The sin bin

It’s been a while but here goes nothing. Firstly how is it 2020?! A decade of my expat journey done and dusted. I can’t believe at the start of 2010 I was happily sitting in Jersey, starting a new job and had no idea that by the end of that year, I would be sat in Prague beginning a new life abroad. Ten years of this life and it’s gone in a blink of eye. As I marked this milestone, I asked myself am I a better expat now than I was then? I can’t definitive say either way, somethings are way easier now, but the longer you’re away the worse somethings get and  I confess, at times, to be blighted by the 7 deadly expat sins.

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The summer make or break

As I suspected, my last post caused a few ripples through my expat world. I knew that not everyone would agree with me, which is one of the things I love about this blogging lark, allowing debate amongst expats and see what different perspectives people have. So here we are again, with probably a less divisive post. Schools out for summer and the mass expat exodus has begun. There are a few that will be literally running for the plane, eagerly waiting to be out of the hot sandpit, have a G&T in hand and know they have the next 2 and bit months to enjoy the normality of their home countries. Then there are a few of us, deemed hard core by the rest, that aren’t running for the hills but instead plan to hang around that little bit longer.  I pondered this vast difference between my circle of friends and asked myself, does the summer break, make or break a desert expat?

Call me Michelle

Are there people in your life that you rely on no matter what? People that seem to be the backbone to their family, never faltering in the midst of drama or chaos? I know many and most are women. There is a kind of man that is drawn to this expat lark, but there is also a kind of women that can handle it. I often question whether the outside world still perceive us as the “trailing spouse”  with no real direction or minds of our own. Gin swilling, ladies that lunch, who are living it up around global locations, simply fulfilling their husbands career dreams and not their own. Is this accurate or yet another statement filled with judgement and misunderstanding?

Type face

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?

Home Truths

There comes a time in every expat life, where the novelties have worn off and it just becomes life. Routines are forged, every day flows into the next, without major discoveries or incident, and before you know it year 1, 2 and 3 are behind you. As Hubby and I approach the same time period in the desert, as we did in Prague we can’t phathom where that time as gone and how our desert life will have more longevity than our European adventure. I for one never envisaged that would happen, but love that it has. Like many expats, we entered the new year contemplating the last and having that annual discussion of whether we are happy, bored or indifferent to our current location and what plans should be made. As we are eager to continue on our sandpit journey, our travels will be for pleasure and Kuwait remains home. 

Own goal?

Well and truly back into the desert routine and that trip back home seems long behind me. Very quickly after landing back in the land of sand, it’s strange how fast I can now flip that expat switch and fall back into the everyday, which only shows how “normal” this all now feels. As well as hitting the floor running upon my return, of course comes the new year reflections, plans to be made, intentions drawn up, and like any obsessive planner I am, try to get some clarity on the immediate months ahead.  At first I thought perhaps my necessity for plans at the start of year, is just a distraction, something to focus on allowing myself not to get sucked into the January blues. It turns out, I am not the only one and that my fellow desert girls all seems to be grabbing 2018 by the horns. 

Sheer(an) delight & Dubai nights

There are moments in my expat life that will be firmly placed in the memory box. This weekend was one of those moments. A one-off, surreal, pinch yourself, special experience which will be very hard to forget. 

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! 

Who’s that (Jersey) girl?

I’ve said it many a time, that we expat bloggers are a friendly bunch, gravitating towards each other on all social media platforms.  We “like”,  follow and comment on all things expat, giving each other that knowing virtual nod that we “get it”.  A recent development has been, a hashtag piece of genius, called the Expat Tag.  I have been tagged twice now by lovely Brit Kylie from Between England and Iowa and more recently by Ayaan and Safiyya, aka The Xpats a friendly Dubai based couple. The idea is that everyone answers the same 10 questions, giving people a real insight into the multitude of different expat experiences and the stories behind the blogs. So here goes, its my turn and in the words of Madonna………who’s that girl? 

Social Network

Desert life is heating up and as many will agree, once the sun is out, happiness is accompanied by positive vibes, along with sunscreen and shades. That being the case, I have returned with a spring in my step and back to seeing the world through my rose tinted sunglasses. I am in an appreciative, reflective mood, enabling me to be fully back into the world of expat, living the dream and raring to go. As I stumbled out of my little wobble over the last few weeks, it seems to be a current theme among the desert girls, making me wonder if we are all like a house of cards, remove one or pressurise another, every card becomes a little unstable? Whilst our expat circles are there for support, can we also freak each other out? I ask myself, is our social network always worth a “like” or should we start to “unfollow” the crowd?