Over the past 4 years, I have lost count of the number of countries the husband and I have been privileged to visit. What started out as a temporary assignment (1 year, maybe 2) has morphed into something almost semi-permanent. This – working 10 weeks, travelling for 3, community living on a gated compound, no […]
Community
A funny thing happened the other weekend. The husband and I were lolling around the apartment, doing nothing in particular – when the power went off. We looked at each other and waited for it to surge back on, but it didn’t happen. And although we didn’t really have any plans anyway, it unnerved us. […]
The Strangeness of being an Expat
It had been close to two years since we last set foot on Aussie soil when we landed in Sydney shortly before Christmas. Two years – our first Christmas off the island in 5 years. As we transferred terminals from international to domestic, Sydney’s humidity hit me not so much like a punch in the […]
Hunting Rudolph
The husband and I have just returned from a two week exploration of Finland. Finland appeared to be a strange choice for many people when I told them where we were going – I was frequently met with confused expressions and comments such as “that’s random,” “why are you going there” and my favourite “you […]
Ch-ch-changes
It’s been three and a half years since we landed in tropical paradise. The place has inevitably changed since we first arrived – most obviously, there are less people. The compound has shrunk, but is still diverse, although it seems we keep to ourselves more and more as time goes on. We also don’t go […]
This is Africa
The weekend just past has seen the husband and I experience our first traditional African wedding. It may sound harsh to say, but weddings can be fairly generic. Back in Melbourne I saw my share of Western cookie-cutter weddings when I worked weekends at a function centre over a couple of summers, and frankly they […]