Photo by Jan van der Wolf

Hi there! It’s nice to (virtually) meet you. 👋

My name’s Lia, and I’m a freelance writer and editor, splitting my time between the Netherlands and sunny Sri Lanka.

I started this blog for fellow internationals in Europe, tourists coming to Sri Lanka, and fellow bookworms with a zest for adventure. In doing so, I had a few key things in mind:

👀 “I’ve been in your shoes!”

No, not in a creepy way. (I solemnly swear I’ve NOT been up to no good, Potter.)

As a former fish out of water, I’ve also had to navigate the whys, whats, and wtfs of living and studying in a foreign country — and have picked up a few handy tips and tricks along the way.

TL;DR? You can think of me as your knowledgeable big sister who drinks wine and knows things. 🍷

📢 Unfiltered, unsponsored* advice is key

Before I moved to the Netherlands, most advice for incoming foreign students was from a government website, your university, or one of many blogs that were PAID to advertise ‘services’ for internationals.

Needless to say, you either had to wade through pages of jargon or hope that the cherry-picked bits of information in sponsored content applied to your situation.

In contrast, this blog aims to find a happy middle ground: unfiltered in a way that sponsored content may not afford to be and informative in a way that isn’t piling heaps of jargon onto you.

(*While this blog occasionally uses affiliate links, these are heavily vetted beforehand. I’d hate to be ‘sold’ rubbish and respect my readers enough to know that the same applies to them. Want to know more? Do check out my policy on affiliate links.)