Woke up at 1:30pm in Laos after a night eating sticky rice with my trans lover’s family, learning dirty Lao jokes, riding dark backroads, and questioning why I still feel guilt for resting when my life is working.

Maybe healing isn’t discipline. Maybe it’s safety, slowness, and letting go.
I’m not pushing anymore. I’m thriving.

https://whothefami.substack.com/p/a-slow-life-in-laos

#SlowTravel #Laos #WritingLife #Healing #TransLove #Mindfulness #ExpatLife #LivingAbroad #GoWithTheFlow

Relapse is isolating when your addiction isn’t something people want to talk about.
I felt shame, guilt, and alone — until support came from the most unexpected place.
No judgement. No pressure. Just space, trust, and humanity.
Recovery looks different when you’re far from home — but sometimes that difference is exactly what you need.

#HumanConnection
#LivingAbroad
#MentalHealthMatters
#UnexpectedSupport
#RecoveryJourney

https://whothefami.substack.com/p/finding-trust-where-i-didnt-think

Living abroad warps reality. Every day I push through language, closed shops, strange translations, and moments that don’t quite make sense.

I see how lucky I am — English, a strong passport, freedom — while sitting in the same small Lao restaurant by choice, not because I’m stuck.

Laos is messy, sometimes a shithole, but I am free. And that freedom feels like everything. #LivingAbroad #LanguageBarrier #ExpatLife #Freedom #Laos #SlowLife https://whothefami.substack.com/p/language-and-limitations

American woman shows off her $390 a month apartment in China and people are packing their bags

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/390-month-apartment-in-china

American shares the most baffling things she's found in her Italian apartment

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/italian-apartment-features

Half my neighborhood is unpaved, the other half is potholed.

https://www.arnan.me/blog/post/the-roads-in-my-neighborhood

#mexico #bajacaliforniasur #lapaz #travel #livingabroad #infrastructure