One of the features I like to do is share with you some of the great expat blogs I’ve heard about, read about or just stumbled upon on my own.

I don’t do this often, so when I do, you can know that I follow the site in question religiously. The caliber of writing is always high, the content first-rate.

I’ve been meaning to highlight this blog for awhile now, but decided to wait until the blogger finished an ambitious series so that we could celebrate a great blog AND a great series.

So without further ado, Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce I Was An Expat Wife.

For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying the fascinating series on the ‘Big Five’ personality traits and their impact on expat adjustment.

Writer and former expat Maria over at iwasanexpatwife has done a remarkably thorough yet entertaining job in this highly informative and engaging seven-part series.

She began by introducing the five personality traits in question that help make up an individual’s personality, and provided a link so that readers could take a simple test to determine what level of each trait they possess.

She then went on to examine each trait indepth: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extroversion, neuroticism and openess to experiences, describing how each does (or does not) contribute to making adjustment to expat experiences easier (or more challenging).

What I find so endearing is that Maria didn’t just explain each trait and characterize the extreme ends of the spectrum of possessing or not possessing each. She willingly shared her own scores, adding a personal element that made the entire series that much more accessible.

Having successfully navigated the expat waters with stints in France (twice), Australia and Singapore as well as repatriation back to her Canadian homeland, Maria clearly has what it takes to be a top-notch expat.

Yet she will be the first to tell you that, in looking only at her scores on the Big Five personality traits, that would appear to be counter-intuitive.

Rather than tell you her score in each category, please wander over and take the time to read about them in her words, with her questions, assessments, musings and insights. It’s well worth your time.

Take the quiz while you’re at it. You may well learn something(s) about yourself in the process.

I was wondering how she’d wrap up this marvelous series, and in true Maria fashion, she’s done a bang-up job.

I hope you’ll visit Maria’s site and enjoy it as much as I have been. Can’t wait to see what she writes about next!