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Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Original poster

Checklist - who lived abroad pre-kids?

95 replies

MissChief · 16/05/2006 10:12

..if so where was it and what were you doing?
Seeing this new subject is making me feel all nostalgic for the excitement & smells of pastures new - a sense of feeling really alive...[yeah, very corny, I know, but worked for me every time! Well, for a while anyway...]

Personally, several yrs on, I'm still mighty surprised that I ever came back to the UK! I now seem to be stuck here I suppose what with kids and dh's job..Have occasional fantasy of taking off to Australia/S America/Africa...

Anyway, my years abroad took in Central Africa,
Hong Kong, Spain and Middle East mainly teaching but some of it with the family. How about others?

OP posts:
Gingerbear · 16/05/2006 10:49

it was so cold that the snot froze before it dripped off the end of your nose.

moondog · 16/05/2006 10:50

Papua New Guinea SS.
I was born in Zambia so it was a loong time ago!

cardy · 16/05/2006 10:51

Lived and worked in France for a year when I was 19 and had an overseas posting to Australia (6 months) the year before I had DD1. I also used to travel a lot (mainly SE Asia) with my job.

I yearn for it all sometimes but also know I am very luckily to have experinced it. It's two two week holidays in Europe know with 2 DDs.

SSSandy · 16/05/2006 10:51

My first winter in Berlin it was SO cold , I remember popping out to the bakery to buy buns in the morning and my teeth and nose actually hurt. So I went straight back indoors and sent the man out instead.

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 16/05/2006 10:51

rtk - JET is a japanese govt sponsored scheme/ It does involve teaching english (can involve more than that if your japanese is good enough), but can also be more about what they call "grassroots internationalisation" (ie getting on with everyone. I taught for only 9 hours a week, but visited other schools (including special schools and joined school clubs etc). I've heard bad things about some of the private language schools, but you're well looked after on JET.

Original poster
MissChief · 16/05/2006 10:52

..was in Zambia a bit in the 70s as a kid. Used to go for the w/e for relaxation, game-viewing (and v nice chilled coke by the swimming pool. See I remember all the important stuff!)

OP posts:
ks · 16/05/2006 10:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gingerbear · 16/05/2006 10:53

Moondog, East coast, beautiful place, lovely people. I really want to go back. I was there for a few months - was offered a permanent job, but didn't take it!

SSSandy · 16/05/2006 10:54

MissChief and Moondog, my sister and I were born in Ghana but moved to Zambia when I was two. I remember holidays at Victoria Falls and finding ourselves on an elephant track with a herd thundering down the road behind us, mum having a blue fit and dad calmly driving on saying there was nothing to worry about! In fact there was a fair bit to worry about... Do not get in the way of stampeding elephants.

moondog · 16/05/2006 10:55

yes Ginge,I love it.
We took a month to drive it from singapore
one of my best holidays yet

Gingerbear · 16/05/2006 10:56

A month driving up the east coast of Malaysia with DD...or a fortnight in Denia....hmmm.....

SSSandy · 16/05/2006 10:58

ks I know exactly what you mean. My sister moved there with her husband from Curacao five years later and got really depressed, golden cage. In fact they broke up because of it. I was so young and naive that I did things I should not have done, much too dangerous. But at the time I was so wooly headed, I refused to see any danger in it. I had the impression a lot of expat wives were really unhappy in Caracas.

Bozza · 16/05/2006 10:58

I did a year's au pairing in Texas.

foxinsocks · 16/05/2006 10:59

yes I lived in S Africa for years - mainly Joburg and Cape Town - also had short stints in Munich and did a fair bit of work travel to other countries (but didn't live in any of them so it doesn't count!).

ggglimpopo · 16/05/2006 10:59

I also spent some time in Zambia - there are a whole host of us quasi-Zambians on here.

SSSandy · 16/05/2006 11:00

How I miss billtong

Original poster
MissChief · 16/05/2006 11:00

the lot of an expat wife seems an odd one - 50s throwback or something! Saw some miserable ones in Hong Kong - all material comfort, maids and yacht clubs but little independence or verve somehow

OP posts:
ggglimpopo · 16/05/2006 11:00

Zimbabwe, Zambia,Mozambique,Portugal,UK, now France. South Africa and UK with kids.

Original poster
MissChief · 16/05/2006 11:02

hate bulltong but love rooboisch. Great to see how easy it is to buy here now

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 16/05/2006 11:02

I love biltong - you can get it from specialist SA shops in London but what I really miss are the (South African) Woolworth's packets of biltong sticks and the soft biltong pieces.

ks · 16/05/2006 11:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

foxinsocks · 16/05/2006 11:04

I also really miss proper boerewors, melktert and mielie pap with lovely tomato sauce.

ggglimpopo · 16/05/2006 11:05

Melktart is very easy to make.....

SSSandy · 16/05/2006 11:07

What's this other stuff -rooboisch?

I'm drooling just thinking of billtong. I used to love that stuff. Haven't found it in Berlin but maybe you can get it here.

ks I know Sad Didn't see the barrios on the way in, arrived at night. But I was really shocked passing them on the way to airport when I was leaving.

ks · 16/05/2006 11:10

This reply has been deleted

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