I've had a fair number of conversations with women who are considering moving to Angola with their spouse. Each time, I'm reminded of just how much I've adapted and changed in just one year. When we first found out that Angola was a possibility, I was panicked at the thought of moving to Africa. I searched online for a blog that might help, but found very little information. If you are thinking about becoming an expat here, I'd like to share some thoughts that I think would be helpful.
1) You CAN survive here. It sounds crazy, and lots of people might tell you that you shouldn't consider it - but the fact is, there are a LOT of expat families here who are happy and thriving. If this is your first expat experience, then it will be a huge learning curve for you, but it absolutely CAN be done.
2) Practice the "at least" game. Your car broke down? At least you have a car! The heater doesn't work? At least you have blankets! It sounds silly, but this skill is invaluable when you live here. It doesn't solve your problems, but it CAN be the difference between getting bogged down by your problems or moving on. It could always be worse!
3) If you're worried about your kids, don't be. The kids adapt way faster than us adults, and honestly I think their lives are pretty darn great here. They learn great life skills, they forge tight bonds with their siblings, and in a lot of places, they have more freedom than they would back in the US. In our compound, for example, my three kids can walk to the playground and play unsupervised. They know that they can go to roughly any of twenty different houses in the neighborhood, and count on an adult being there to help them. They will have stories to last them the rest of their lives, and a broader knowledge of the world than kids who haven't lived abroad.
4) There are plenty of things that you can't buy here - but you can usually bring them. A lot of people (including me) get hung up on the stuff that you can't get here. Clothing, appliances, toiletries, waffles....the list is long, but if you're willing to plan a little, and put in a little extra effort - you can have whatever you deem necessary.
That's it for now, but I hope this helps someone feel reassured that life here isn't totally miserable. Sometimes it is, but that's true anywhere. And even though I still struggle with the challenges here, I think the good outweighs the bad.
:)
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