My Life Abroad

 

I´m Paul Wubbe

In 2019, my wife and I left the Netherlands to follow a different path in life. We moved to Italy without a fixed destination, only a sense that Puglia might be the right place for us.

Over time, Salento revealed itself as a region where the pace of life feels both culturally rich and refreshingly simple.

We started in Martina Franca, lived for three years in the centro storico of Lecce, and eventually settled in the small town of Cavallino.

Like many expats, we experienced the challenges of building a new life abroad.

What we’ve found over time is not about becoming local, but about creating a balance, staying connected to our Dutch roots while embracing the traditions and rhythms of life here in Puglia.

 

Today, we feel at home, grounded in Salento.

 

 

 

Grounding Abroad grew from my own experience of living abroad, but also from something I have always been curious about:

How do people find their own way of being themselves in a different culture?

Living in Puglia has given me many opportunities to notice, question and reflect on that.

Not only through the bigger experiences of moving countries, but also through ordinary moments. A conversation that goes differently than expected. A small cultural misunderstanding. A different way of dealing with time, responsibility or community.

Some things feel unfamiliar while others make perfect sense. And there are also moments when I simply don't know what to make of something.

Over the years I have become increasingly interested in those moments.

Not in finding the one right way to adapt, but in discovering what adapting means for each different person. Not in deciding which culture does things better, but in becoming more curious about what is happening in ourselves and around us.

That curiosity is at the heart of Grounding Abroad.

 

 

Through Grounding Abroad, I share reflections and experiences around expat life.

I also work with expats who want to explore their situation more consciously through conversation, reflection

and gaining new perspectives.

If you recognise parts of this, it might be a good moment to pause and reflect on your own experience.

 

Finding your place abroad takes time, but it can also become one of the most enriching parts of the experience.