Fake it ‘till you make it

There are many life scenarios where that element of self doubt creeps in and we smile and nod our way through that awkward dinner party conversation, which you have absolutely no clue about. We have all embellished a CV or done a little bit of self PR in an interview but these are socially acceptable moments to sprinkle a little of that BS glitter. My question is when does that fake it till you make it attitude become detrimental to your expat experience? Do we really know who are the oscar winning actresses are in a sea of bad ass, we totally got this women?

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I have had many conversations with the desert girls, over the last few weeks. Whilst the conversations are varied, I made an observation. During these chats, I saw that the manifestation of emotions, showed itself in different ways to different people. How they coped, how they responded was all so different, even if the scenario was similar. This got me thinking, that whilst there are definitive emotional stages to this journey, was I right to think, there are in fact definitive expat types?

The pies the limit

Have you ever wondered about what 5 items you would take with you on a desert island? What your last meal would before before the world ends? How would you react if suddenly you weren’t able to have your favorite things or do you habitual activities? Those creature comforts, that are quite literally comfort, are no longer there…….Welcome to expat life! 

O(h)man, we’re a hoot!

Last week Hubby and I took a much needed break to Oman. Ok, maybe not that needed for me, the girl who is on permanent holiday, but after a long summer apart it was good to know we had some quality, chilled out, switch off time together. As you all know Oman has become our little haven in the Gulf and to say we were excited about our return was an understatement. I have to be honest here, and tell you that my enthusiasm did falter when Hubby declared that we were on a 4am flight and that we would have to be at the airport by 2am!

Vexed lyrical

After laying my soul bare last week, you will be glad to know that I am over my little blip and back into the land of sand with gusto. What I would like to say is a huge thank you to everyone that took the time to comment and let me know that I was not alone in experiencing this expat black cloud, we all get it and have the exact same challenges wherever we are. To my desert girls, you were awesome, you rallied around me, went out of your way to make sure I didn’t spend too much time alone and friends back home whose texts meant so much. Last but not least to my wonderful, ever supportive Hubby, who was his usual understanding, sympathetic self, patiently holding my hand till I was through the other side, we are in this together every step of the way.

So after a bit of a downer and somewhat depressing post last week, I thought I would return with somewhat of a rant! I know, at this stage you are probably thinking what is going on with this girl, does she not have one ounce of emotional stability right now?! Before you go carting me off, I can assure that I am very happy and still love this desert life but there were a couple of days, where all me and my girls could do was scream in frustration. We love it but at the same time aggghhhh! I am sure there are moments where expats unite around the world, as we experience those “special” moments, when there is simply only one reaction and we simultaneously cry ……….FFS!