With this overseas posting forefront in my mind (even though we are talking 18 months time), I have been busy researching our two preferred destinations of Dusseldorf and Singapore.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Singapore – + closer to home, English speaking, live in maid (!). – live in maid may make me lazy, high cost of living, apartment living, humidity.
Dusseldorf – + culture and history of Europe. – the cold, the distance, not knowing the language (visions of trying to do the grocery shopping in a German supermarket are enough to keep me awake!)
Anyway, I have been trawling web sites and blogs for both places to try and familiarise myself. Two things that have alarmed me –
- I would be referred to as “The Trailing Spouse”. How belittling and degrading. Hmph!
- The blogs I have read from Singapore women have a high degree of whining about the help/maid/nanny. The thought of turning into one of those braying ex-pat wives horrifies me. Do they not understand the helpers are poor and uneducated? One woman’s blogs berates the poor helper for preparing too much food for dinner – cook it yourself if it’s that big a problem!!!!!!!!
*sigh*
I need to put all the issues of moving overseas out of my head until we know where and when we are going. But how?