Have you ever stood in a supermarket line with a years supply of tampons? That was me, yesterday. The annual pilgrimage to the supermarket aisle labelled feminine hygiene to check out the latest in floral packaging and wing placement. Ever had to declare your tampons at customs? Or perhaps you've stood in a crowded foreign airport (using a mixture … [Read more...]
Search Results for: expat woman
Until I Open My Mouth, No-One Will Know That I’m Different
May 19, 2015 by
Seven countries, sixteen years and thousands of words on the page about expat life, and in a single moment a woman living in my home country with a sole six month expat experience summed it all up in a sentence. It had been less than enjoyable for her. Paris is a dream location for many; fantasies of long walks through historic back streets … [Read more...]
Are You Leaving Soon? Great!
May 12, 2015 by
In the midst of a conversation on an expat page, a question. Is anyone else here living in Ghana, we've just moved here and I'd love to meet you. The desperation of newness is an emotion I know well. Hello my name's Kirsty, I hope you don't mind that I've arrived unannounced to your baby group. While I'm here though, is anyone moving on or … [Read more...]
Who You Marry Will Be Your Most Important Career Decision
May 5, 2015 by
My husband and I took the news of Dave Goldberg's death differently. For a start, G wasn't sure who Dave Goldberg was. "He was the CEO of Survey Monkey. He was married to Sheryl Sandberg" G's face remained blank. "You know, the woman who wrote 'Lean In' she's the COO of Facebook". G gave me a look of recognition but I wasn't convinced he knew … [Read more...]
You Never Un-belong
April 28, 2015 by
Years ago I left a job I loved with colleagues who had become friends to move to Perth with G. While I continued to work with the same company, the branch/location was on the opposite side of the country. The transition was easy enough, I walked into an office with the same logo behind the reception desk, ran through the same procedures and used … [Read more...]
Women and Concrete
March 11, 2015 by
Firstly, a big fat thank you. Your answers to this question on Facebook yesterday were spectacular. Sarah and I record Two Fat Expats each Sunday morning. This week's topic will cover both babies and infertility and how those situations may differ when you're away from home. If you've heard our podcast I imagine it may be fairly obvious … [Read more...]
No Job, No Office, No Need For A Card – Really?
February 2, 2015 by
Perhaps I wouldn't have understood it either had I not found myself in the same position. No job, no work email or office address, and more to the point, no work permit - but there I was, in desperate need of a business card. The first time I was asked was within days of leaving Australia, new in Jakarta and having just met a table of brand new … [Read more...]
Don’t Put That In Your Blog
January 30, 2015 by
She sat on the grassy field waiting for the end of sports practice to drive everyone home. In front of her an 8 year old practiced his handstands, his shirt falling to his chin as his legs lifted towards the sky. "Mum! Watch me!" he reminded her as he made upside down eye contact. "I'm watching" she sang back towards him. "Did you see the … [Read more...]
What Did I Have To Lose – Here and There
November 25, 2014 by
This week's What Did I Have To Lose is one of my favourites. A mother talking about the loss of working mother's guilt, an American woman losing the pressure to conform after years of feeling she had to contain her Americanisms, and a really interesting perspective on losing an easy answer to the question "So where's home?" I've said before that … [Read more...]
Powerless and Pissed Off
September 16, 2014 by
I met a woman called Deborah when we lived in Kuala Lumpur. This was years ago when I was a mother of one and investigating going back to work. I was struggling to find someone who would employ me part-time and couldn't find child care options that would work full-time. The company I'd worked for in Australia had an office in KL but they … [Read more...]
