidays, but sometimes we just miss all that familiarity and ease. Cue the international (yet super American) restaurant chain: Outback Steakhouse. One year, we were in Hong Kong over Valentine’s Day, and we happened to see an Outback in a mall there. We joked at how lame it would be to go to an Outback while in one of the best food cities in the world…alas, the molten chocolate lava cake called to us. We’ve now celebrated Valentine’s Day at an Outback in four different countries.

Odd Finds at Anatewka (Poland)

Sometimes what makes a meal memorable are the surprises that take place there. For this, Anatewka, an amazing Jewish restaurant in Łódź, immediately comes to mind. Anatewka packed in the surprises for us starting with our bowl of czernina, which we later found out was duck blood soup. The surprises kept coming when we got complimentary shots at the end of the meal (for digestion, of course). And as if that wasn’t enough to keep us guessing (and definitely ensuring our return), we were each gifted a tiny clay figure holding a grosz or the equivalent of a Polish penny. We were absolutely not expecting any of the little treats we got that night, and even though I won’t be ordering czernina again anytime soon, our dining experience at Anatewka was without a doubt both surprising and, indeed, memorable.

Simple yet Spectacular: St. Hubert’s (Quebec)

Surprises can definitely make us remember a meal, but the next meal that we kept thinking (and talking) about really had no discernible reason other than the fact that the food we had was incredibly simple and delicious. On our month-long initial expedition to Ottawa (and the surrounding area) in 2019, we happened to eat at a place called Rôtisserie St-Hubert’s. It’s a fairly nondescript restaurant, clearly a chain, with nothing particularly showy or remarkable on the menu, but what it lacks in flair, it seriously makes up for in homey goodness. Roasted chicken is what St-Hubert’s does, and they do it better than anywhere. It really brought to mind the qualities often associated with French cooking: fresh, buttery, light, and uncomplicated. Simply put, it was the kind of meal that just hit the spot. Of course, this was also the meal where, much to my chagrin, I first learned what clamato juice is, but even the surprise of finding seafood in my drink couldn’t detract from the rustic deliciousness that was this particular meal.

Once in a Lifetime Experience: Dining in the Dark (Malaysia)

Another meal that will obviously live in infamy (according to us anyway) is our experience at Dining in the Dark. If you’ve done one of these events, then it will likely be on your list as well because not only is the food extremely delicious and exciting, but the challenge and subsequent glimpse into a different way of living is eye-opening (see what I did there). For those who don’t know, Dining in the Dark allows you to experience a meal in complete and startling darkness. The servers are all visually-impaired and help you navigate what is a surprisingly scary and difficult set of tasks: everything from finding your chair and sitting down to re-finding your glass or fork somewhere on the table. For me, having my attention drawn to all these little things I took for granted was the most memorable part, but there are other aspects that made this meal stand out. Namely, our complete failure at guessing what we were eating. At one point we had a dish of steamed egg, mushroom, and tofu, and we guessed it to be “savory bread pudding”. What?!

Our First Foray into Fancy Food (Disney’s Remy)

Fun fact: Tucker absolutely loves tasting menus and fine dining because it allows him to try a greater number of usually quite unique dishes, which is all he ever wants in life. And for that reason, another meal on our list has to be Remy, a fine-dining restaurant on the Disney Fantasy cruise ship. Remy offers an eight-course menu of super fancy dishes, which at the time we had never had before. This experience was like stepping into another life. The dress code, the cheese cart, the flowers given to me at the end of the meal – it was all very different to anything we’d ever done. And then there was the experimental quality to the food. We had “tomato essence,” which was a completely clear liquid served in a champagne flute that tasted exactly like you just bit into a vine-ripened, heirloom tomato. There was also the “tomato soup cube”, which is pretty much as described, and countless other curiosities that have definitely kept us talking over the years. Honestly memorable in so many ways!

Making It Our Own: Cooking Class (Thailand)

Another meal that stands out is one we happened to make ourselves. Because we went to Thailand as part of a large group, there were lots of things that stand out about our time there, and one thing in particular was our first (and quite possibly only) cooking class. I personally loathe cooking, so I’m not sure I was really looking forward to this one or that I was very comfortable throughout the experience…but in the end, like everyone else, I was extremely proud of the dish that I made (and the certificate we all received lol). My pad thai was honestly delicious and Tucker’s khao soi was even better! Plus, the process of doing everything ourselves (from shopping in the market to grinding down the various chilis we needed) really gave me even more appreciation for all the chefs of the world. Thankfully this one turned out to be memorable for all the right reasons and not because I ended up burning myself or someone else!

Being Set on Fire (China)

Speaking of burning…the next meal that without doubt must be on our list was the time we almost died. Of spiciness. Tucker and I actually love spicy food, and usually we handle any level of spiciness pretty well. However, Chongqing and Chengdu take spiciness almost beyond human capacity. One of the most renowned dishes of Chongqing is the infamous nine square hot pot, which, of course, we had to try. Unlike the hot pots we were used to, with the nine square, there is only one flavor: spicy. We weren’t really concerned though because when we ordered and chose our spice level, we played it safe with the 1 chili pepper rating (they went up to 5). Turns out, there was no “safe”. Everything was extremely spicy, the meat, the noodles, the hot pot, the sauces…and it was all compounding! I’m not sure we’ve ever sweated that much in a restaurant or drank that many beers that quickly. The craziest thing was, despite our watering eyes, it tasted so good! I would definitely do it all again.

Just What We Needed at the Time (Sweden)

As it turns out, even the timing of a meal can be what ends up making it memorable. On one of our worst travel mistakes to date, we failed to set an important alarm, waking up after only a couple of hours of sleep with only 16 minutes to make it to the bus that would take us to the airport in time for our very early flight. Needless to say, we had a very panicky, rushed morning with no shower or breakfast, and when we arrived in Stockholm, all our thoughts were on a nice shower, a snack, and a bed. Unfortunately, our hostel said we’d have to wait until after 3 to check in. So we, dirty, tired, hungover, and by this point, very hangry travelers, set off to wander aimlessly around the city for the next 7 hours. Obviously, our first stop would have to be food, but finding a place to eat at this time of day was actually a little tricky. Luckily, we finally stumbled upon a restaurant that served their whole menu of Swedish favorites all day, and we happily chowed down. Now Swedish meatballs and plankstek will forever be remembered as our most rejuvenating meal.

A Whole Lot of Whimsy (Mexico)

And last but not least, a happy dose of serendipity mixed with whimsy in the form of dinosaur quesadillas. As you can imagine, a lot of the ads I get have to do with Mexico, travel, and food (hmm, I wonder why). Well, one night last year I saw a little video ad about a restaurant in Mexico that served dinoquesadillas, and I thought to myself, “aww, that’s cute, but I bet it’s nowhere near us.” And I was right. The restaurant was in Saltillo about 440 miles (705km) from Guadalajara. Oh well, no dinoquesadillas are worth that long of a drive! However, it turned out that a few months later we randomly had to make a return trip to the border through none other than Saltillo. Through a crazy coincidence, we ended up in the really cool city of Saltillo, and, of course, we went to the kitschy little restaurant for some dinoquesadillas. A great example of what I call travel fate.

So, it seems there are actually a great many reasons a meal might stand the test of time in our minds. Could be great food, surprising circumstances, or even when exactly you get said meal. I think for me, the common thread is really when something is just a little bit outside the norm, when there’s something that stands out as “different”. Maybe we should all run with that idea and get a little weird this Thursday – I’m definitely willing to give it a try! Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! ¡Buen provecho! 😉

Our Trip to South South America

On July 15, 2022December 12, 2023 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

Summer is officially here, so where better to celebrate than South America, where it happens to be winter! Of course, escaping the heat wasn’t our main reason to take off to Argentina this month, but I won’t lie, we were very happy to be donning our coats in July. Such a surreal experience!

In reality, we had many reasons to head to the opposite side of the Americas. For one, when we booked this trip, Canada was still an unknown, and Buenos Aires was at the top of our list for places to go after Guadalajara. Therefore, a large part of this trip was a scouting mission. Would we like southern South America? Would we prefer Buenos Aires or the nearby Montevideo, Uruguay? Could we picture ourselves moving there? Lots of questions to be answered even if the potential move has been pushed a bit further down the line. So, once again, we took to the road (or sky in this case) for some more “research”, and here’s what we discovered:

Seasonal Switch

First off, packing coats, scarves, and gloves for a July vacation was really strange. Of course, we knew the southern hemisphere is always in the opposite season as the northern hemisphere, but experiencing that drastic switch overnight in the dead of summer/winter was still disorienting. As was the fact that the weather got colder as we went further south. I didn’t realize how ingrained “north = colder” was in my brain! We also found it really entertaining to be all bundled up on the 4th of July – I can only imagine how strange Christmas in Argentina would be for me!

Another surprising, geography-related experience was just how far south Buenos Aires is! Our flight from Mexico City was 9 hours. We could have crossed an ocean in that amount of time! However, I think the long flight is worth it to have four distinct seasons. It was lovely to have brown leaves crunching beneath our feet again. Slightly less lovely was the fact that Buenos Aires is an hour ahead of Eastern Time. In Mexico, we’re an hour behind, and apparently, we’ve gotten really used to our work days ending at 4pm.

Amazing Food

Next up on our list of discoveries was actually more of a confirmation. Near our apartment in Guadalajara, we have several Argentine restaurants, and they’re easily some of our favorites in the city. We were beyond excited to try some of our favorite dishes in their country of origin. Thankfully, Argentina did not disappoint! Of course, the steak and wine were incredible (and SO inexpensive!), but the provoleta, the empanadas, the huge number of sandwiches, the dulce de leche – omg. I was extremely impressed with all the international options we had as well. Italian, German, Korean, Asian-style pay-by-weight places, we were definitely able to branch out even in just 2 weeks.

I was also blown away by the café culture of Argentina. I knew that people in South America have an affinity for drinking mate (a tea-like drink) and, of course, as part of Latin America, coffee is popular as well, but what I didn’t expect was just how abundant and accommodating the cafés would be. Literally every block of downtown BA had at least one café, most of which had several floors offering comfortable places to sit, eat, drink, and chat to your heart’s content. And whether at a café or a restaurant, you absolutely must ask for the check because they’ll never hurry you out.

So Much Nature

While the local food is always a priority for us when we travel, the memories that stick with us longer are often our forays into the surrounding nature, which is something that South America has in spades. We knew we wanted to take a few trips outside Buenos Aires while we were there, but deciding on where to go was so tricky! An overnight train to the Andes out west? A trek through the jungle to see the infamous Iguazu Falls? Or fully embrace winter with a flight down to Cape Horn? Of course, we went with the coldest option!

Thanks to Argentina’s budget airline, Flybondi (which is thankfully still operating post 2020), we were able to find cheap tickets down to Ushuaia. Ushuaia sits in the far south of Patagonia and is known as “the southernmost city in the world”. Here we were able to play in the snow, chill our craft beers on the window sill, and tour the icy Beagle Channel. As a geography nerd, the sheer fact that I was at the southern tip of the Americas, only about 1000km from Antarctica was enough for my bucket list, but the incredible mountains and pink morning skies just made it that much more beautiful.

Fantastic Cities

As amazing as it was to be surrounded by such diverse nature, we definitely spent the majority of our time in the two major capital cities: Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Turns out we could have used even more time because Buenos Aires is huge! That’s really the immediate impression I got from the city. It was a 45-minute ride from the airport to Retiro (a downtown neighborhood), and aside from the distance, the number of massive buildings, many of which were apartments, definitely stood out. Walking downtown, I was also amazed by how tall so many of the building are. Very old, very European-style architecture, but much taller than I seem to remember in Poland (or than what we find in Guadalajara). Luckily everything seemed to be bigger in Buenos Aires because there were also gigantic plazas and parks, wide sidewalks, and many-laned throughfares. It seemed like the kind of place you could live for years and still be discovering new points of interest.

Montevideo, on the other hand, was much smaller. Both in terms of the city’s size and the architecture. Although just a few hours away, across the Rio de la Plata, Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and has an entirely different vibe. Of course, we were super interested in noting any and all differences (in the name of research) and couldn’t help comparing as we went along. To me, Montevideo felt a little like the quirky younger sibling of Buenos Aires. It was much more colorful with lots of street art and eclectic architecture throughout the old and new sections of the city. It also felt much more coastal with its huge rambla (promenade) and beaches. While a lot of the culinary traditions are similar between the two countries, Uruguay has a few of its own stand-outs as well, like the Chivito sandwich, which is now in Tucker’s top 5 sandwiches of all time.

Spanish Differences

Another interesting experience on this trip (as well as on our trip last year to Ecuador) was the Spanish we were hearing and eventually using. The Spanish I’m learning is Mexican, and this is never more obvious than when we’re traveling in another Spanish-speaking country. Words like “alquilar” (to rent), “maní” (peanut), and “palta” (avocado) gave me pause because we regularly (read: only) use “rentar”, “cacahuate”, and “aguacate”. Just like learning to use “chulla vida” in Ecuador, it was really interesting to see which indigenous words Argentina and Uruguay have adopted and how these (and other) influences still serve to differentiate Spanish varieties around the globe.

However, it wasn’t just the vocabulary that caught our attention on this trip to South America. The first real conversation we had in Argentina was with the security guard in the building where we were staying. He gave us our keys and made sure we knew what to expect with entering, exiting, etc. Luckily, having a few Argentine teachers in the past helped prepare me for hearing things like “sha” and “shaves” instead of “ya” and “llaves”, but it was still much harder than I expected. The accent is SO different from what I’ve grown accustomed to, but it was surprisingly easy to pick up and start using ourselves. After just a few days we were saying “sho” (yo) and “para shevar” (para llevar) like everyone around us!

So, What’s the Verdict?

Well, we loved it all! We could definitely see ourselves moving to either Buenos Aires or Montevideo in the future, and I would absolutely love to have a few years down there (at least!) to more thoroughly explore South America. Even though we might be going north before we make it back down south, I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity we had to get even a glimpse of such an amazing part of the world! Until next time! ¡Chau!

Our Travels (from 2015-2016)

On October 17, 2016December 12, 2023 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

There is no question that Tucker and I have been extremely fortunate this year. It honestly feels like a dream. I’ve talked a lot about Fulbright, the University of Łódź, and all the amazing experiences I’ve had with such wonderful people and organizations supporting me, but I’ve not really discussed the places we’ve been able to go. I have always loved exploring new places, comparing them to what I’ve read or heard from others, and my time in Europe has allowed me to do that and then some. Traveling is an incredible luxury, and unfortunately, it’s not something everyone can do. I hope in the future international travel becomes more accessible because I have learned and developed a great deal through it and want more people to be able to do the same (if they want to). Anyway, since several friends and family members have expressed interest in our travels, I’ve decided to share some of our experiences this past year: the destinations, of course, but also some lessons and laughs we had along the way.

Łódź, Poland:

One of our first mishaps in Poland (of which there have been many) occurred on our second day in Łódź. We were on our way to meet my supervisor at the university for the first time, but had a slight issue on one of the trams. We really thought we were ready, armed with złoty (the Polish currency) and a brand new chip card; however, Poland is both too outdated and too modern for either of those means of payment! On the tram we could only use coins or a tap-and-pay card to buy tickets, neither of which we had. Oops! Normally this wouldn’t be a much of a problem. We would just get off, buy some tickets at a kiosk, and get back on, but, of course with our luck, the secret transportation police (who seem to follow me) were on the tram watching us as we failed. Once they were sure we had run out of ideas, they yanked us off and gave us a 140 złoty fine ($35). Needless to say, we were late to the meeting…

Warszawa, Poland

Łęczyca, Poland

Kraków, Poland

Gdańsk and Sopot, Poland

Poznań, Poland:

In December, we had some time off thanks to the holidays, so one weekend, we impulsively decided to visit Poznań, a city about 3 hours from Łódź. We didn’t know much about Poznań, so on the way there we googled the main attractions and read several suggestions to see the goats. Waking up the next morning in Poznań, it was snowing (yay!), but I was sick (boo!). Runny nose, streaming eyes, chills – it was awful, but I was not going to let that stop me. We bundled up, braved the cold, and walked and ate our way around Poznań. Eventually, it was time to see the goats. We were super excited as we crowded around the Town Hall in the main square with about 50 other goat-seekers. As the clock struck noon, the tiny, mechanical goats slowly came out of their little doors at the top of the tower. They turned towards each other, butted heads a few times (among oohs and ahhs, of course), and then retreated to their home. What did we just witness? Why goats? Is that all they do? So many questions left unanswered.

Łask, Poland

Bergen, Voss, Gudvangen, Flåm, and Myrdal, Norway

Wrocław, Poland

Lisbon and Porto, Portugal – Madrid, Spain – Rome, Italy – Vatican City:

Traveling to new countries can be a tad confusing at times. There can be different ways of doing things or different laws that must be upheld – many of which are unknown to tourists. We experienced a bit of this when we got to Rome. We arrived fairly late, so there was no one to let us into our room. Luckily they left a post-it note on the door with a number to call (odd). We called, and eventually a guy showed up and took us down the street to a different apartment building (also odd). He showed us the room, gave us the key, and then asked for money because Italy imposes a “special tax” on renting rooms. What?! We had already paid for the room, and I wasn’t even sure we were in the right place with the right person anymore – should we really be giving him more money? Well, we did (with no receipt or proof of any kind). But luckily he wasn’t a scammer; Italy really does impose a tourist tax for each night you stay in the country, and it’s generally paid after you arrive. Weird.

Szczecin, Gryfino, Płoty, and Resko, Poland

Wieliczka and Zakopane, Poland:

You know what Atlanta doesn’t have much of? Snow. Obviously, Tucker and I had a few things to learn about Polish winters, but on our trip to Zakopane, a mountain town in the Polish Tatras, we proved to be slow learners. Our goal while in Zakopane was to hike to Lake Morskie Oko. We had a few difficulties getting to the starting point of the hike due to the time of year, and once we were there, I realized I had made a huge mistake. I thought someone had told me it was a two kilometer hike, but it seems they might have said it was a two hour hike. Oops. We also failed to take into account the fact that elevation changes the weather a great deal, so we left to hike 18 kilometers (11 miles) uphill, in the snow…in gym shoes. I’m pretty sure we almost lost toes. After about 20 minutes our shoes were soaked and soon we couldn’t feel our feet at all. That made walking up the steep mountain extremely difficult, not to mention all the slippery snow and ice. But at least now we will forever understand the importance of boots!

Český ráj – (near) Turnov, Czech Republic

Brussels and Ghent, Belgium

Prague and Turnov, Czech Republic

Sieradz and Burzenin, Poland

Kalisz, Poland

Częstochowa, Miedźno, Katowice, and Oświęcim, Poland

Minsk and Mir, Belarus:

One of the coolest experiences we had during our travels was riding an overnight train from Warsaw to Minsk. It was such a great trip for so many reasons, including, but not limited to: our amazing travel companions and the breakfasts we shared, the traditional Belarusian dinner with many, many toasts, and the experience of being lifted into the air as they changed the train wheels at the border. However, by far, my favorite part occurred on the way home. We took another overnight train (this one was a bit older), and upon entering our compartment, it seemed we were missing a bed. We searched around the tiny room looking for the elusive bed until we spotted what looked like a door. Thinking this must be the last fold-out bed, we yanked it open and unexpectedly found ourselves looking at the gentleman in the next compartment, who rather promptly and enthusiastically said “Hello!”. No one could stop laughing!

Prusinowice, Poland

Reykjavik, Selfoss, Hella, and Vik, Iceland – Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK) – Galway, Cork, Blarney, and Dublin, Ireland

Gdynia, Hel, Lębork, Łeba, and Malbork, Poland

Tallin, Estonia – Riga, Latvia – Vilnius, Lithuania:

I like to be early: early for class, early for appointments, early for buses/trains/planes, etc. However, sometimes it’s just not possible. Particularly when you accidentally add an 8-hour “snooze” to your alarm for the morning (why is that even an option?!). Before our trip to the Baltic States, we were graciously invited to an Independence Day party at the US ambassador to Poland’s house. We didn’t get home from the party until fairly late, and had to catch a bus the next morning at 4:50am. Before going to sleep, I responsibly set my alarm to make sure we woke up with enough time to shower, pack our things, and get to the bus station. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. At 4:34am Tucker woke up to get a drink of water, and realized (much more calmly than I would have) that we were late. Beyond late. He woke me up, and we legitimately threw our stuff in our bags and ran out of the hotel and all the way to the station. Only 16 minutes from waking up to the bus pulling away! We were sweaty, unshowered, and shaking (okay that was just me), but somehow we made it. Now we set alarms on both phones.

Stockholm, Sweden – Skopje, Macedonia – Bratislava, Slovakia – Budapest, Hungary – Vienna, Austria

Berlin and Potsdam, Germany

Rzeszów, Poland – Lviv and Kiev, Ukraine

So, this is where we’ve been this year: 21 countries, 66 cities, collecting endless memories!

I have truly tried to take advantage of every opportunity I’ve been given this year, and traveling in and around Poland was a big part of that. Throughout this process, I know my posts and pictures have been endless, but I hope they have never seemed discouraging or boastful. I wanted to document everything we did this year, so one day Tucker and I can look back and remember all the details of these stories and places, which will surely escape us as time passes. The places we’ve been and the people we’ve met during our travels this year have definitely changed how we view the world, and that is exactly why I love to travel. Here’s hoping this is only the beginning! :)

Reminisce With Me

On June 26, 2016May 18, 2022 By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

This week my Fulbright grant came to an end, and all the “lasts” are starting to hit me. I taught my last class at the University of Łódź, we had our last conversation club meeting at the American Corner, and this past Friday was the last Fulbright event. With these milestones behind me, I’m find myself treating every experience as the last – the last time we eat at this restaurant, the last time we buy znaczki, the last time we see so-and-so, etc. It’s always difficult to say goodbye, but for so many reasons this experience has been much harder to let go of. Tucker and I have had an incredible time this year. We’ve seen and done more than I could ever have imagined, and the experiences we’ve had and the people we’ve met have truly changed our lives forever. Let’s reminisce!

We arrived in Poland last September jet-lagged and sleep-deprived, but it didn’t keep our jaws from hitting the floor when we were taken to Sarnia 2, m.23, which has truly become our home. The city and the apartment we live in are absolutely beautiful. This has been our view for the past year, and I will sorely miss it!

Next we met the other Fulbrighters in Warsaw, and perhaps finally realized that this was real. We got acquainted rather quickly, getting lost in the underground passages of Centrum and having shots of hazelnut vodka while learning people’s names. Now I feel confident that there’s no amount of vodka that would allow me to forget their names! Hopefully. :)

Eventually, we returned to Łódź and got down to business: meeting my new colleagues, beginning classes at the university, studying Polish fervently, etc. Throughout the year we attended many conversation clubs and other events at the American Corner, we visited primary and secondary schools across the country, and even gave conference presentations in Minsk.

Through each of these experiences I’ve been able to develop as a teacher, a presenter, a researcher, and as a person. There is always so much to discuss and even more to learn! Tucker and I participated in everything possible, and we have never been disappointed. We looked into our futures on Andrzejki Day, we marched in support of women’s rights on Piotrkówska, we shouted “POLSKA! BIAŁO-CZERWONI” at a hockey match, and we even attended a party at the US ambassador to Poland’s house.

In addition to all of these amazing events, we were also lucky enough to spend our free time traveling around Poland. We hiked the Tatras near Zakopane, visited castles in Kraków, Malbork, and Łęczyca, walked along the Baltic sea in Łeba, saw the legendary goats of Pozńan, took a ferry to Hel and back, and so much more! Poland has incredibly beautiful and diverse geography – there is so much to see, and we’ve only just scratched the surface.

And while we were busy completely immersing ourselves in all things Polish, we also had the privilege of making some of the most incredible friends! We really cannot thank everyone enough for welcoming us into your homes, your lives, and your cultures. We have learned so much from you all! I have no doubt we’ll be friends for life, and Tucker and I can’t wait to host you in whatever country we end up in next!

So, what is next? Fulbright is over, but we still have a month left in Poland. And that can mean only one thing – travel! We have three more trips planned, plus as many events as we could squeeze into our last few weeks in Łódź. After that, who knows? Many people have been asking about our plans for the future, but for now, we’re happy to be mulling over our options. We do know that we’ll be back in Atlanta for at least August and September, but after that, it could be anywhere!

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