Expat Aid Workers - and their DCs. General sharing/questions/whinging thread!

[Zorra]

I think there are a few of us here... I have one DS who is 2.5 and am just moving (back) to Sudan to work. I've been back and forth a few times with him on short term consultancies, and he spent 6 months with me in Suriname, but this is our first Big Move. D but quite useless H is already there.

I've managed ok up til now knowing that it's short term, but I need to start getting my head around the full move. I've packed my cream of tartar for
Play dough and a few other bits, but I am at a loss as to how I am going to entertain him. Sudan is super hot and there's bugger all in terms of child activity if the kind that DS is used to. How do you keep your beloved Smalls entertained?

Plus any other gems of experience on this - things you wish you had taken, known, or planned in advance!

Be careful of packing pots of white powder in your luggage, whatever its label says...

We took lots of colouring pens and paper and rolls of sellotape, and spent a lot of time making and colouring 'models' made from all the new kinds of sticks and leaves (southern africa). Also a favorite battery operated train and some card games. I wish we had taken some lego/duplo.

'Families on the move' by Marion Knell is a great book to get.

We also took photos of DS and DD's bedrooms/back garden/local shops/school/park as well as grandparents and friends etc. etc. and made them into a little photo album in a document wallet, so they could talk about familiar things with their new acquaintances, and with you too - that was brilliant - and we did the same before coming back to the UK too. 6 years on, they still treasure that book! That's my best recommendations too!

No time to post properly now but will get back to you... I live in rural Moldova with 3 DCs so definitely know where you're coming from!