Raised in the Ivorian rainforests of West Africa, Kari later studied in the US and UK, spent time with the Maasai of Kenya, camped in the Swedish tundra, and worked in the Sahel desert of Senegal. The most recent addition to her passport is a French residency permit.

Drawing on her cross-cultural experiences, Kari writes for print and web publications, her photographs vividly illustrating her words. More than 150 of Kari's articles have appeared in publications in North America, Europe and Africa.

Readers have enjoyed topics ranging from The Senegalese Tea Ceremony cover story in Tea Experience Digest to Unique Wedding Sites in English Now magazine, and Don't Mess with Tex-Mex in Go English magazine to A Prayer for Mariame on Destination Elsewhere. She writes the "American Expat in France" section for Just Landed, which publishes concise and easy-to-use guides for people moving abroad.

Kari is an American happily living in la belle France with her husband, whom she met while working in a health clinic in Africa. Combining her love for travel and living abroad, the frustrations of traveling and living abroad, and her journalism studies, she pursued writing freelance articles for cross-cultural and expatriate-focused publications. She soon branched out to include her other interests and experiences in her writings.

As a child, she learned English and French simultaneously, and has since added the African dialect of Wolof. She has worked on translation projects and also served as an interpreter between all three languages.

When she's not writing, you can find her cooking with ingredients she can't pronounce, taking photos of shadows, hiking in southern France or reading a Jodi Picoult book. She has no musical talent, but plays the Strumstick guitar anyway. No matter where she is, her cup of coffee and camera will be nearby.