The Working Traveler features expats who work to eat in foreign cities. This month, we'll be featuring stories from Katie Askew's adventures through Monaco. This series of personal essays details what it's like to work as an expat, survive in one of the world's most expensive cities, and what it means to give up everything to follow your wanderlust. Read on:
A trip to Marseille, France would be incomplete without a taste of the simple bouillabaisse soup. This oily, bony, and filling fish soup originated in Marseille and literally means bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (simmer). The emulsified rust-colored broth warms your throat and the delicate fishy taste lingers in your mouth after swallowing--it’s not a taste welcomed by everyone. Be careful to watch your slurp! It’s considered rude in France.
I think Marseille sounds so luxurious and French. For some reason, I've always pictured Marseille filled with baguette-carrying men and women, art museums around every corner, and quiet cobblestone streets between historic towering villas.
Wrong.
Traveling and getting paid at the same time isn’t a myth, trust me. I took this opportunity to nanny in Monaco as a way to feed my passion to see the world and work at the same time. In fact, I’m getting paid to travel!
Europe is great for many things—the wine, the culture, the food, the laidback lifestyle. But sometimes the public transportation strikes a nerve.
This crepe-like speciality of the Cote D’Azur is the perfect hot and crispy snack after a long day touring the curving streets of historic Nice, France.
Now imagine Adrianna—who has been taught that everyone knows the word aubergine—learning that her American nanny has never heard the word in her life. After we filled a paper with different shapes of eggplant and multiple shades of purple, we laughed at our odd hand gestures and confusion with the word. Finally, after correcting Adrianna’s mispronunciations of the word “purple,” and translating both “aubergine” and “eggplant” into the Italian word “melanzana,” we figured out the word debacle; we still laugh every time we eat eggplant.
Then Mr. Francesco Grimaldi seized control of The Rock in 1297 and started his dynasty. I think it’s pretty incredible that one family has controlled this small town for more than 720 years. Since then, there have been a bunch of treaties signed and agreements made between France and Monaco stating that the French military force will protect this little sovereign city-state if Monegasque policies aligned with whatever political, military, and economic interests France has. So far, so good!
Je ne parle pas français is the only French I know and it means “I don’t speak French.” Helpful, right? It wasn’t helpful when I was attempting to travel back to Monaco after a day hanging out in Nice, France.
Maybe nothing feels like it’s missing because nobody here has a sprawling green backyard lawn and a 900 sq. foot kitchen. Possibly it’s because families here are close and make time together a priority. Whatever the reason, it works.
Traveling solo and working abroad can sometimes be lonely. But, with the right mindset, it’s easy to overcome loneliness fast. Here’s some secret top-shelf advice for my fellow extroverted-introverted expats: Find your place, find your tribe.