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About me
Travel Destinations
- The Middle East
  - Oman
  - Qatar
  - Bahrain
  - Jordan
  - United Arab Emirates
  - Iran
- Asia
  - Sri Lanka
  - India
  - Laos
  - Myanmar (Burma)
  - Nepal
  - Maldives
  - Turkey
  - Pakistan
- Europe
  - Austria
  - Czech Republic
  - Serbia
  - Slovenia
  - Croatia
  - France
  - Ireland
  - Cyprus
- Africa
  - Tanzania
  - Swaziland
  - Kenya
  - Egypt
  - Tunisia
  - Seychelles
  - Uganda
  - Rwanda
- Caucasus
  - Azerbaijan
  - Armenia
  - Georgia
  - Russia
- South America
  - Brazil
  - Argentina
  - Paraguay
  - Uruguay
  - Chile
  - Peru
Teaching Abroad
Life in the UAE
Life in Qatar
- Things to do in Qatar
- Info for residents
  - Getting a drivers license in Qatar (if you already have a license)
Life in Kuwait

Adventure, Blog

Quiz: Which unique travel experience is perfect for you??

December 2, 2021 4 Comments

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Adventure adventure quiz just for fun travel unique travel experiences vacation

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4 Comments

winteroseca December 2, 2021 at 10:16 pm

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I got Antarctica!

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expatpanda December 5, 2021 at 6:46 am

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Me too 😁✌🏽

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higgledypiggledymom December 14, 2021 at 6:25 pm

Reply

Me Three! Let’s go!!!

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Krasi January 25, 2022 at 9:25 pm

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I got camping in Colorado, which is perfect considering I lived in the state for 2 years and did losts of camping, hiking, and rock climbing 🙂 May need to pay it another visit!

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🌀New Blog Post: Expat Relationships- The Strugg

🌀New Blog Post: Expat Relationships- The Struggle of Imbalance🌀

Despite the pictures that popular media paints about the glory of love, romantic relationships are one of the most difficult paths you can walk in life. The amount of closeness — emotional, physical, spiritual, and even mental — that is in a relationship can be overwhelming at times 🤯

Now add all that in to being in a relationship where one or both partners live in a country that’s new to them. It can become stressful particularly if it seems like everyone around you is doing so well but you and your partner are drowning😶‍🌫️

In today’s blog post I talk about how being in a relationship as an expat can often mean you and your partner are in a state of imbalance; whether it’s relating to career, location or your social circle. How being open to embracing those imbalances can make the difference between a healthy or resentful partnership🫱🏾‍🫲🏿

I open up about some of the ways Polar & I have struggled while navigating our relationship abroad and how we’ve made our peace with things we can’t change. Despite our trials, we haven’t given up; instead we’ve come to understand that it’s the unique challenge of expat relationships that makes them so rewarding💘

Link in my bio (latest post tab) or find it in my stories. Whats the biggest challenge you and your partner have faced?

My primary goal as a blogger and content creator h

My primary goal as a blogger and content creator has always been to inspire, empower and provide information for people who look like me and/or come from the kind of community I grew up in.

I have always been vocal about showing brown girls that they can live & work abroad and be independent. I’ve shown that we can - and should- question cultural norms and traditions that serve to oppress us. While working abroad and travelling alone may seem "ordinary," it means a lot to a community who never had that representation and were taught to only exist for their parents, children and spouses 👵🏽

But then I get comments & messages from people of other communities who claim that moving away is hard for them too and this isn’t only an issue in South Asian communities 🙃 How stressful to grow up without any healthy representation of myself on media, and then when I try to create the safe space for us, it feels like I am being criticised by white people/men/other cultures🤦🏾‍♀️

I know this is not new. Black and brown experiences are always a personal attack to dominant races. You have to work extra hard as a person of colour, but even when you do, you are questioned and criticised.

Just a reminder that if I’m trying to uplift and inspire my community, it doesn’t detract from yours. If I discuss how difficult experiences are for me as a south Asian female or as an African passport holder, it doesn’t mean it’s not challenging for others either. By sharing our experiences we can realise the similarities in the ways we are oppressed and work on ways to dismantle & protest those systems. It’s not a question of “Whose life is harder?”

Supporting and learning from each other will take us further than criticising and invalidating experiences 🙏🏽

🌀New Blog Post- The Brown Girl’s Guide to Mov

🌀New Blog Post- The Brown Girl’s Guide to Moving Abroad: Things I wish I had known🌀

When I left my parents’ home to move abroad and live by myself, people in my community were scandalised. Our culture dictates that women need to be in the care of father or husbands in order to be considered ‘decent’ women. Me- the eldest daughter- moving away by myself meant I was bringing shame to my family name and ruining my reputation 🔪

It sounds like something from the Bridgerton era but keep in mind that this was in 2011. What’s worse is that these kinds of attitudes still prevail today 🙈

There's a lot of guilt and emotional blackmail thrust at young women who try to take autonomy of their lives and it makes them feel like they’re being selfish. Women are expected to sacrifice their personal goals for the sake of family and tradition to show their loyalty and love.

In my latest blog post I share the things I wish I had known when I was struggling to make sense of my decision to move abroad. Things that would’ve made me feel less alone and less guilty. Because for many years loneliness and guilt were the driving forces of my thoughts based on cultural expectations. I hope to prevent or minimise this for others by highlighting that you’re not alone and are not selfish for choosing yourself 💗

The blog post is linked in my story or find it at The Latest Post tab from the link in my bio 💟

Many of you came to this page based on my personal posts, sharing snippets of my life as I navigate toxic cultural norms showing how they clash with female empowerment.

But over the years, when I’ve shared my experiences and dissected patriarchal customs, people have tried to silence me. I’ve been cyber bullied and harassed online. Apparently people feel threatened when women become independent and inspire others to follow suit. As challenging as that is for me, we need more women breaking these stigmas and boundaries. So I will keep sharing because personal posts have the most impact. If you like this blog post or can relate to it, please leave a comment or share with someone who may need to read these important words 🌟

Eid Mubarak from the bears! 🐼 💫 🐻‍❄️

Whether you’re celebrating with loved ones or away from home, soak up all the love, grace, gratitude, good health and blessings this Eid.

Leave a 💛 in the comments to affirm all the wonderful Eid wishes!

🙎🏿‍♂️Why do people take photos with st

🙎🏿‍♂️Why do people take photos with strangers simply because of their skin colour? 🙎🏼

All week, I’ve travelled around northern Pakistan with my 3 white and 1 ethnically Asian friend [swipe for group photos]. Every single day a Pakistani person asked us, “Can we take a photo together?”, gesturing at the white component of the group. If they agree, the phone goes in my hand and they’re posing with my friends- random white people they’ve never met in their life and are unlikely to meet again 🙈

What’s the point? What kinds of conversations are started from that photo- “Look today I stood next to a white person!” Seriously? 😳

I know that on the surface it seems harmless. Since it mostly happens in racially homogenous places, or in very rural places- I can understand curiosity.

But then people started snapping photos without permission when we weren’t looking, only going away when I glared at them. A Pakistani woman had the audacity to get angry after my friend had posed for photos with 7 different people and politely said she needed to leave 😕

People aren’t props. They don’t serve for your photographic pleasure regardless of their skin colour 🙅🏾‍♀️

The whole thing makes me uneasy. As someone who grew up in a South Asian community, the fascination with white skin has always sickened me. It’s fetishised, objectified and aspired to in a harmful way. But I know it happens to people of other skin colours too. It happened to me while I lived in South Korea. It got exhausting 😐

I personally think you don’t need to take a photo with a stranger just because they’re white, black or any other race. Introduce yourself and give a compliment if you want. Otherwise look and move on 👋🏽

In your opinion, does it make sense to take photos with strangers? Are you ok with being asked? And if you are, at what point does it go beyond flattering and towards invasive?

🙅🏾‍♀️ When you see my photos of Pakist

🙅🏾‍♀️ When you see my photos of Pakistan please don’t say:

“Oh it looks like Norway!”

“As beautiful as Canada!”

“It’s Pakistan’s version of Switzerland”

As a language teacher, I can tell you that words matter 👩🏽‍🏫

When we use these kinds of comparisons, what we’re implicitly saying is that countries in the global north are the standard of beauty.

Which simply isn’t true. The more you travel, the more you realise that 👀

It’s not necessary to compare places to Eurocentric or Anglo-American destinations 🛑

We can appreciate places on their own merit.

Just so you know, ALL countries have ugly buildings, traffic, petrol stations, road barriers, landfills, barbed wire fences, construction zones, pollution, and ugliness ⚠️

You’re just used to associating white- majority countries with beautiful sites based on the bias of major media outlets.

Instead of drawing comparisons, rather try:

“Pakistan is so beautiful!”

“I would love to visit Pakistan!”

“I love the landscapes there!”

Changing your words is a small way to start changing the narrative. Leave a 💯 in the comments if you agree!

The young boy stepped up onto the elevated rock an

The young boy stepped up onto the elevated rock and raised his hands to his ears. His voice rang out clearly through the valley as he began the call to prayer, carried to our ears by the gentle breeze. Men began to gather as they prepared themselves for the dusk prayer, enveloped by the towering mountains 🏔

In the world I had come from- with loudspeakers, microphones, mechanised recordings and structure, I realised how far away I was from everything I had become accustomed to 🎤

While the orange hues of sunset flooded the sky, I reflected on the unfamiliar feeling I was experiencing. Was it a feeling of déjà vu? No, not quite. It was a feeling of comfort; a feeling that no matter where I was in the world, the sight of people coming together for a common purpose would always bring me peace ☮️

As I walked down the hill, not wanting to disturb the prayers, I had to admit that nothing can encapsulate travelling in Pakistan more than the notion of people coming together- Pakistani people will come together to take care of you, help you, welcome you and share their joy with you as you traverse their amazing country 🇵🇰 And what could be more beautiful than that?

🌀 New Blog Post: Spending a Few Days in Rwanda-

🌀 New Blog Post: Spending a Few Days in Rwanda- Africa’s not so hidden gem 🌀

Vibrant and rapidly growing, Rwanda has overcome it’s haunted past by focusing on their best assets; the lush, forested mountain ranges, savannah plains and its wildlife 🦍 Did I mention a clean, developed and modern capital city full of order and infrastructure?

One thing I really loved about Rwanda was the people; the warm and friendly nature of each stranger who assisted us from the policeman on the road who pushed my rental car to the man in the market who bargained with a seller to reduce the price of my goods. I loved how they were happy to see us- not to exploit us- but rather because they understand the importance of travel and tourism for helping Rwanda achieve its vision, including supporting the people of Rwanda and conserving its natural resources and wildlife 🐿

In my blog post I break down the costs, a 3 day itinerary and provide tips on how to plan a trip to Rwanda 🇷🇼 Find it in my story today or from the latest blog post tab in my bio 🌍

I recognize that traveling internationally is not for everyone right now, but for those willing to know and understand the rules, and take the risk, it can be very rewarding.

Read the blog post and let me know in the comments below what you think about travelling to Rwanda!

🌐Why I don’t recommend visiting Rwanda right

🌐Why I don’t recommend visiting Rwanda right now 🌐

Note that I’m not saying don’t ever visit Rwanda… just not right now.

Travel Report (Dec 2021):

3 days before we could fly to Rwanda, Rwanda changed their entry requirements requiring a 2 night, 3 day mandatory hotel quarantine for all travellers. We decided to go forth with your trip anyway and use the time to relax after the chaos of Uganda 🇺🇬

As per the requirements, we were tested at the airport upon arrival and were informed that we would be tested again the next day at our hotel.

By the time we woke up the next morning the doctor was ready to test us again (even though we hadn’t received the first test results yet). With both tests done, it was a matter of waiting. As soon as both results were negative, we would leave the hotel.

Unfortunately one member of our group tested positive with the first test result but then nobody- at the hotel or the medical department- seemed to know what to do. It was like they had all the procedures to prevent tourists bringing in covid but no idea what to do when someone tested positive 🙃

We were told to wait for our second test results which we were supposed to get 24 hours after testing.

And so we waited.
And waited ⏰

We were in quarantine for an additional night. We were on the phone, at reception and trying to figure out how we could speed up the results. 60 hours passed by before we got our results after- essentially- begging & pleading for a service we had already paid for.

Two covid tests in Rwanda set us back 120USD each 😐

We all tested negative.

Two of my travel companions took that result and left Rwanda. They had had enough. And I couldn’t blame them; the stress was too much😵‍💫

The other two of us extended our trip and enjoyed Rwanda. And enjoy it we did🤠

My point here is that with all the rules Rwanda currently has in place, there was a lack of knowledge on how to actually implement them. Their covid test results were inconclusive. And nobody had answers to our questions. It didn’t make for a great start to trip😶

So save your travel plans to Rwanda until these restrictions ease; it’s a country worth visiting… but not right now 🥲

🌀My Uganda blog posts are ready to to help you

🌀My Uganda blog posts are ready to to help you plan your next trip to East Africa🌀

-Planning a trip to Uganda: A detailed & honest guide
-Panda’ Guide to Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
-White Water Rafting in Uganda: Is it worth it?

I offer a cost breakdown (from accommodation to entry fees to transportation), how fit you need to be to for the gorilla trek and whether Uganda is actually a destination you would enjoy. Because truthfully, it’s not for everyone 😬

In order to travel to Uganda, you need to have heaps of:

-Patience
-Tolerance
-A calm disposition
-Money (Uganda is not cheap for travellers!)

Also, I share the many travel fails we experienced from a 12 hours drive to when our suitcases flew out of the vehicle as we drove to being stuck on the side of the road for 3.5 hours 😖

Uganda was a wild adventure- my most epic one yet out of visiting 57 countries. I would love for more people to experience the incredible nature of this stunning country but I also wanted to be honest about some of the struggles you may encounter 🤓

I’m linking all the posts in my stories today and you can also find them from the latest post tab from the link in my bio!

Would you be interested in travelling to Uganda? 🇺🇬

“Why would you save up to travel to African coun

“Why would you save up to travel to African countries?” Someone asked me when they found out I was saving up for my trip to Uganda & Rwanda 😶

This person is South African- just like me- by the way.

I didn’t know what to say 🤭

If we as Africans don’t support our own, then how can we expect anyone else to support us? 😯

We complain about African destinations being too expensive because they cater to tourists from the Global North but if we don’t show any interest in going, then why would countries offer any incentives to us? 😧

If I said I was saving up to visit Iceland, no one would bat any eyelid. But we have these toxic perceptions that the white-controlled mainstream media has fed to us about Africa (the entire continent of course) being dirty, diseased and best avoided in favour of other destinations 😐

We complain about having to apply for a visa to visit an African country but we happily submit pounds of flesh for visas to visit Europe or North America 😣

We complain about racism and passport privilege but don’t want to visit countries where we breeze through passport control and our skin color is welcomed😖

When you- as an African- make disparaging comments about African countries without ever visiting there, you’re perpetuating attitudes we have been battling since colonialism. It’s embarrassing really. And it makes me uncomfortable to hear it 😕

I am happy that so many people have expressed an interest in travelling to Uganda and Rwanda since I started posting my content from my trip. They are surprised at the kinds of experiences that are available in these countries. It only takes one person to inspire others to travel. Thats the beauty of social media 📱

Changing the perception of African countries starts with us as African travellers. We have to stop letting foreign voices and international media dictate our story. We must control the narrative and we must alter the perceptions 💡

Otherwise we can’t be surprised or annoyed when people ask us about our pet lions or whether we know what a skyscraper is 🤷🏾‍♀️

Travelling in Uganda: The good, the bad and the r

Travelling in Uganda: The good, the bad and the reality 🌍

Looking at this photo brings me joy because on this particular day, things worked out the way they were supposed to and I was happy 😊

This was not the theme of my Uganda trip though.

Since honesty is the cornerstone of my content, I thought I’d give you a quick reflection of my time travelling through a “real” African country as opposed to “Africa lite” which is where I grew up 🇿🇦

The good: Once in a lifetime bucket list experiences were had like gorilla tracking, seeing the tree lions on safari and white water rafting in the Nile. We stayed at 2 incredible properties- the staff took time to make personal connections with us and we felt at home. Uganda is beautiful and offered us so many stunning and diverse landscapes. It was hard to snap a bad photo 📸

The bad: We tried to save money by doing a DIY tour and while we made wonderful local friends, the logistical stress we encountered made the trip challenging. The traffic and poor infrastructure meant endless drives and multiple mechanical failures ⚙️ So many hidden costs started to arise and I felt that many rules were just being made up as they went along (no policies and procedures). Inefficiency was the name of the game at most places and after a while the frustration began to increase 😖

The reality: Many of the hardships we experienced were our own fault (I’ll elaborate more in my blog post), we were trying to be thrifty but Uganda is not a place to save money 🙈 It’s going to cost A LOT and there will be some frustrations when traveling in Uganda and you just have to be prepared for that. Everyday will surprise you in both positive and negative ways 🤪

Would I recommend Uganda as a destination? DEFINITELY 👍🏾

But is it for everyone? Not at all 👎🏽

I’m in Rwanda now- having a different sort of experience- so I’ll posting about that soon. If you have a question about travelling in Uganda, please post it below and I’ll answer it here or more detailed answers will go into my upcoming blog post. All my Uganda content is saved in my Uganda highlight or can be found on my feed 🇺🇬

Leave your Uganda related questions below! ⬇️

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