I’ve lived on five different continents in the past fifteen years, but I’m still not sure where (or if!) I want to settle down. In the meantime, I live in Amsterdam with my husband, two children, and my papillon. I am originally an American from California, but just this month turned in my application for Italian citizenship. Really, though, home is Planet Earth. I blog about my international adventures at Casteluzzo.com.
Probably due to my many years of moving from place to place, I am very much invested in decoding and influencing the myriad ways that human migration plays into culture, individual and group identity, and (increasingly relevantly these days) politics across the globe. My day job is doing public relations for a beautiful little institution in The Hague, to which I am utterly devoted: the Expatriate Archive Centre (EAC), which actually sponsors the @WeArexpats RoCur. At the EAC we collect primary sources documenting expat life around the world, and make them available for academic research.
I’m also heavily involved in an Amsterdam-based digital magazine called Hiraeth. The word hiraeth is Welsh, and denotes a longing for a home that no longer exists, or that never was. The magazine explores the many faces of home and migration via the literary, visual, and performing arts, and includes a bi-weekly podcast with guests from around the world.
My hobbies include books (preferably in the bath with wine and chocolate), matcha lattes, museums, sci-fi and crime dramas, and way too much time on social media, which I try to blame on my job. I’ve watched @WeAreXpats grow from a twinkle in Kelly’s eye into the great community it is now, and I’m very flattered to be invited to try my hand at curating. Wish me luck!