Live it, love it, grab it

Why would you do that? I don’t understand the appeal? Isn’t that just a real pain that lifestyle? When are you coming home? How long are you doing this for? Questions after question, all very typical of people that find out that you are an expat. It is so far from their comprehension, that they struggle to engage with you on any discussions about your weird, non conventional life abroad. My answer is, do I care what others think?

Advertisement

Fall for Galle: Sri Lanka Part 2

I have been back in the Land of Sand a little over a week and I haven’t stopped gushing about our Sri Lankan adventure, to anyone that will listen. I think I have convinced a few folk to take the plunge and go visit but just case you are yet to decide, whether this tropical, untouched country is for you, let me take you on the second part of my round up, moving away from the beach bliss  and onto a historical town. Why did Hubby and I fall head over heels for Galle? 

Beach bliss: Sri Lanka Part 1

Usually my years travel is planned and organised at least 6 months ahead of time, simply to calm my inner Virgo control freak. So when Hubby and I decided, slightly on a whim to book a trip to Sri Lanka 6 weeks in advance, I did freak just a smidge. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go, in fact it had been on the list for a while, but I felt like I wasn’t fully prepared, in terms of research or what to expect. I’m not going to lie, I was very anxious before leaving, as this wasn’t going to be our usual 5* middle eastern luxury trip. Instead, what happened over the next 8 days was that I lost every ounce of anxiety and fell in love with this incredible country. 

Location, Location, Location

Unfortunately we can’t all have Phil and Kirsty at our disposal, so when it comes to choosing a new expat location, do we always have the expertise to make the right choice? I know that in both our moving decisions, we have been led by the opportunity, rather than an emotional or situational need to move. Luckily for us it worked out, but I do look back and wonder were we just to blasé about the whole thing, what if it hadn’t worked?

End as you mean to go on

Sorry for the absence folks, but this little thing called Christmas and family get together all got in the way of my blogging, so I know you’ll be dying to hear all about my latest adventures. For those of you that don’t stalk my Instagram account or have been living under a desert rock for the past month, you wont be aware that I had a very busy December and by the time I arrived back in the desert New Years Eve I had taken 12 flights in as little as 6 weeks! No wonder I was sick and exhausted, but do you know what I didn’t care, because in true nomadic expat style I finished the year with some fabulous travels. So at the start of 2018 I take a deep breath and reflect on the month that was.

Up, up and Aggghhh!

I am now only days away from flying back to my little island. My bag is almost packed and I am slowly ticking off the items on the To Do list, stuck on the fridge. Now comes the rounds of saying goodbye to all my desert gals, knowing that it will be September before we will be exchanging our summer escapades over a Starbucks. It always feels strange leaving this world behind for another, which is also familiar, I don’t think I will ever quite get used to that.

As I approach the final desert days, my mind starts to wonder towards the long day ahead, just to get me to those island shores. That 3000 mile, never ending, 19 hour door-to-door journey, which by about hour 8 I am well and truly bored of. What is it about travelling that seems to only highlight all the things that drive me absolutely nuts!  So here it is, my travel bugbears, my pet hates and everything that makes the journey home transform me into a crazy person. 

Tug of war

How is it already June?! I can not believe that time is passing so quickly and that the summer escape is nearly upon us.  As the temperatures rise, Ramadan continues and the kids are entering end of term craziness, the desert girls and I are running down the social events and looking ahead to months away from the sandpit. Now whilst most of my friends are eager to escape, some literally counting the days with excitement, I have a very real, inner tug of war going on. I am so ready to see my family and friends, but there is a massive part of me just not ready to leave. The fact that I am less than a week away from heading to the motherland, should have me planning every inch of my first few days on The Rock and have my “getting off the plane” outfit all picked out, but this time there is something holding back. Has my desert life stopped being full of randomness and now truly become home?

A change is as good as a rest

Last weekend Hubby and I took ourselves off for a change of scenery. There is nothing wrong with Kuwait and 90% of the time we are more than happy with the laid back pace but every now and again you just need to get out.  It’s not like we are party animals or twenty somethings flying off for more exciting climes twice a month and actually we like the fact there isn’t loads to do. That laid back, slower paced life that Kuwait brings is perfectly adequate for us, but I am not going to lie, a chance to go to the bright lights of Dubai has me somewhat excited. 

Sunsets & Dreams

So I am back in the land of blog, I know you have missed my random musings. Now I am in no doubt, that you know that I have just returned from a trip of a lifetime. You have been enjoying (or enduring) my constant Insta spamming of all things Maldivian over the last 10 days, so it only felt right that my first blog post back, should be about my latest adventure to paradise.  So, sit back, grab a cuppa and I’ll tell you about dreams coming true (I know, just bear with me).

Expat Spice

It is not often that I get political in this blog, in fact I tend to steer away from it purely because I don’t think I have enough knowledge, but also this is a fun outlet and my readers are mainly tapping into my posts for an insight into my fun expat adventures and not to engage in deep debates. However, whilst my social media feeds are filled daily with protests, speeches and social comment, it seems that there is something I am compelled to address, especially as a woman.

Now don’t switch off, this isn’t going to be me preaching from a suffrage soap box, but the world has been flooded with powerful images of women standing up, for a basic right to be treated with respect and dignity and it made me think about the women who have touched my life in my past, present and no doubt my future. I have noticed whilst embarking on this expat journey, that expat women aren’t the cliched, gin swilling, twin set and pearl wearing, shopaholic, trailing spouces the outside world perceive. Expat women are amongst some of the strongest women I have ever come across.