Anyone NOT in NZ, Oz or Europe???

[Salbertina]

Just saying... Feels a little lonely, thats all!

Barbie, thanks for your reply & Nancy thank you for your message, exactly what I had in mind.
We did Tokyo and Kyoto at the same time of year and walking in the mountains and around garden temples was stunning.

America, I've lived "abroad" all my life so not sure where "home" is. We have always relocated with the intention to stay and have stayed on local terms, taken up permanent residency, buying a place, setting a business, etc?only to move on a few years down the line. Takes its toll after a few moves.

Am in awe of those who go from 2 year contract to the next.
Its such an upheaval with school age children and a trailing spouse that needs to redefine their career path constantly!

Hello everyone.

How is everyone this morning/'afternoon / evening?

I'm just back from the doctors, which was bloody closed as I can't read korean I presummed the sign on the door was saying instead of a 9.30 opening at will open 20 mins later at 9.50.

It had 9.30 and 9.50 in numbers so I sat and waited.

Thankfully a korean lady came in and saw me waiting and called somebody who spoke English, she handed me her phone and the guy told me today it wasn't open until this afternoon. Bless her for helping me. It's amazing how much you can communicate without actually uttering a word.

So ill have to try again tomorrow while controlling my every increasing Heath anxiety and try to say away from google.

Anyone have any nice plans for this weekend to take my mind of my brain tumour according to google my pain?

I worked as a child minder, here in France, for 7 years. My going rate was 8? an hour. This is considered to be quite a lot here - no doubt in London or New York it would be a bargain. Now, I created that job for myself for the parents who needed childcare. It suited me - I could be at the school gates for my own children and carry on working. It suited the parents as they had a reliable, English speaking minder for their DCs. I never saw myself as a slave to the parents.

Why would you imply that other women in other countries are 'slaves' when doing the same work? Employment prospects are not the same the world over. Some societies continue to keep women in domestic roles and the money they earn from childcare/house cleaning is very important to them. The cost of living is not the same the world over either - 20? won't get you far in Paris but in Windhoek you'd get a good deal more.

If you don't buy the 'creating a job' argument Mixxy what would you say to the five or so women asking for work at each garden gate that I witnessed last time I was in Harare? Do you reply that you don't agree to domestic work (although pay an hourly cleaner) or do you 'create a job' giving a family a stable home and income?

zimbomaman that happens where I am, too (people asking for work everywhere). Unless you have seen it, and also witnessed how a job can change someone's life - and by extension their family's life - for the better it's easy to bat about words like 'slave labour'.

Will ignore the silly 'colonial attitude' comment I think!

Hope you're not ignoring me, I was agreeing with you!

Fully understood your post Fondant

Was ignoring the comment worth ignoring.

Where do you live Fondant?

zimbomaman

My Colonial arse is in South America.

OhBarbie that's so lovely of that Korean lady, such small moments of human kindness make the world go round.

Yoni it does sound hard moving around when you don't expect to, not quite the same as knowing you're on a set time before moving to the next place a la FCO, I imagine. It does suck being a trailing spouse with no career parameters

I'm a bit confused now - so the problem isnt giving people the job, it's what you call the job? So if you refer to them as a cleaner that makes it ok? And not sure I understand the "Colonial" comment either. Does that mean you're not allowed "help" if you're white? But, say, a black British diplomat can?

I'm being facetious I'm sure but I'm with the gang who don't understand what the problem is.

But then I grew up in a house that had a cook, driver, cleaner and nanny paid for and insisted upon by the British Council. My mum arrived in Lagos aged 27 with her two children not knowing what her purpose in life was supposed to be anymore - said she didn't need so much help but was told they provided the staff for all families because the employment was needed, so they'd be paying them regardless and it's probably more dignifying to actually work, isn't it?

Aaaaanyway

Can someone explain the foreign correspondent thread to me?!

Oh, that's so kind Barbie

Kids here speak inuktitut (innuinaq) in schools although they all speak English too, quite a few old people only speak innuinaq, so at stores kind people will always help me a bit. I'm getting used to it now, and my children are teaching me some as they now speak it okayish, and at least most things are in English/innuinaq but I still get confused. I'm so lucky that so many friendly people are happy to help me out instead of ignore me

Sounds like an interesting place, LegoDragon. Is it very isolated then?

good morning!

Found the old thread. Its called "from our own correspondent"?dates back to 2008!
Its basically modeled on the BBC program and gives snippets of local life and trivia about your part of the world.

Barbie, hope you are better. Did you manage to see the Dr? All the Koreans i know are just so gracious. We just booked our trip to Korea. Thank you Nancy for your recommendations. Can't wait to go now.

Pollution is really bad here at the moment but at least the sun is shinning. Hopefully, that's the end of cyclone season. Its never really bad but just really humid and gloomy.
Looking forward to hiking in cool crisp weather. So many spiders on the trails at the moment. They are HUGE!

Lego Dragon, sounds like an friendly place to live. I would have expected it to be more difficult to integrate. Well done on your children for learning the language. Are you planning to stay long term?

Hi Mirai! Nice to see you here.
I love reading about in your ongoing thread. Been lurking for ages but dare no post as technically am not in Japan. So typically, would be great to hear more stories on here without feeling we are intruding on you!

Congratulations to Japan on the Olympic bid! Very exciting.

Hello from Cameroon

Just set up a new "From our own correspondent" thread. Pls post- be fascinating to hear more about our diverse experiences!

In 1958 my mum and dad, pre-DC, aged 25, went to Tanganyika, from rural Cornwall () for a British Crown Service job.

After they'd settled for a week or so, aided by other local expats, they were visited one evening by a leading light of the expat community and a local 'chief' . Both politely wanted to know when M&D were going to take on servants, as it was the expected thing. Mum said she didn't see the need, but was then strongly persuaded by both parties! The locals preferred working primarily for white families, then maybe Indian families, and, last resort, local black families, in that order, because the white families paid best and demanded least!

So they ended up, by the time they left 8 years later (with me and my DB), with 4 servants; a garden boy ('boy' is a local term, used locally by the locals), a house boy, an ayah (nursemaid) and a driver. Mum was Memsahib, dad was Memsab. We played with their DC and spoke Swahili together.

It was the way it was!

Greetings from Botswana! Will be back later xx

Howzit, Zam!

Hey Zam - I have a couple of good friends living in Gabs.

Love the other thread Salbertina .

Africa reunited! Zam, shouldn't you be "Bots"? Guess a Zambian connection somewhere?

Hi Zim, yep, its great to have it resurrected. Love reading about others' lives overseas.

Hi all,
Can I join? Was born in Zim, grew up in SA and now live in France. Interesting reading about everyone now living in Africa.

Bunny you could be me apart from the growing up in SA bit . How long have you been in France?