It’s that time of year again.
The children are back at school.
But I have been struggling a bit. Looking back at various posts, it’s not the first time I’m struggling with this, so I’ll try not to bore you too much.
What I have been struggling with since coming back from our summer in the UK is that age old question of what to do with my time, now that my children are all at school. Granted this is not a situation unique to being an expat, but being an expat has different aspects to that question.
Go back to work: as a teacher by trade, that could be easy, as finding an English speaking school here wouldn’t be too hard. But I’m here on a dependent spouse visa. Meaning, I am dependent-on-my-spouse. I am not allowed a job. Can’t open a bank account. Dependent. I can change my visa status and I believe it isn’t that hard, but how desperately do I want to go back to work…
Friends come and go: in my case, I’ve already seen a lot of my close friends leave and most of the others will be leaving at the end of this school year, due to the fact that most expat contracts are 2-4 years in length. Do I want to be working, or spending the time I have left with them enjoying their company?
We are entering our fourth year here, so we perhaps we will be leaving too. Perhaps she says….
We don’t know. Not quite Limbo Land, but the uncertainty is there.
So what to do with my time?
I could embrace the expat life:
- Join a particular elite club, attend it’s gym and use its facilities.
- Enjoy lengthy lunches
- Have beautiful blow dried hair and nails sporting the latest art.
Hmmm… Maybe not.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been enjoying the lunches with my friends, and my waistline is proof of that, but there have been times when I’ve been enjoying lunches with my friends after an explore.
That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to exercise and I’m going to enjoy lunches with my friends. We are going to make the most of what time we have left in this amazing country and see as much as we can. Using, wherever possible, our feet as the primary form of transport and enjoying a lunch before heading back to collect our brood.
I shall bring you along too. I plan to blog more regularly, sharing posts about matters of faith, life, travel, motherhood and just the fun and games Somedays bring and so inspire you to explore more….
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