Expat Summer



As I have mentioned on many occasions I am an expat living abroad. Definition of expatriate (expat for short), "a person who lives outside their native country". I have been doing that for most of my life and now so are my children. 

We live in a place that is described as "Disney World for adults" or "Singapore on steroids" or "a place full of contradictions". Its an amazing city, full of new exciting improvements, constant dynamic change, and continuous out of this world ideas that actually get accomplished! The drawback (you may ask)? Its in the desert, we get extended boiling hot summers. It makes us, expats, and the local population run away for the summer school holidays.

That is my excuse for not sharing a new blog entry with you for so long! I am hoping you can forgive my absence!

Having lived in my little Disney inspired fast paced city for over 20 years, I wanted to share the expat experience with all of you. How my children are so accustomed to traveling all summer and usually all other school holidays. That my 6 year old has had the audacity to ask on more then one occasion "why aren't we going on a plane somewhere, its so boring here"?Hmmm I will not mention here what my reply to that is! How my son casually may mention that next summer "him and his friends would like to rent an Airbnb house on the beach in Europe". He is 14!! Really? Me thinks not!

That makes them sound spoiled and demanding. That is not the case, it is just that ever since they were babies we have had to travel to at least two countries every summer to see the extended family. They are used to traveling and its just the norm of their life. 

How in order for us to survive the 5 months of extreme heat, with the temperature reaching 45 degrees centigrade and 90% humidity, we need to leave the country!

We have tried staying for a summer or two and been very creative in how to keep our offspring active and entertained. Indoors is our salvation and air conditioning is our God. 

We have swimming pools and the sea. In winter, our weekends are spent savoring the water in all its forms. In summer, hot tub and warm bath come to mind. Entering the water with a sigh, envisioning being refreshed and cooling off, the truth is closer to, having a hot wet blanket landing on you.

The alternative is, you can ski indoors and have a snow fight. You can ice skate indoors to cool off. You can play football, basketball, and a ton of other sports indoors. You can water play indoors and let the water do its job. You can trampoline in an indoor trampoline park. You can pretend play and use your imagination in a small city build only for the little ones. You can ride a roller coaster indoors. You have day camps all over the city that take your young ones and allow them to play all day with others, indoors.

This is truly a city that knows how to give children a ride for their money. It is all incredible and awe inspiring. Nearly every couple of months a new project is launched or opens its doors. We now are the proud city that holds the title of the biggest indoor theme park. We have the fastest roller coaster in the world. I, frankly, cannot keep up with the amount of "experiences" we have on offer within a few kilometers from our home.

Why would you want to leave for the two months of summer then you may ask? Why not stay and relish the action? For one, all these pastimes do not come cheap or even economical. Additionally, having your beautiful much loved brood in the house most of the day, can make even the sweetest calmest mom want to run away. Thirdly, not having fresh air and a cool breeze for months on end is unhealthy and unbearable. Therefore, we leave for as long as possible. We are not the exception but rather the rule.

Here is what I have learned: The above is my way of asking you to understand why I have not written my blog all summer. I was traveling in and out of different places. To ask for your goodwill and to ask you to please keep following my blog. To give you a glimpse of what an "expat" life entails and how not being in your native country makes you a nomad, needing to travel to be with those you love.



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