Prior to arriving in Jakarta airport, I understood that I had a good overall perception of what Jakarta promised. I had a loose list of assumptions and expectations. I assumed that all capital city airports were more or less the same. Marble floors, brushed stainless steel, glass walls, clean lines, Starbucks, Costa Coffee, air conditioning,…
It may sometimes seem that all expats do is complain and look at the negative side of living abroad, away from home, away from family, away from one’s own culture and lifestyle. Dry your eyes, sometimes life isn’t all that bad in the Middle East and sometimes, just sometimes it can run quite smoothly. This…
For the “school year people”, like myself, that exit the UAE the instant the last school bell rings in June and don’t return until the day before school starts, it can feel like punching time. Similar to working in a job where you feel under-utilized and under-stimulated, you can seek small solace in the fact…
After a long wet summer in Ireland I can confirm that the only cure for homesickness is a trip home. Setting off from Abu Dhabi, the rose tinted glasses in hand, one looks at the summer with brimming enthusiasm looking forward to all the jovial family get-togethers, adventurous family days out in activity parks and…
The sheer abandonment of strict censorship in Ireland takes a little digesting when one is used to the stringent laws and social rules around sex and general innuendo in Abu Dhabi. So back in Ireland for summer, it impossible not to notice the many puns and plays that exist in marketing and advertising for general…
It’s the time of year again when everyone is more than happy to get caught in traffic in Clarenbridge, completely understanding about hiked up hotel room rates and only too delighted to pay an extortion price for a hot little number and a pair a control knickers that may be just the ticket to win…
Happy to leave the glare of the Middle Eastern sun for the summer period, I appreciated the refreshing drizzle which was the backdrop to our decent onto Irish soil, or landing strip as the case may be. The damp mist, the fresh temperatures and the cool Atlantic breeze which serves to give everything that vividness…
20th July marked the start of Ramadan for 2012 and also my exit from Abu Dhabi, back to the lush ole Ireland for my summer respite. Ramadan, the period of 30 days when the Muslim community refrains from food, drink and sexual relations from dawn until dusk, makes for a very restrictive life for expats…
A shopping trip with the girls wouldn’t have in the past been my idea of a great day out but when the trip was to Dubai and was sure to include a posh nosh lunch and the chance to swan around the glitzy Dubai shopping malls I couldn’t resist. One of the pearls in the…
Back in the glory days in Ireland when the Celtic tiger breathed life into Ireland and inflated not only economic growth but also our expectations and quality of life, we enjoyed custom made designer kitchens, Canadian hardwood floors and Italian leather sofas. Everyone suddenly became experts on the differences between porcelain floor tiles and carrera…
thereluctantemigrant 