Happy Halloween! It’s a low-key day in these parts. Halloween isn’t a big deal here but still hoping to get a few trick-or-treaters so my Snickers bars won’t go to waste. Anyway, let’s talk expat care packages. You know, those awesome boxes of goodies from home that loving family and friends send because they care. Any expat will tell you how a care package makes their day, and I was lucky enough to have received a care package recently…
GO!
Expat care packages
My poor parents. They send expat care packages all the time but usually after I send them a list of 10 random things for them to pick up from about 10 different stores. I’m a pain in the ass and fully admit that. My parents are awesome (love you guys!) and never complain about sending me stuff. Most of the time, it’s stuff I’ve bought for myself and shipped to my US address or things I’ve asked for, but sometimes they throw in some extra treats because they know it’ll make me happy.
Getting stuff from home brightens my day and it’s not that a pumpkin Reese’s is the most amazing thing in the world (well, maybe actually) but it’s a piece of home and it’s comforting. It’s the same reason why I brought a soft bath mat (and cookie trays, and sheets, and dog toys) back with me last year after visiting the US. Bath mats (and everything else I mentioned) exist in France, but having a special one from home made me feel like I wasn’t so far away, if that makes any sense… Seeing that friends and family care means so much when you’re a world away.
Favorite care package items
Here’s some random stuff I’ve asked my family to ship me lately: Dental floss picks, cereal, makeup sponges, pumpkin-flavored stuff from Trader Joe’s, special treats for Dagny and the list goes on…
Some of my favorite expat care packages include (most are foods):
- Cereals I can’t get here
- Seasonal candy I can’t get here like the big Reese’s pumpkins and Christmas trees
- Protein powder and Quest Bars
- Cards in English (like the awesome Papyrus Halloween card in the pic below, LOVE!)
- Chia seeds
- Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
Things I took for granted when I lived in the US are now a huge deal when I see them tucked into a box so really anything “normal” from home makes my day. If you’re looking for some care package ideas to send to someone abroad, you can check out My Little America for some common American food items that are hard to find abroad. Yes, many are unhealthy but sometimes you get a craving for some Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and JELL-O.
Oh and those cans of pumpkin in the pic above? Those I just got from My Little America for my pies in a few weeks. Four euros/can and worth every centime. 😉 Kind of expensive to ship across the Atlantic because they’re heavy so I buy them here.
Random question for other French expats: Do French grocery stores near you have plain corn kernels for popping? I want to pop up some fresh popcorn on the stove but haven’t found the kernels — only super processed junk.
OK, next up. Since we’re talking about expat care packages and the holidays are fast approaching, here’s my question for all my fellow expats out there:
Would you be interested in an expat holiday care package exchange?
We can work out the details if there’s enough interest, but basically we’d all be matched up with an expat buddy somewhere else in the world and we’d ship each other a care package with cool things from our current country. It’s probably best to stick to a low-ish dollar amount with light items considering the high cost of shipping, but let me know what you think — I know how isolating it can be abroad sometimes and how fun it is to receive a package. Just an idea I’m throwing out there to gauge interest.
Have a happy and safe Halloween! And tell me, what’s your favorite thing to get in expat care packages?
Hey! I’ve been lurking here for a bit and am finally taking the plunge and commenting.
I’ve seen plain kernels at supermarkets in the Lille area. Sometimes, they are in the “foreign food” section with the British/American goods if not with the other popcorn options.
The idea of care packages is nice. I’ve been in France 7 years, and other than clothes I’ve ordered and then had my mom ship, no packages. I know my mom would send me things if I asked, but I have trouble justifying the cost to myself. My American Market has been a lifesaver though. The pumpkin comes in handy for Thanksgiving time!
If you do do a care package exchange, that could be a lot of fun!
-Shannon
P.S. I love your posts about your dog. We adopted a dog here a little over a year ago. Best addition to our little family.
Hi Shannon, thanks for coming out of lurkdom and for the info on the kernels. I will keep an eye out. My local stores’ exotic/international sections are always just Asian stuff and Portuguese juice. Oh, and coconut milk. That’s about it. I’ll ask my MIL to check her stores. And thanks about the Dagny posts. She’s a huge part of my life so I have to do a fair share of dog posts. What kind of pup to you have?
The bigger the store, and the bigger the town will probably increase the likelihood of finding it. I probably should have added that it’s the huge Auchans and Carrefours that I’ve seen it in.
We adopted Elliot from a shelter, and we’re not quite sure what he is. The shelter called him a ratter mix, but his vet thinks he’s more of a cocker mix. He sort of looks like a labrador puppy, but at 8kg he’s full grown. Though everyone asks us how old our puppy is!
Yes! You can definitely find corn to pop. Maybe not in every store, but if your supermarché is of a reasonable size, there should be (probably next to raisins secs, pruneaux, noix, etc)
Oh, how I’d like to go shopping in a Leclerc instead of Walmart and buy some crème de marrons! 😉
OK cool, definitely going to look by the dried fruit. I may have been looking in the wrong spot. Thank you! I don’t even know what creme de marrons is so going to check that out too. Happy Halloween!
I love getting care packages! Or pretty much getting anything in the mail brightens my day so much. I send so many postcards and letters out all the time hoping that my friends will send me back something. haha that sounds pretty desperate and lonely but I don’t really mind. I like sending them things too!
The things I miss most about the U.S.: (good) avocados, tacos/burritos, bacon (the bacon in france is not bacon in my mind. It’s more like ham..), and mac and cheese.
I just got some kernels at Leclerc a few weeks ago, they were with the nuts/garlic cloves in the same kind of mesh bad thing the garlic comes in. Hope that makes sense? lol Your care package looks delicious!!! Back home I never got super excited about having pumpkin everything, but now that there’s nothing pumpkin in France, I would eat anything pumpkin flavored!
Guess what? I found some kernels at my Intermarche. Turns out I was looking in the wrong spot and expected the package to be different. So thank you for your tips!
I always asked my visitors to bring me Luna bars and almond butter. The Luna bars because I would be walking around so much that I’d forget to stop and grab a bite until it was a super weird time to be eating in a restaurant. Oh ya and around October – canned pumpkin!!! I hear you can buy it at Picard but you can’t beat Libby’s!
Only thing I’ve found at Picard is this frozen “pumpkin” puree but there’s a pic of a butternut squash on the package so not sure it would taste right: http://www.picard.fr/produits/puree-potiron/000000000000012882,default,pd.html
Libby’s all the way!
I want to do it!! Who wants goodies from Morocco?!?!
This sounds like a great idea! Funny about Quest bars…we live part time in Galicia, Spain and part of my pre-packing ritual is stocking up on Quest bars. I would love more info about the exchange…I understand how isolated it can feel when you’re away from home. Tell me more. New follower here. 🙂
Kelly
http://www.alovelylifeindeed.com
I will ask for my parents to send me this sort of package… from France to US 🙂
I really need chocolate (for pastries and to eat it alone), cheese (but I think that they don’t like it in the customs…) and other pastries stuffs that I can’t find here in the US!
See you
Karine