New at This
Jun 6th 2010 | 9:34 pm
#1
Thread Starter
Just Joined
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 4
New at This
Hi. My name is Margaret and I have just decided to join BE.com, so thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself.
My husband has been a member for some time and is quite the fan. It really is a great resource and I hope a good way to make friends who share common interests. Just have to learn how to navigate around it!!
So, a little bit about myself......
I am British, born in London, although have not lived there in many years. In the late 70s I went to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer which is where I met my husband Reg, who is from Canada. I'll skip the long story, but we eventually became members on the kibbutz and our first daughter was born there. Just before her first birthday we decided to leave and try out life in Canada, southern Ontario. It was hard to settle and the winters were horrendous, but we made a life there and had two beautiful twin sons as well. However, we both had itchy feet and wanted some adventure in our lives, so when Reg was offered a job in Nigeria in 1996 we decided to go for it and have stayed in Africa ever since. As well as Nigeria, we have lived in Guinea, Ghana, Mauritania and currently in Zambia, although we will be leaving here next month. Our sons finish school and it is time for us to move on as well.
Our lives as expats have been wonderful for the most part, except for the constant goodbyes. We've always stayed together as a family, which has made us all very close. Our kids learned French from living in Guinea and have a great outlook on life having made friends with kids from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Canada is a wonderful country where everything works as it should, but it is not for us. We love going back to the UK but to live there for various reasons is a no no. So, last November we bought a house in Javea, Costa Blanca, Spain. This will be our base and a place to retire. Hopefully our sons can pick up some casual work there (yes, I know the jobs situation is bad) and they will have the chance to learn Spanish too. Our daughter is in the UK at uni which is an added bonus.
As an 'expat wife' you have to keep busy. Too many women never adapt to living in different cultures and it is harder for some to accept the poverty that one sees. I thrive in this environment and am hardly bored. We have a lovely 18-hole golf course where we currently live (you can play nine holes for around 8 USD) and you make close friendships as of course we are all in the same boat. I love to cook and we have great dinner parties, afternoon teas, and a Gourmet Dinner Club which is a lot of fun. I've managed to work in all the coutries I have lived in except here, which has been an added bonus. But with the activities I mentioned and having sons in school my days have been full.
I shall miss Zambia a lot. It is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. The capital, Lusaka, is very vibrant but a three-hour drive for us so not a place we go to often. We can get to Jo'burg, flying, in under three hours which is a great break over a long weekend. Recently I took a trip to Harare, which was fabulous. What a place!!
However I am eager to make my house in Javea home and a haven to go back to once Reg starts work again after a three-month break. We are not sure where the next adventure will be but it will be nice for him to take a long holiday.
We sure hope that we will make friends in Javea and if there are any like-minded people there or any who have lived similar lives to us please get in touch. Going to a new place and meeting new people, even for us seasoned travelers is always daunting.
So that's me in a nutshell.
Bye for now,
Margaret.
My husband has been a member for some time and is quite the fan. It really is a great resource and I hope a good way to make friends who share common interests. Just have to learn how to navigate around it!!
So, a little bit about myself......
I am British, born in London, although have not lived there in many years. In the late 70s I went to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer which is where I met my husband Reg, who is from Canada. I'll skip the long story, but we eventually became members on the kibbutz and our first daughter was born there. Just before her first birthday we decided to leave and try out life in Canada, southern Ontario. It was hard to settle and the winters were horrendous, but we made a life there and had two beautiful twin sons as well. However, we both had itchy feet and wanted some adventure in our lives, so when Reg was offered a job in Nigeria in 1996 we decided to go for it and have stayed in Africa ever since. As well as Nigeria, we have lived in Guinea, Ghana, Mauritania and currently in Zambia, although we will be leaving here next month. Our sons finish school and it is time for us to move on as well.
Our lives as expats have been wonderful for the most part, except for the constant goodbyes. We've always stayed together as a family, which has made us all very close. Our kids learned French from living in Guinea and have a great outlook on life having made friends with kids from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Canada is a wonderful country where everything works as it should, but it is not for us. We love going back to the UK but to live there for various reasons is a no no. So, last November we bought a house in Javea, Costa Blanca, Spain. This will be our base and a place to retire. Hopefully our sons can pick up some casual work there (yes, I know the jobs situation is bad) and they will have the chance to learn Spanish too. Our daughter is in the UK at uni which is an added bonus.
As an 'expat wife' you have to keep busy. Too many women never adapt to living in different cultures and it is harder for some to accept the poverty that one sees. I thrive in this environment and am hardly bored. We have a lovely 18-hole golf course where we currently live (you can play nine holes for around 8 USD) and you make close friendships as of course we are all in the same boat. I love to cook and we have great dinner parties, afternoon teas, and a Gourmet Dinner Club which is a lot of fun. I've managed to work in all the coutries I have lived in except here, which has been an added bonus. But with the activities I mentioned and having sons in school my days have been full.
I shall miss Zambia a lot. It is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. The capital, Lusaka, is very vibrant but a three-hour drive for us so not a place we go to often. We can get to Jo'burg, flying, in under three hours which is a great break over a long weekend. Recently I took a trip to Harare, which was fabulous. What a place!!
However I am eager to make my house in Javea home and a haven to go back to once Reg starts work again after a three-month break. We are not sure where the next adventure will be but it will be nice for him to take a long holiday.
We sure hope that we will make friends in Javea and if there are any like-minded people there or any who have lived similar lives to us please get in touch. Going to a new place and meeting new people, even for us seasoned travelers is always daunting.
So that's me in a nutshell.
Bye for now,
Margaret.
Last edited by MargaretAnn; Jun 6th 2010 at 9:38 pm. Reason: spelling mistake
Jun 6th 2010 | 10:48 pm
#2
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 10,549
Re: New at This
Hi. My name is Margaret and I have just decided to join BE.com, so thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself.
My husband has been a member for some time and is quite the fan. It really is a great resource and I hope a good way to make friends who share common interests. Just have to learn how to navigate around it!!
So, a little bit about myself......
I am British, born in London, although have not lived there in many years. In the late 70s I went to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer which is where I met my husband Reg, who is from Canada. I'll skip the long story, but we eventually became members on the kibbutz and our first daughter was born there. Just before her first birthday we decided to leave and try out life in Canada, southern Ontario. It was hard to settle and the winters were horrendous, but we made a life there and had two beautiful twin sons as well. However, we both had itchy feet and wanted some adventure in our lives, so when Reg was offered a job in Nigeria in 1996 we decided to go for it and have stayed in Africa ever since. As well as Nigeria, we have lived in Guinea, Ghana, Mauritania and currently in Zambia, although we will be leaving here next month. Our sons finish school and it is time for us to move on as well.
Our lives as expats have been wonderful for the most part, except for the constant goodbyes. We've always stayed together as a family, which has made us all very close. Our kids learned French from living in Guinea and have a great outlook on life having made friends with kids from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Canada is a wonderful country where everything works as it should, but it is not for us. We love going back to the UK but to live there for various reasons is a no no. So, last November we bought a house in Javea, Costa Blanca, Spain. This will be our base and a place to retire. Hopefully our sons can pick up some casual work there (yes, I know the jobs situation is bad) and they will have the chance to learn Spanish too. Our daughter is in the UK at uni which is an added bonus.
As an 'expat wife' you have to keep busy. Too many women never adapt to living in different cultures and it is harder for some to accept the poverty that one sees. I thrive in this environment and am hardly bored. We have a lovely 18-hole golf course where we currently live (you can play nine holes for around 8 USD) and you make close friendships as of course we are all in the same boat. I love to cook and we have great dinner parties, afternoon teas, and a Gourmet Dinner Club which is a lot of fun. I've managed to work in all the coutries I have lived in except here, which has been an added bonus. But with the activities I mentioned and having sons in school my days have been full.
I shall miss Zambia a lot. It is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. The capital, Lusaka, is very vibrant but a three-hour drive for us so not a place we go to often. We can get to Jo'burg, flying, in under three hours which is a great break over a long weekend. Recently I took a trip to Harare, which was fabulous. What a place!!
However I am eager to make my house in Javea home and a haven to go back to once Reg starts work again after a three-month break. We are not sure where the next adventure will be but it will be nice for him to take a long holiday.
We sure hope that we will make friends in Javea and if there are any like-minded people there or any who have lived similar lives to us please get in touch. Going to a new place and meeting new people, even for us seasoned travelers is always daunting.
So that's me in a nutshell.
Bye for now,
Margaret.
My husband has been a member for some time and is quite the fan. It really is a great resource and I hope a good way to make friends who share common interests. Just have to learn how to navigate around it!!
So, a little bit about myself......
I am British, born in London, although have not lived there in many years. In the late 70s I went to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer which is where I met my husband Reg, who is from Canada. I'll skip the long story, but we eventually became members on the kibbutz and our first daughter was born there. Just before her first birthday we decided to leave and try out life in Canada, southern Ontario. It was hard to settle and the winters were horrendous, but we made a life there and had two beautiful twin sons as well. However, we both had itchy feet and wanted some adventure in our lives, so when Reg was offered a job in Nigeria in 1996 we decided to go for it and have stayed in Africa ever since. As well as Nigeria, we have lived in Guinea, Ghana, Mauritania and currently in Zambia, although we will be leaving here next month. Our sons finish school and it is time for us to move on as well.
Our lives as expats have been wonderful for the most part, except for the constant goodbyes. We've always stayed together as a family, which has made us all very close. Our kids learned French from living in Guinea and have a great outlook on life having made friends with kids from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Canada is a wonderful country where everything works as it should, but it is not for us. We love going back to the UK but to live there for various reasons is a no no. So, last November we bought a house in Javea, Costa Blanca, Spain. This will be our base and a place to retire. Hopefully our sons can pick up some casual work there (yes, I know the jobs situation is bad) and they will have the chance to learn Spanish too. Our daughter is in the UK at uni which is an added bonus.
As an 'expat wife' you have to keep busy. Too many women never adapt to living in different cultures and it is harder for some to accept the poverty that one sees. I thrive in this environment and am hardly bored. We have a lovely 18-hole golf course where we currently live (you can play nine holes for around 8 USD) and you make close friendships as of course we are all in the same boat. I love to cook and we have great dinner parties, afternoon teas, and a Gourmet Dinner Club which is a lot of fun. I've managed to work in all the coutries I have lived in except here, which has been an added bonus. But with the activities I mentioned and having sons in school my days have been full.
I shall miss Zambia a lot. It is a beautiful country and the people are lovely. The capital, Lusaka, is very vibrant but a three-hour drive for us so not a place we go to often. We can get to Jo'burg, flying, in under three hours which is a great break over a long weekend. Recently I took a trip to Harare, which was fabulous. What a place!!
However I am eager to make my house in Javea home and a haven to go back to once Reg starts work again after a three-month break. We are not sure where the next adventure will be but it will be nice for him to take a long holiday.
We sure hope that we will make friends in Javea and if there are any like-minded people there or any who have lived similar lives to us please get in touch. Going to a new place and meeting new people, even for us seasoned travelers is always daunting.
So that's me in a nutshell.
Bye for now,
Margaret.
Who's you hubby then
Last edited by Ka Ora!; Jun 6th 2010 at 11:12 pm.
Jun 7th 2010 | 12:22 am
#3
BE Co-Founder
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 25,930
From: Florida
Re: New at This
Hi MargaretAnn,
You have certainly led an interesting life, I bet you have some fab stories to tell about your life abroad.
Welcome to our community, I hope you enjoy your time with us. I see you have already made your way to our Spain forum. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any site questions, or you can source out a moderators (in the Spain forum they are Mitzyboy and Fred James) or you can post your questions/concerns in Site Feedback.
Kind Regards
Sue
You have certainly led an interesting life, I bet you have some fab stories to tell about your life abroad.
Welcome to our community, I hope you enjoy your time with us. I see you have already made your way to our Spain forum. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any site questions, or you can source out a moderators (in the Spain forum they are Mitzyboy and Fred James) or you can post your questions/concerns in Site Feedback.
Kind Regards
Sue
Jul 29th 2010 | 12:21 am
#4
Just Joined
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 4
From: Rishon le Zion
Re: New at This
Hi Margaret,
A very interesting life story you have there!
I'm from Liverpool originally but have been living in Israel for almost 30 years so my children are basically Israelis first and British only after that.
Which kibbutz were you members of? Did you enjoy it there? Why did you leave?
If I were in your shoes however I would make a permanent return back to Canada rapidly..................
Take care,
Mike
A very interesting life story you have there!
I'm from Liverpool originally but have been living in Israel for almost 30 years so my children are basically Israelis first and British only after that.
Which kibbutz were you members of? Did you enjoy it there? Why did you leave?
If I were in your shoes however I would make a permanent return back to Canada rapidly..................
Take care,
Mike
