This section, Sharing Wisdom, is one of my favorites. Because it is such an amazing opportunity to learn from the knowledge created by others. And today is no exception. Clara Wiggins -who used her experiences accompanying her husband overseas as the basis for her book The Expat Partner’s Survival Guide- is visiting us.
Her expat experience is not only as an expat spouse, let’s listen to her story:
I was born an expat and have lived overseas on and off all my life. My parents were British diplomats and were posted to Havana, Cuba at the time of my birth – we later lived in the Philippines, Nigeria, Venezuela and Gibraltar, and they ended their career in Cameroon. I started working as a journalist after leaving university including in Gibraltar but later joined the Foreign Office. This job took me to Jamaica where I met my husband and with our two daughters (now aged 9 and 11) we have since lived in Pakistan, St Lucia and now South Africa.
I am now working part-time in a remote job as the business manager for an independent journal, and as a freelance writer.
As an expat what was something that you did that went so wrong that you wouldn’t do it again and would advice others not to do so?
I certainly wouldn’t want to be evacuated again like we were from Islamabad – but this is impossible to warn against because you don’t know when and where it might happen! However I would advise everyone to be ready for all kinds of emergencies – as well as things like terrorism, always be aware of what other disasters could affect the place that you live, from civil war to earthquakes or hurricanes. Prepare yourself by knowing what you would do if, for example, the power went down, all communications went off, shops closed, you were warned not to leave your home etc. Also think about where you will go if you have to leave at short notice, if you have school aged children what will happen to their schooling etc. Every family should have some contingency planning.
Considering your expat experience what was something you did that went so well that you would repeat it and would encourage others to do so?
I used our previous experiences of moving with a family to perfect our move here to South Africa and it was certainly the easiest move we have ever made. Firstly we sent my husband ahead. This meant he could do his handover with his predecessor without having to worry about us alone at home. Secondly, he had the internet set up and a phone waiting for me to use when I arrived. He also knew where to hire a car and – a week or so later – where to buy one. Being able to communicate and get around are two of the most important things for the “trailing spouse” when they first arrive somewhere new.
The other thing we did right this time was arrive at the right time of year. School here in South Africa for my children started in mid-August – so we arrived in the first week of that month. This meant we only had a week before the girls started at school and were in a better position to start making friends (as was I – almost all our friends here have been made through the school). It also meant we only had a week to keep them entertained before our heavy baggage (or even our air freight) arrived.
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Amazing journey, right? You can also find the article with the story of their evacuation from Islamabad recently published in the Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/04/06/living-abroad-with-kids-unsure-i-could-do-it-and-then-the-bomb-went-off/
I have blogged before about taking care of ourselves while living as expats. Unfortunately, those posts haven’t been translated yet. Really important to listen to her suggestion of having a backup plan. It is one of those things that are underestimated and its importance is discovered when it is a bit late… I will be translating those articles soon, I promise!
Please join me thanking Clara for sharing her experiences with us. And if you are an expat partner (or know someone) check out her blog and book (also on this URL) at https://expatpartnersurvival.com/
Wanna read this article in Spanish? Click here to go the Spanish version.
Would you like to feel at home anywhere in the world?
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Would you like to feel at home anywhere in the world?
Good news!! Your expat life can be a lot easier!!! You are just missing some key elements and this FREE eBook was written to help you with that.
