#LivingTheDream: Expat life stripped bare

British journalist Carrie Frais edited and co-authored this powerful anthology on grief, loneliness, Brexit, motherhood, identity and rootlessness among drinking culture whilst living in Barcelona during the Covid pandemic. This series of powerful stories have been written by nine women on the challenges of expat life in Spain, Hong Kong, Australia, Israel, Belgium, New Zealand and the UK.

In one of the first books of its kind, these stories illustrate some of the emotional upheavals and struggles that go hand-in-hand with moving away from one’s native ‘home’, but until now have remained largely untold.

The project emerged from the author’s own feelings of isolation during lockdown, her sense of lack of belonging, which had been exacerbated as a result of Brexit. Carrie wanted to connect and encourage positive interactions and make people aware of the dangers of ‘toxic positivity’ towards those living in sunnier climes.

Carrie Frais is a British broadcast journalist and PR consultant who has been living in Barcelona on a permanent basis since 2006. She is also the founder of MumAbroad. She lives with her husband Tom, two children Poppy and Bertie, dog Reggie and two cats Wally and Maggie on the outskirts of Barcelona City and is happiest with a glass of vino tinto after a day hiking in the hills.

“Divorce, death, alcoholism… these are women’s real stories about what lies beneath the Facebook veneer of life abroad. They may be a harsh wake-up call in many cases, but their stories are also refreshing, uplifting and beautifully told.”
Zoe Dare Hall, Sunday Times