My good friend Aparna, whom I have known for over 12 years has been encouraging me to start a blog for the past three years.
At last I got down to it and started a greeting card blog. I am addicted to card making - simply crazy about it to say the least.
Aparna visited my blog and was happy with it but pushed me to start a blog that was more general in content. So here is Expat wife...
I hope women who have to live like nomads and yet feel settled where ever they go will get something out of this on-line journal.
About Me
- Monica
- We moved back to Singapore in the summer of 2014 after 10 years and it feels good to be back. We move countries every few years and that keeps us busy... I do hope this time it is for keeps. I live here with my workaholic hubby and two lovely (most of the time) daughters. I have a passion for making greeting cards and sell them for charity. I am a big fan of recycled and eco friendly material and often try and make cards with recycled stuff - ofcourse I try and make them look arty!!! In the past, I have had great interest in sewing (no longer as I gave away my sewing machine - miss it so), cartoon drawing, embroidery, crochet (little bit) and have taken quilling, porcelain flower making and corn dough (lamaze) classes. For the past many years, I have settled in with card making and find it rather relaxing and fulfilling. The encouragement to start blogging came from a very dear friend, Aparna who kept asking me write... Through blogging I have met some of the kindest and talented people.
Way to go Monica! I am so happy that you have started this blog. It will surely help a lot of women make a home in a foreign country.
ReplyDeleteBTW, we know each other since my Delhi days, i.e. 1994, so we know each other for 16 years! Of course we got to know each other better in Bangalore.
All the best with your 2 new babies- the 2 blogs that is!
Aparna
Sorry Aparna, for forgetting that we know each other even longer than that...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your inspiration - hopefully I will get there.
I somehow seem to give my greeting card far more attention than this blog.
ReplyDeleteI will have to get serious about this one, too.
When I used to work for Sheraton in Marketing, I used to wonder sometimes what it must be to be an expat wife. I thought it was the most glamorous thing on the face of this earth.
ReplyDeleteLittle did I know that soon I would be one!
Today a dear Turkish friend invited us to lunch at her lovely apartment. What a treat that was! She laid out something like 12 dishes... Mediterranean food mostly - so yummy and healthy at the same time. She rounded it off with Sheesh kebabs which were delicious.
ReplyDeleteShe served us with so much love and affection - this is going to be an unforgettable afternoon.
I feel I am so lucky to know such nice people. It feels great to know people from other cultures and relate to them.
I cannot believe that my older daughter, Zeenya was in 2nd grade when we came to Jakarta and in August she will be going to Grade 5. God, time flies so fast...
ReplyDeleteIt was the last day of school today and there were some goodbyes and teary ones at that. The school librarian whom I adored has left after 18 years for Africa. The music teacher left after two years - you bet the children were sad to see her go...
Some lovely mothers bade farewell, too was it was a bit sad. But life goes on...
Today, I went to the gym after a week and I did feel guilty... I have hired a trainer to lose all that flab but I have been so busy getting my visa sorted out for Eastern Europe that it left me with little time to do anything else.
ReplyDeleteAfter the gym, I headed straight for the hair salon because my hair was worse than a mop. I seem to be visiting the same salon for three years now and I come back complaining about my haircut everytime only to go back the next time to the same old place.
The traffic here is amazing so that is my best excuse to get a haircut in the complex where I live. And ofcourse keep complaining thereafter about how bad my haircut is...
Dear Monica, my funny, lovely friend, I am the first follower of you:)
ReplyDeleteI like your page. I always share my experience with you and the others. Here is the first sentence; find a friend such as Monica:)))
My friend we will eat together too much. Thank you for your very nice comments above.
See you soon.
Oya Yilmaz
Thanks, dear Oya, for joining my blog... I am lucky to have such a wonderful friend.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for becoming my first follower. :)
When are you going to Turkey?
Love,
Monica
We spent three weeks in Prague, Rome and London. Prague and Rome were simply out of this world. The buildings are to die for. Prague is so historical and pretty. Rome was amazing. We stayed five minutes away from the Colosseum and it was quite an experience to have breakfast on the roof top of the hotel and look at the Colosseum every morning.
ReplyDeleteThe food in Prague was full of pork and lard which was a bit overwhelming but Rome made up for it.
We were in the UK for five days out of which only two were spent in London. The rest was in Shrewsbury which is where my brother-in-law and family live. The weather was lovely all through which added to the charm of our holiday.
We got back last week but mentally I am still there. Just don't feel like getting back. I think three weeks is too long to stay away from home in these beautiful cities... it has made a traitor out of me. I have fallen so madly in love with Europe and it's archicture that I am not able to settle back in.
Hi Monica, Just found your second blog! :) How fun... Now to find the time to create posts, right? I was going to post something today, but realized that I did not take the picture that I needed at night-time -it is a post about solar lighting. Or, in this case solar "glowing" as the bulbs are so tiny. Have fun (as you seem to be already be doing) with this blog. [Listening to Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in cricket on another tab on my computer screen.... occasionally click over to view it too. NZ not doing well... :( Sri Lanka is very skilled and they are not making any mistakes. (We always cheer for NZ, my husband's birthplace. Although mostly raised in the USA.) Have a wonderful day!
ReplyDelete