Expat Mums Blog

Thanksgiving in the UK

Thanksgiving is one of the hardest holidays as an American-born expat. I’d say it is harder than the Fourth of July – it is getting close to winter and the daylight hours are waning, often pitch dark not long after school pickup.

It is that awkward time of year when the temperatures haven’t dipped low enough for Jack Frost to cast a shimmering spell over the rooftops, it is just cold and grey and gloomy.

Every year I make an effort to preserve the Thanksgiving tradition. When I was working fulltime, I would take the day off and spend it in the kitchen.

Pregnant abroad? A wish for a simpler life!

Well, I have finally come to terms with my pregnant state. It only took four months to accept it and become even happy about it and so I am really glad (not to mention relieved) about that.

But now, we have a few logistical things to consider.

Our clinic does not particularly recommend having your baby in Kazakhstan. They couch everything in very diplomatic terms, but when the opening sentence from your doctor is:

"Now, the thing you should remember is that you won't find the sort of facilities here that you are probably used to for having your baby," you start to wonder what it is going to be like. I have had babies in Brazil, Hong Kong and Seoul and so I am not exactly "used" to anything. But last year's miscarriage was not great (even though it was the best you can get here) and I have serious heebie jeebies about doing it all here. Even if it might be easier for others around me (kids and husband).

Why do I blog? Views of an expat mummy

Life as an expat can be a lonely one. Particularly if you are at home with 2 small children to look after for much of the day and don't totally understand the culture in which you find yourself. Even more so if, although you speak Bosnian up to a point, it is nowhere near the standard needed for anyone to enjoy a relaxing conversation with you without having to concentrate very hard and wincing occasionally. There aren't many other expats in Tuzla, let alone expat families, let alone expat families with 2 children in the same age range as my two.

The Passport Shuffle

I’m heading home next weekend for a few days and had a sudden panic that one of my passports had expired so I’ve just had a quick check to make sure.  All’s well, neither of them expire until at least 2015.

Neither of them?  Yes, I have an American and a British passport.  I have dual nationality and so do the boys.  So when we travel as a family, we take seven passports, two each for the boys and I and one for Danny.  He’s the only member of our family who is purely American and he refuses to become British as well, claiming some excuse such as having to pay more tax but it’s just a ploy, he doesn’t want to become one of the Queen’s subjects.

Keeping an eye on the expiration date for one passport is bad enough, try seven.  When getting ready for a trip to the US once, we realized our oldest son’s British passport had expired.  After our vacation we entered the UK knowing full well we’d have to bring him into the country on his American passport.  The Immigration officials were not impressed by this and told us they would allow him to enter the country on his American passport but he would only be allowed to stay for three months.  We agreed to that.  What were they going to to?  Come and get him in three months and ask a British citizen to leave the country?