Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Without sounding like a spoilt expat wife (although I probably will come across as one) I need to release my post spring tension because it’s that time of year again when expats are faced with the summer dilemma.
When to go home, how long for, where to stay and will the husband join us at some point?
Going home has been an important piece of our expat jigsaw that we are building; I need our children to know their home country, the culture and to grow relationships with family and friends.
I work hard at it and thanks to the likes of Amazon and Moonpig I fervently send birthday/anniversary gifts and cards to all our loved ones around the globe. Of course, the gesture is not always reciprocated but I carry on regardless.
Fortunately, (I think) my mother and father-in-law have plenty of space for us and we have spent two months every summer living with them since we embarked on this expat journey.
This year I am being a REBEL and I am forking out on rental accommodation for the first month much to the husband’s annoyance. I think I snapped or I am having a mid-life expat crisis. So, after much debate and that’s putting it politely, I shrieked like a banshee and suggested the husband tried living with his folks for two months whilst keeping three kids in order!
Another change to our normal summer plans is that I have booked a family holiday for us too. I don’t know what has come over me this year and nor does the husband. I realised that we forgo our annual holiday to go home because we all know how expensive that actually is and we should be happy enough doing that. Not this year, we are heading to Italy.
Finally, we are having a family weekend get together for Grandpa’s 80th birthday in a beautiful country hotel and we will be there. Our children will be included and not left out as they have been in the past.
I know it’s a downside to expat life and to be expected but it can hurt. Delaying a celebration until the summer can mean so much to us expat families. It was easy; I offered to be the organiser!
Ciao.
