G and I went out with my girlfriend Cath for dinner on Friday night, being our last weekend in Australia it was a feast of Last Supper proportions. After we'd rolled home I beached myself on the couch in a semi comatose state and glanced down at my phone. I'd had over 100 notifications on the Facebook page for the blog which seemed like a lot for a … [Read more...]
Search Results for: expat woman
What if?
July 2, 2012 by
Within a week of meeting G, I began what has now become a fourteen year ritual of getting ready to say goodbye. Over the years the goodbyes have taken different forms. Initially, when it was just the two of us, it was simply a matter of missing him, of not wanting to be without him.In my first pregnancy I fell down the stairs in our apartment in … [Read more...]
Why am I still married?
December 12, 2010 by
There was a magnet on our refrigerator when I was growing up, I imagine my Dad probably got it as a Christmas present one year, it had that desperate last minute gift shop look about it. "Old golfers never die, they simply lose their drive" it said. I remember seeing a few of these at the time, bankers never died, they just lost interest. Then … [Read more...]
The Trailing Spouse is Dead
November 5, 2023 by
"I don't care what you call me!" she wrote in the comments. "Who cares?! If a few words is all it takes to upset you I worry for you" she went on. "Okay you fat ugly heiffer" someone replied. Except they didn't because that would be really rude wouldn't it? We teach our children not to comment on people's bodies, to see the beauty within, … [Read more...]
Beware the Professional Parenting Expert
March 3, 2019 by
*My welcome address at the Parenting and Toddler Forum in Doha on March 2nd 2019* Hello there, I’m Kirsty Rice - some of you may know me from a website called 4 kids, 20 suitcases and a beagle - others from the expat podcast Two Fat Expats - and to some I’m possibly one of the mums from school, or perhaps I’m just that woman on instagram who … [Read more...]
The Excavation of my Husband
February 12, 2017 by
It was a string of fortunate events that had us sitting on the promenade with people we'd met maybe once before. A chance meeting in front of a restaurant, a stroll, the decision to stop for a bite to eat. The conversation a mixture of introduction and confirmation. Yes, four kids, you? Two. Ages? Your parents live in...yes, that's right! Polite … [Read more...]
Midnight at the Airport
October 25, 2016 by
*Today I'm speaking at The Hilton on Orchard Road in Singapore. It's our very first big fat expat meetup. Here's a copy of today's talk.* It's after midnight and I'm sitting in a restaurant at the airport. I have all of my familiar airport paraphernalia with me: a neck pillow, a long scarf that will later serve as an additional blanket on the … [Read more...]
Boarding School – Here’s Our Truth
April 17, 2016 by
It was April last year when I wrote about our eldest heading to boarding school. The reality had arrived. I couldn't keep pretending it wasn't going to happen. We'd not only said it out loud but we'd paid the deposit (ouch) and it was time to get my head around it before she started at her new school in February. In Australia private schooling … [Read more...]
I’d Be Alison
October 6, 2015 by
I made one last check of the mailbox, what wasn't discovered today would be left tomorrow when I made my way back to Qatar from Australia. The shoebox came with a note scribbled on the top right hand corner of the lid. The exact words I can't remember but it was something like "Don't get excited it's not a new pair of shoes". I'd began to form a … [Read more...]
The Worst Part So Far…
August 25, 2015 by
So far the worst part has been telling people. I'm not saying the core biopsy was a walk in the park, but it's the pure anguish in the voices and faces of those you love as the cancer conversation sucks the air from the room. Whether it's running into a neighbour who's perplexed that "You're still here? I thought you were going back to Qatar on … [Read more...]
