Four Months of Belonging: Finding Home in New Zealand
🌿 Can You Hear Them? Can you hear them? The birds.That’s the sound of my garden here in Glendowie, Auckland, and it still surprises me that I get to call ...
The 6 Stages of Moving (and learning to live In-Between)
By Maria | Almost LocalEstimated read time: 6–7 minutes If you’ve ever packed up your life and started over somewhere new — in another city, another country, or another version ...
Home Is Where the Heart Thrives: An Expat’s Adventure
Tay’s journey from Argentina and Venezuela to Auckland, New Zealand is a heartfelt story of love, courage, and finding home in unexpected places. In this episode of Almost Local, we ...
No IKEA, No Problem: Finding Home in Unexpected Places
Moving back after years abroad comes with surprises — like realizing there’s no IKEA to help you start over. In this Almost Local story, I share what happened when we ...
Almost Local Podcast Episodes, Expat Life and Dilemmas
Navigating Tsunamis and Transitions: 3 Lessons for Life Abroad
Happy Friday, fellow almost locals! It’s another day here in Cloudy, Auckland, New Zealand, and I’m coming to you with tales of navigating life from the world’s edges. Whether you’re ...
Expat Challenges Nobody Talks About… and the Growth They Bring
Meeting Karina in person was truly wonderful. She grew up as an expat and brings a lifetime of experiences — from her childhood abroad to now, living in New Zealand ...
Biking Worlds: Lessons on Belonging Abroad
Happy Friday, Almost Locals! I’m Maria, your host, writing from the quaint, cloudy city of Auckland, New Zealand. If you’re new here, welcome to Almost Local—a community for anyone navigating ...
Relocating to New Zealand: Finding Home, Community, and Connection
Welcome Back I’m Maria, your host here at Almost Local. Today I want to share a deeply personal and universal story—the experience of relocating to New Zealand and rediscovering what ...
20 Tips for expats Building Community Abroad (That Actually Work)
Moving abroad and feeling isolated? Discover 20 honest, practical tips for building community and making real friends in a new country—without the awkward small talk.
Why I Created Almost Local: The Expat Dilemma
When does a place stop feeling temporary? When do you stop calling it ‘this city’ and start saying ‘home’? I’ll never forget the first time I gave someone directions in ...