Where it all started. Journey to expat life.
So why Lulu? Lulu was a nickname given to me by a former colleague and friend in one of my earlier jobs. It was my second gig after college so eons ago. Today no one calls me Lulu. In fact, the nickname would have undoubtedly faded away if I hadn’t used it in an e-mail address to mark the start of a long but worthwhile journey to expat life. My real name is Leslie Strazzullo, Lulu is sort of a play on both my first and last names. On a side note, Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines lulu as “slang for one that is remarkable or wonderful” (“lulu”, Merriam-Webster.com. 2019). I do have to say that it is highly unlikely that my former colleague consulted Merriam-Webster dictionary when coming up with my nickname. Well, one never knows…
Time to say goodbye. Hello expat life.
I have been away from home for many years with the last 18 being spent living and working in Northern Italy. So how did I end up in Italy? Well, it’s a long story but I can sum it up quickly. Like most young professionals, I had many interests. One of my interests was to have a career that was international in scope, and while it took me a job or two and an MBA to fully understand how much I was interested in working internationally, I eventually got to the place where I am today – living and working abroad. After several international work experiences, my big break came after business school when I was hired by an Italian company to head up marketing communications for one of the company’s businesses. From there, I moved to an American multinational and well, the rest is history.
So far, no regrets.
My role and what I do is not so important. But for those of you who must know the details of my career, you can learn more about my background on LinkedIn. What is important, is that I’m doing it – living and working abroad. So if you are interested in multicultural work environments, working somewhere else, or want a better understanding of what to expect when working overseas, read my blog and participate in the discussion.
You can also view some of my earlier writing on expat life at Transitions Abroad.
Oh, and by the way, these are my opinions and not those of my employer.
“lulu.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2019. https://www.merriam-webster.com (13 August 2019).