Part of being an expat wife is getting to travel around the world and see different cultures and unique people. Our first post was the hardest for me and my family, and by family I mean my sisters, brother and mother. I grew up in a very tight Lebanese Australian community and it was very rare to just pick up and leave for a new life away form those that I love. But being the good wife, I did just that, My husband and I felt that there was so much more out there to see and do. So with our 2 little girls, who at the time were 3 and 7 months picked up and moved to CHINA. We promised our family that it would only be for 18months, well its been 8 years and counting!!!!!!!!
We moved to an area in China called Shenzhen, where not many people spoke English and their culture was so different to what I was use to. So for the first month I spent everyday locked in my bathroom crying and regretting ever leaving my family and leaving Sydney. I had a nanny that wore heels and couldn't say a word of english and a driver that couldn't say hello. What the hell was I thinking????????????
It took me 5 weeks to realise that this was my life now and I was going to try my best to support my husband, so I hired a private tutor who taught me how to speak mandarin. It was the best thing I did. I started to really enjoy my time there and made some beautiful friends that will always be in my heart.
After a year we moved to Shanghai. What an awesome city, full of pollution, dust, dirt but beautiful people and amazing shopping. There are so many weird things that I saw in my time in China, and one of those was toilet training babies as newborn!! Who knew!!! I loved living in China and will go back with my eyes closed.
We left China and came to Abu Dhabi, where it was the complete opposite in culture, religion and everything else. This is the city that I fell pregnant with my little princess Jasmine, so it will always be a special place for me. One word to describe the UAE WOW....... My journey is still going, so I will always have something to say about this amazing place.
This pic was taken a few months before we left Sydney
We moved to an area in China called Shenzhen, where not many people spoke English and their culture was so different to what I was use to. So for the first month I spent everyday locked in my bathroom crying and regretting ever leaving my family and leaving Sydney. I had a nanny that wore heels and couldn't say a word of english and a driver that couldn't say hello. What the hell was I thinking????????????
Being non asian in Shenzhen was like being a celeberity, my children were always mobbed by a large crowd of people who wanted to touch them or take pictures with them or touch their hair.
The perks of living in Shenzhen is that it was a 45min boat ride to Hong Kong. So every month we would go and take the kids to disney land Hong Kong. The girls loved it but we soon realised that we had over did it, when Cinderella and Snow White would recognise my daughters and call out to them and greet them by their names.
After a year we moved to Shanghai. What an awesome city, full of pollution, dust, dirt but beautiful people and amazing shopping. There are so many weird things that I saw in my time in China, and one of those was toilet training babies as newborn!! Who knew!!! I loved living in China and will go back with my eyes closed.
The Great Wall of China.....AMAZING and BREATH TAKING
Being pregnant in 50degrees heat and 100% humidity is no fun
ALINEPLUS3
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