- You wake up in the morning to discover both kids down with a mysterious sickness. It is a truth universally acknowledged that as soon as the expat husband turns on his travel switch, the kids turn on their sick switch. Cue in missed schooldays, doctor’s appointments, runny noses, soaring temperatures, unlimited crankiness and playing your least favorite game of tackling the toddler to get that medicine in!
- The car will have a flat tyre, that toilet won’t flush or a curtain rod will need fixing – right when your personal handy-man, I mean, husband is away!
- The school will email to inform you that it is dress up day tomorrow, so could you please send in your child in a space-inspired costume. As if you already didn’t have enough things to do!
- You will probably be ordering pizzas and takeaway all through the week, since you can’t be bothered to cook if it’s just you.
- You will receive an SMS from your bank about a transaction from your bank account conducted in Luanda in Kwanza and you will be extremely suspicious, until you realize the husband is probably on his Angola leg of the business trip.
- Your 1 year old will say “papa” for the very first time. You will record it and send it to the traveling papa, knowing this will brighten up his day!
- Your 4 year old will wake up and discover that he is away and ask “Is Papa in Africa again?” She will also let you know that it’s really unfair Papa didn’t think to take her to Africa; after all she would love to see elephants and giraffes all day.
- You will receive calls at odd hours, from different country codes, which will always leave you guessing (and sleep-deprived) or both.
- You will stare longingly at pictures of the two of you together. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, it seems!
- You will come downstairs to notice a big beautiful bouquet of flowers, sitting in a pretty vase. Lilies, your favorite. There will be a note alongside them: “Something pretty to look at while I’m away 😉 I’ll be back before they wither I promise. Love you!”
Wonderful! Love it!
Thank you Mama! 🙂