THAT TIME OF THE YEAR...
Getting through Christmas as an ex-pat desperateanglohousewife . We all know that Christmas is supposed to be the time of family togetherness, parties and fun. But frankly, for many of us, it’s a time of great stress mixed with extreme home-sickness plus the heart-wrenching pain of children leaving home for the divorced partner's over Christmas. All teachers understand the stress of end of year classes, marking and team-management. Our students are exhausted, the pile of marking reaches monumental K2 heights and colleague management takes every last drip of energy. For those of us ex-pats who live just too far away to fly home to our respective "home" countries, Christmas marks yet another time away from our loved ones. I dream of a warm NZ Christmas surrounded by the laughter of my mad family and another top-up of fine NZ Sauvignon Blanc... One in three families also has to deal with the pain of children leaving home for Christmas. Every other Christmas my ...