One of the most unfortunate aspects of being an overseas expat is the simple but inevitable fact that you must continually part ways with close friends. When you work in an expat situation and experience extreme highs and even more intense lows, these people become your surrogate family. Unlike other environments, rarely would you find a job where you’d find yourself stranded together because of massive flooding, and evacuated together in the back of a military truck. You’d scarcely findRead more
Posts tagged: #expat
Maid-less once again
As spoiled as this sounds – it sucks not having a maid. We had to let ours go. I lived alone for nearly a decade, so I’m quite competent with laundry, cooking (well, sort of), and am a pretty clean guy. So, no, a maid is not a necessary part of living here – BUT, I’ll have the rest of my life to go maid-less once I leave Indonesia. So, my plea to you is this: if you have anyRead more
Quarter Life Crisis: Part One (Life as an Expat)
So begins a new phase in my life. My Quarter Life Crisis has officially commenced. I suppose a good way to deal with this is with some introspection, reflection, and a good round of bullsh*ting about whatever spills out of this confused mind. Without further ado, let the rambling begin. Life as an expat moves through a number of phases. There’s the initial, “Wow, it’s so different and interesting!†first few months of bliss with our newfound relationship with aRead more
Stalking Leopards
I was contacted by a reporter for the International Herald Tribune last week. She had come across my blog and asked if I’d compose an article for publication. The focus of the article was to convey expat experiences with having guests stay with you, “quirky, extreme, or unexpected stories”. So, for better or worse, here’s one of those stories I wouldn’t usually share! Jakarta. Famous for political strife, bird flu, and harboring terrorist cells, it’s also the gateway to Indonesia.Read more
Black Magic and a Brat's Holiday Remorse
I’m experiencing a bit of holiday remorse. Four weeks in Bali was almost too much of a good thing. In fact we changed our tickets and returned 5 days early to Jakarta (DOH!). That plan bit me in the ass for reasons I won’t go into at the moment. I’m coming to the conclusion that perhaps 1-2 weeks of an amazing holiday would be more worthwhile than four weeks of moderation. This is not an invitation to receive criticisms forRead more
Winding Down
You may have noticed a bit of lag in my communication lately. These past two months have been among the busiest and most hectic of the 47 months since arriving in Indonesia. I haven’t been on a regular schedule at the gym in almost 8 weeks (been told by half-dozen people that I’m “shrinking” – ahh Indonesian charm!), I’ve had to turn down my friends’ invitations on almost a daily basis, and even Novita hasn’t had much time to beRead more