Before moving to South Africa, I’m pretty sure you couldn’t fill a shot glass with what I knew about wine. Over the last year, however, I’ve learned a lot and I’m starting to notice I’m developing a little bit of a wine snob in me.

The darkness of winter is fading, but the darkness of loadshedding is not. Spring has come to South Africa and that means warm weather, white wine, and coming out of our hibernation.

It’s been one year since I moved to South Africa. So much has changed I sometimes don’t recognize myself.

There’s nothing that can strike fear into the heart of most South Africans more than inviting them to a good ol’ fashioned American barbecue.

Loadshedding in winter is a level of misery I didn’t think existed. I don’t think even Dante imagined a level of hell like this.

Somehow, in spite of eating and drinking my way through the Western Cape, I’ve lost quite a bit of weight since I arrived…

Despite what the movies tell you, "Africa" isn't a monolithic place. It's an amazing tapestry of countries, languages, cultures, and history just dying to tell you their stories.

One of questions I’m most frequently asked is “Do you miss America?”. Well, yes and no, but it’s not a question that has a simple yes or no answer.

Today marks six months and a few days since I moved to South Africa for a girl. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve also changed a lot. Most importantly, I’ve learned to just relax into this whole transition and take in what this beautiful, weird, and sometimes dysfunctional country has to offer.

One of the biggest changes since moving to South Africa is not being the bread winner in the family. I have embraced my role as trophy husband.

Being an expat is a wonderful experience, but it’s not all wine and roses. There are some things that, if you’re not prepared, can range from simply annoying to full out frustrating. Even though I’ve had my share of frustrations, I wouldn’t change my experience for the world.

South Africa is an incredible nation with incredible food, wine, scenery, opportunities, and people. I wish people knew more about the real Rainbow Nation and not just what they hear in the news.

Gin is almost as big as wine is here in South Africa. So Kim and I decided to take a class at Distillers and Union in Cape Town to see what it takes to make a great Gin.

I moved to South Africa with all my possessions in three boxes I shipped over and the suitcases I packed for my trip. After 4 and a half months, I realize how little I miss all the “stuff” I had been lugging around with me for decades. Instead of filling my new life with stuff, I’m stuffing it with once in a lifetime experiences…and I couldn’t be happier.

Well, it’s now been another couple of months and I’ve learned more interesting and quirky things about my new home country. From plastic bags to polite drivers, there's lots to learn and love about living in South Africa.

For my birthday this year, Kim booked us a day on the Franschhoek Wine Tram. It was an incredible experience with incredible scenery, and most importantly, incredible wines.

I’ll admit I wasn’t totally prepared for my first Christmas in South Africa. I mean, part of me knew that Christmas comes as summer begins, but I (optimistically, perhaps) thought that it would still feel like…you know…Christmas.

It…well…doesn’t.

If you’re looking to live the American Dream, maybe it’s time to leave America and find it in another country by becoming a digital nomad.

As I write this, we’re just beyond two weeks married. It’s still a little surreal after our nearly two year long journey to get here. Although things have changed, they really haven’t.

Load shedding is just part of life here in South Africa, so it’s best to learn to deal with it with grace, laughter, and lots of wine.