I never planned to become an expat wife, it just happened. I loved my job and all the buzz at Westminster, not once did I dread going in to work and had no plans to leave anytime soon. Then Japan happened. Luckily, I got a career break and off we trotted for two years in a country as close to another planet as you can find. Before we left, I endured much teasing about becoming an expat wife and to be honest I was a bit embarrassed about it. Afternoons spent sipping gin and tonics by the pool followed by a round of golf at the local country club isn't exactly my kind of scene. I'm more of a hot cup of tea, a packet of biscuits and a good book by the fire kind of girl. Unfortunately, when people label you as an "expat wife" they conjure up images of the former. I'm happy to say that isn't the reality either, it might be the case in some places but not in Hiroshima. For a start, space is such a premium in Japan that there's little room for vast country clubs and outdoor swimming pools for expat wives to wile away their afternoons. Here's the reality of being an expat wife in Japan.
1. I do not possess a 1980's power suit with gold buttons and shoulder pads.
1b. I don't have matching shoes and handbags.
2. I don't have a credit card.
3. I ride a bicycle (without gears) as opposed to having a driver.
4. I don't get manicures every week.
5. I don't go for cocktails in the morning.
6. I clean my apartment.
7. I do my own grocery shopping.
8. I make my husband's lunch every morning.
9. We do not have a maid. If we did I would not do points 6,7 and 8 and have more time for points 4 and 5.
10. I do play scrabble every week. Not very glamorous I know, but it keeps the brain ticking over.
11. I shop in Gap not Gucci. However, if you give me the money I'll happily shop in Gucci.
So next time you meet an expect wife don't assume she's all about cocktails and charity work. It's a harder life than you think, living in a foreign country with three different alphabets isn't always easy! It's certainly a challenge and makes life interesting but I'm looking forward to getting back to my friends, family and job. Like Joni Mitchell sang in Big Yellow Taxi "you don't know what you've got till it's gone".
2 comments:
Very amusing list :) My friend is an expat wife in Turkey and people seem to get the misconception that it's a very glamorous life.
Most of the time she's just bored out of her mind and is constantly finding ways to keep herself busy!
Thanks Nina, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks like this!
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