Hi all

Here is the group you requested.

Rules are the same as for the rest of the site with the added one that only a Moderator starts new groups and this usually happens when the post count reaches 100+.

I also require a sentence or two as a description for this group to put in our Guide to buddy groups at the top of the thread.

This thread is on a trial basis at the moment as I am not sure how popular it will be or if it might be more appropriate to be private (if too much detail is to be shared this would be the case).

Let me know if you need more information of have any concerns.

Enjoy!

Ali

Hi girls!

I'm so glad we have a buddy group now, so we can all chat amongst ourselves! You may have each noticed when I PMed you the first time, that I am a little relieved to find a few other people who are even considering taking their young family to live in a developing nation! We must be few and far between I think!

So, I'll make a start on my introduction -
I'm Bec. Mum of 6 kids aged 11, 8, 6, 5, 2 and 3 months. My husband is in the mining industry (operator/trainer) in Ghana, West Africa. We're moving over there in June this year.

I've been itouch with a childrens home in Kumasi and have just learnt that
a) the director, the man I've been emailing for over a year, has recently been ordained as a king! I don't quite understand the intricacies of royalty in Ghana, but I have learnt this means he is one IMPORANT guy! Much the same respect and power a king in western society would have! I am a little scared about meeting now!

and

b)he has arranged for us to live in a house right at the childrens home. So I'm off to Ghana to live IN an orphanage! I'm so excited!

We are arranging the move without any relocation support from DH's employers. They are considering contributing in some way, but are undecided yet and do not usually relocate their employees, especially not operators.
I feel it's important they are involved somehow, so they are committed to continuing DH's employment after we arrive, and nothing talks committment as much as money!

My biggest concern is probably illness, especially malaria. I would rather we did not take the anti malarials long term, so we'll be focussing mostly on prevention. I've love to hear other peoples' thoughts on that!

But enough about me for a start - welcome to each of you crazy people who wants to move their family to some remote location in a country many people want nothing to do with! Let's chat!!

Hi all,

My name is Courtney and I have one son who is 14 months and I am 19 weeks pregnant with our second son. We live in Zambia and has since DS was 3 months old. We love life in Zambia for the most part and it is a great place to have young kids. I am very lucky that there are a lot of other expat mums around with young children so there are always people for DS to play with and we live on a huge property with lots trees to try and climb and lots space to run around and get dirty which is a lot more than what we had living inner city in Melbourne and Perth.

My husband is also in mining. He is a geologist in charge of southern africa for a company over here so travels quite a bit but is home a lot more than what he was when consulting from Australia.

We have had a bit of a bad run lately with illness (typhoid, gastro, chest infections). It is the gross part of the year here (wet season) and I especially have found it hard to land on my feet health wise so we are taking a three week time out in jo'burg to get the immune system back on track. I think with the pregnancy, breastfeeding (until recently) and illness, my body hasn't had enough in reserve to get better. However, after a week in SA I am feeling great. The shopping has been a plus too! We are in a small town on the copperbelt and there is nowhere really to buy clothes or toys or anything so whenever I pop down to Johannesburg I always stock up.

We have escaped malaria so far. BBlessed, I don't know a single expat over here on prophalaxis long term because of the possible side effects and health risks so I think you are doing the right thing in looking into prevention. There are a few things that are possibly of concern given your plans for accommodation. In order to get malaria, the mosquito needs to have bitten someone with malaria. If you are going to be living in an orphanage there is a good chance that a) the children don't sleep under nets and b) there is a very high rate of malaria. The particular mosquito that transmits malaria mostly bites at night so this is a bit concerning. I have friends who work in malaria prevention over here and they say that the immunity of the local community in Zambia (probably the same in Ghana) is huge. They have tested local schools where 70% of the children are carrying malaria but are showing no symptoms. So the mosquitos that bite them will still transmit the malaria but as they don't get sick they don't ever treat the malaria. I would be extra careful and maybe think about putting the younger children on prophalaxis at the bad time of the year (the end of the wet). The other thing is make sure your 3 mth old is as up to date on vaccinations as possible before you move. You can get Measles done at 9 months (not MMR, straight measles) and MMR done 6 months later which is what they do over here. There are frequent outbreaks here of measles and mumps in particular and this is of much higher risk if your children are in constant interaction with local children who are less likely to have had vaccinations. Anyway, not meant to scare you, just a few thoughts! We are also in a high risk malaria situation as where we live is built right next to a dambo (swamp area) and very close to the biggest, poorest compound (poorer areas tend to be called compounds here). The poorer areas tend to have a very high rate of malaria as there is a high population density, windows tend to be unscreened and people don't sleep under nets (often because of cramped sleeping conditions not financial reasons as aid organisation frequently hand them out). Still, by making a conscious effort with prevention we have managed to avoid malaria so far.

I am looking forward to hearing about where in the world everyone else is living. There is a chance that we will be moving further into the bush at the end of the year. It will be about two hours from the nearest town and we will have to get food flown in etc, but a few of our friends are also moving, there is a massive financial incentive and we would only do it for a year so we are still in the throws of deciding.

Hope all is well,
Courtney

One more thing BBlessed: Are you moving to Accra? If so, I talked to my friend who lived there for four years and she said the malaria risk there is actually quite low, so if you are, lucky you!! Maybe you won't have to worry too much about malaria after all :)

Hello Courtney!
I'm glad to see someone else posted in here, lol!

We're moving to Kumasi, which is further inland from Accra.
But thankyou for all your advice and info re malaria, I hadn't thought much about the idea that living in such close proximity to so many other children might be a risk factor.
We had intended to start the kids out on the anti malarials, while we settle in and get through the initial illnesses we're bound to experience, and then take the older kids off, but leave the baby and maybe toddler on them for a bit longer. Mostly until they are old enough to tell us when they are feeling the symptoms rather than having to wait until we can see signs and figure out the WHY the baby is suddenly irritable.

I am LOVING the sound of your arrangement in Zambia! I was telling DH about it and he thinks it's Byrnecut that is contracted over there?? It sounds like a great set up, and the move sounds exciting too! What does your DH do?

I hope you are continuing to feel better after your break in SA. It's great that you have that opportunity to get away somewhere for a good round of R&R! The illnesses and pregnancy and so on sounds so draining!


There's another Mum on EB who is moving to Zambia shortly, with a DH also in mining. Are there many mining sites with an expat community like you are in? I wonder if you'll end up knowing each other IRL!

We have more vaccinations to do on Monday - I didn't realise it was such a long, drawn out process! And the complicated connection between having the yellow fever vac, being tested for TB and then maybe having the TB vac, along with how it fits with the MMR....argh! It's confusing me just talking about it! I ended up telling the travel doctor to just decide for me and tell me where to be at what time for what needle!

How have your friends and family handled you moving? Do you communicate with them much? Are they likely to come and visit you over there, or do you plan to/already do fly back to Australia to visit?
And do you have much contact with the local community?
And how do you find the supplies - is it easy to get everything you are used to having on hand, or did you struggle to find stuff and/or adapt to using what's available and letting go of your usual things?!

I had better go - time to make another cuppa tea before the riff raff stop playing nicely and start fighting!

Hi BBlessed,

My husband is a geologist in charge of exploration in Southern Africa so he is still away a fair bit but less than when we were in Australia. He works for First Quantum Minerals but there are heaps of companies over here and big expat communities in every mining area. I have contact with locals in that I employ a few and obviously not all employees are expats so my husband works with a lot of locals and they have since become friends who we socialise with etc. Unfortunately it is difficult to avoid the imaginary divide that exists due to a range of factors including cultural, monetary and language. Most of the locals we spend time with tend to be in a more privileged situation than the average. I am learning Bemba which is the local dialect (probably the most useless language to learn in the whole world if you don't live on the copperbelt in Zambia). Unfortunately, noone understands bemba outside of about a 100km radius. There are 72 dialects spoken in Zambia. But it goes a long way to making friends etc at our local market. In the beginning I took out house lady Bana Shupi with me and she introduced me to a few vendors and told me what the local prices were etc so now I always go to those people, know what to pay and have built a bit of a relationship with them.

Communication in the beginning was really hard as we had TERRIBLE internet and no phone line for a variety of frustrating (very African) reasons. This has since been rectified, most problems are with time and patience, and we find communication great now. I use a service called 'callbacktoday' which is an american site. You go on and put credit on an account, dial in the number you want to call and your number (I use my mobile) and you get a call a few seconds later on your phone, you wait a bit and it connects you to the number you want to dail. It costs about Australian 17c a minute which is fantastic. I still talk to my mum every day. She uses an Australian call card to call and it is a similar price. I also use skype when the internet is obliging. My mum has been over to visit three times in a year! You can't keep her away from grandkids! My dad has been over for two of those trips and also LOVES it over here. We have had a few friends visit and lots more on the way or making plans. Obviously you can't have the relationship with people at home that you have when you are there, but you will make lots of friends over here and you will be surprised how many people sign up to come and visit when you are living somewhere exciting.

Supplies are a bit tricky. It is getting better as we have just had a new supermarket open since I left. I use cloth nappies which makes the nappy drama not a problem. I know some mums often find it hard to get the right size etc. Where we are we have a courier service (mercury couriers). I am not sure if they are in Ghana but you can get things from the UK and South Africa transported very cheaply and quickly (around a week from ordering) so I order a lot from Amazon or Mothercare in SA. Food is just one of those things you have to get used to. You won't be able to get everything you are used to at home. We can't get lamb, the pork is almost always off, but the chicken and beef are fantastic and so much cheaper than home. We only eat beef fillet and it is about $10 a kilo. There is a lady who lives next door to us who farms chickens so I get all of our chicken and eggs from her. YOu get used to stocking up on things when you go home or go to South Africa (seeds, spices, sauces etc). We are actually quite lucky where we are and the range is quite good. If you eat like the locals do (mealie meal and relish for breakfast, lunch and dinner) food is very cheap. If you eat like you do at home so most things are imported, it is quite expensive. We sit somewhere in the middle. I would try and get in contact with another expat where you are moving and see what they suggest bringing. We were told to bring a breadmaker and a coffee machine which we are glad we did.

My son has just woken so I time for me to go and make some lunch and play. Good luck with all the immunisations etc. Such a process!

Courtney

Hi All,

Sorry to take so long to look in Bec - I have been out of range for the last few days.

So - my name is Rachel and I am moving to Hanoi with DH in 1.5 years time. I have lived in Europe and more remote areas of Asia with DH, and also worked at his current mine site with him before falling pregnant with DS.

I feel a little bit like an imposter to be honest - Hanoi sounds very busy and developed compared to your plans! In fact, Hanoi will be much bigger than where I currently live. We will, however, have the same dilemas r.e. vac's. My Dr, whom happens to be Vietnamese, has said that he would prefer DS to have had at least up to 12 month vacs. Besides that, we will wait until a couple of months before we go to see what the latest recommendations are and to get the longest out of the time sensitive vac's. I am still glowing green from all the needles I got last time, so don't believe I will need anything extra.

We just got back tonight so I really need to get unpacked and to bed.

Talk more soon!

Oh it's nice to see some more posts in here!

Wachu you're not an imposter, so long as you still get the "you're moving WHERE?!" type looks when you mention relocating with a small child to somewhere other than a Western country!!

I asked at the travel doctor about vaccs for Isaac, as they'd already told me he wouldn't get anything before we go and should wait til he was 12 months, but the other EBer who is moving to Zambia shortly (which I suspect is why she hasn't posted yet, I think they were going in April so she's probably flat out!) said her paed said the yellow fever vax was ok at 6months. They told me that it's actually fine from 6 months old onwards, but in Australia we err on the extreme side of caution and wait til 12 months, but it's not actually for any reason aside from being extra extra careful! So we may have Ike done with at least that before we go, and will get the others done once we get there and he is a little older.

Funny story for you though - well it wasn't at the time but now it's OK! Travel Doctor visit last week was a shocker! DS2 1/2 did two poos and there's no change rooms or toilets there , in the middle of Brisbane City! So we stunk out two different doctors rooms, changing him twice and jamming the nappies into bags to dispose of once we left.
I'd just finished disinfecting my hands the second time when I realised my once-a-week pooing baby had also pood. And he. had. pooed! All up his back, onto his shoulders, all through his side of the pram. And of course I'd left the change of clothes bag in the car.
So I cleaned him as best I could and left him in his brother's nappy (because I had, of course, left his nappies in the car too!) and a wrap, and went to pay.
Meanwhile my 6 year old with autism had lost it and was having a full on fight with his brother in the waiting room, throwing toys and screaming. We were such a spectacle and I left as quickly as I could!

It hit me halfway back to the car that I am going to be stuck on a plane with these issues, for a lot longer than the 2 hour visit we'd just endured!! *terrified scream!*


I'll be back later, to ask more questions and so on!

Hi Wachu,

You are not an imposter at all! Hanoi sounds very exciting! We certainly didn't think we would end up somewhere so remote when we first decided to move abroad with kids. We will probably be here for another couple of years and then fingers crossed we will end up somewhere a little more developed. Well actually it isn't really a fingers crossed kind of situation, we will definitely be moving somewhere more developed when Teddy reaches school age. My husband has been offered a job a couple of times in Dubai. We have traveled a lot through the middle east and have a lot of friends living in Dubai which is a great hub to explore the region from so I am hoping he wants to go there next! His company is opening a mine in Peru so chances are it will be there. I loved our time in South America but I know that it will be in the middle of nowhere again and I like the idea of being in a city next.

BBLessed your travel doctor trip sounds horrific! I hate it when you are out and things turn to custard. Teddy is at a really annoying stage of refusing to have his nappy changed. Incredibly traumatic to get a dirty nappy off and have him start rolling around.

Wow Courtney, you guys have travelled and lived in a lot of places!! You'd be a professional at relocating and settling into new surroundings now! Where has been your favourite so far?

Oooooh Bec! What a nightmare - I freak out a bit if things don't go to plan with just one child, I can't imagine how you coped.

TBH I think you guys are very brave for choosing to live in Africa. Africa has always been my line in the sand that shant be crossed. DH's area of specialty is mainly available in Africa, South America and Asia (a type of processing) and I guess we are sticking with Asia because it is closer and easier because English is a commonly used language. Ooooh I feel like the slacker of the thread now!

I am really caught up with some uni work at the moment, so can't think about the move right now... but will be checking in to keep up to date and share ideas.

Lol Wachu - I drew my line in the sand over Africa too! I told DH a few years ago that if he took a job in Africa, I'd change the locks before he came back and I was not even going to let him FIFO there!

And now here we are .......... on our way!!

For the record though, I suggested the move because DH is in Ghana, where English is the official language, it's a democracy and it's stable, and the majority are Christians, so as far as culture shock goes it will be less than anywhere else!

We laugh a little about it now - DH took the job and after some time over there he suggested gently to me that we look into trying the expat lifestyle. He MEANT somewhere like Singapore or KL or somewhere .... "expat-ey"!!
And when I called him back and said "Sure, we'll all move to Ghana!" he nearly fell off hid chair! It's taken some time and planning, for us both to get on the same page, but we're finally there and on our way!

Sorry Bec it has taken me so long to get on here, I have been in Sydney visiting relatives before the big move.

Hi everyone ! It's wonderful to see some of us are in the same situation. My name is Meagan, I am a mum of 2 (DS 3yrs, and DD 7 months). We are moving to Zambia in 3 days ! At the moment I am stressed to the max and busy packing.

DH works in Emergency Response in the mining industry so we are moving for his work. We are really excited, and nervous. Courney - I have been told we are not in the copper belt (yet to really understand the different areas), but further west of there? DH will be working for Equinox, and we will be located about 60km west of Solwezi.

We too are most nervous about Malaria, and have also chosen the preventative route rather than taking prophylactics long term.

I will be without internet for a while in the next few weeks while we settling in - ARGH how will I cope LOL - so if I don't pop back in straight away I'm sorry As soon as we get the net back on, and we have settled, I will be in to chat more haha

Bec, as a side note, I know in my last PM to you I said that the Paed ok'd Isobel to have her Yellow Fever Vax. Well... after a long drawn out saga (understatement of the century there) and consultation with the Centre of Infectious Disease in Melbourne we will not be giving her the Vax before we go. Instead we will give it to her after she is 9 months. This is because Zambia is not a Yellow Fever Declared Country. If it was we would be getting it, but as it isn't we have been advised to wait until she is older. Just though I'd let you know and keep you updated

Take care all x

Hi Meagen,

WOW! Good luck with the travel and settling in. I am looking forward to hearing about your first impressions and your accomodation!

All the very best Meagan for the big move! Which way do you fly?
(We'll go from Brisbane to Dubai, then change flights to Accra)

Interesting about the yellow fever vac, thanks for letting me know. Our travel doctor was adamant Isaac could not have it til 12 months, until I actually suggested in earlier, and then she said it was fine to do after 6 months but because we're so cautious in Australia, they tend to wait longer!! Confusing much?!!

Oh I'm so excited for you!! Was it hard to say goodbye to family and friends? We're planning a major road trip next month to visit as many as we can and say farewell - after driving from Qld to Tas and back with 6 kids in the car, perhaps the flight will be a dream!

We're still "discussing" the move with DH's employers. They don't really want to contribute anything, so I'm reluctant to make the move where we'll be so reliant on DH's job, without some kind of (financial!) committment from his employer. I see the move as benfiting both us and his employer, and I think it's important we're all committed to each other. We'd be totally stuffed if we got there and they then let DH go - no job, no income, no reason to get residency....argh! That would be a nightmare!

Anyway, just wanted to wish Meagan all the very best. Look forward to hearing from you after you settle in ... or from the airport!!

I'm on my iPad so apologize in advance for spelling and grammar.

Thanks everyone I've lost Internet at home as bigpond have stuffed us around. Typical.

We will be flying kalgoorlie - Perth - Johannesburg - Ndola - solwezi and then driving solwezi - lumwana

The conflicting advice from different doctors, specialists, etc with the yellow fever vacc is extremely frustrating. I'm still so annoyed about the whole thing. Argh.

It was definitely hard to say goodbye. The flight to nsw and back to wa was long, and then to do the Africa flight 4 days later is daunting to say the least. But I imagine it still would be a lot easier than driving with 6 kids

Saying goodbye to my parents ( who currently live with us, and have done so since lachie was 6 months old) will be the hardest for me. I get teary just thinking about it. I'm so close to my mum. And her and lachie have an amazing bond.

Bec: I'm sorry your DH company is reluctant to support your move financially. It must be putting a lot of pressure in the decision to move. Is your DH on a contract? If there isn't any financial contribution on there behalf are they prepared to offer more stability in his role, so it gives you more job security? I hope they come to some sort of arrangement for you all.

Wachu: I'm nervous, but excited to see it all. I have seen photos of where we will be living. It's a brand new 3 bedroom house, fully furnished. From all accounts it's pretty good. So in that regard I'm quite relieved. My deal breaker with DH when he visited earlier last month was it had to have reasonable living standards. I certainly didnt expect new housing, was just hoping for mine camp standards, which seems we have got and better

Typing on an iPad is crap. Can't wait to be on my laptop again LOL

Looking forward to getting to know you all better.

Hi all,

Just a quick one from me to say goodluck wilful!

We live in Ndola. I just spent a week in Solwezi about a month ago. Solwezi is beautiful but quite a bit smaller than Ndola. Still, there is a Shoprite (supermarket) there so supplies will be ok to get. My husband was supposed to be meeting with the chief geo there on the weekend to have a look in their mine but apparently the trip has been cancelled because of the takeover bid at the moment. Equinox might be someone else soon? There is a chance that at the end of the year we will be moving to First quantum's new mine when houses start to be built so we might be just around the corner from you. It is about an hour and a half from Solwezi but quite close to Lumwana I am told. Always exciting to hear that there might be other small kids around! If you ever pop down to Ndola and you want someone to show you around (it won't take long haha) or take you to the different supermarkets, let me know. We just got a pick and pay here. Very sad that I am so excited about that. We live in a fully furnished three bedroom house built by FQM as well. It was MUCH better than I was expecting. They really look after expats over here. Good luck getting internet etc hooked up quickly when you arrive. If it doesn't happen as fast as it should, stop, take a deep breath and remember what you will hear many, many times from other people who live here - 'this is Africa'. Also, I am really close to my mum too and we still speak every day. I will write next time about calling options etc that are really cheap.

Wachu - we also drew a line in the sand. We will NOT move anywhere with Malaria while we have young kids... Oh how things change haha. To be honest it has been much easier than I thought and probably sounds a lot more exotic than what it is. And we haven't had malaria so that helps.

Will write a bigger post when I get back into the swing of things. We have only just gotten home.

Hi all!

I think you will be there now Meagan? If so I hope the flights went well and you are safely settling in. Looking forward to reading about your impressions.

Courtney and Bec, sounds like I will be rubbing that line out very soon!

Apparently there has been some talk (in mining, there is always talk isn't there....) about me maybe going back to work for DH's company in some capacity. Not on site, but in the capital. This may have just been random over-a-beer chat stuff I don't know. DH said 'but we wouldn't be keen would be' and I cut him off with a very quick yes we would!!! I just had a lovely friend from this country visiting me for a few days, and it reminded me of how much I miss living there.

Ooooh itchy feet itchy feet.

That sounds very exciting Wachu! There was also talk when we moved over here that I would work for DH's company too. I was a lawyer in a previous life and they needed some in house counsel here. But, as is often the way things go, we decided to have another baby and don't feel 'done' yet so I passed the job offer in and have just done some bits and pieces as needed and when I have the time which suits me much more. I have a feeling that number three may quickly follow number two (I do think that will be it though). It is strange, I was so nervous about coming over here and being 'locked in' to the stay at home role but I love being a mum much, much more than I ever thought I would prior to having children. We are so fortunate that finances etc are not an issue so the decision for me to stay at home forever if I/we want is there. I do think that once my babies start school I will look for something. DH and I are very keen to start our own mining venture in the next five years so hopefully we can time it so that I have a role in that.

There is always talk in mining isn't there!! It used to drive me crazy but I guess like all of you I am used to it now. It was really bad when DH was consulting as his schedule would change every week eg - I am going to China in three weeks, no that has been cancelled... I am going to Finland in a fortnight...that has now been postponed...I am going to Bulgaria for a month in two days....AHHHHHHHHH!! At least things are a little more predictable now. Given he is covering so many countries in his role, he is still away most weeks but it is usually only for a night or two to check on things. If only he flew commercial rather than the company plane we would have more frequent flyer points than I would know what to do with!!

I am getting more and more nervous about flying home at 36 weeks with DS by myself. I feel a bit silly saying that when BBlessed is flying with six!!!! I just know I will be so sore and tired by then and DS is super active and I just don't know how I am going to go doing the aisle run (up and down, up and down) for that long by myself. I have flown home with him by myself a couple of times before but he was younger and I wasn't a whale. Oh well, I will get there in the end.

I'm here!

I have hooked into our neighbours wireless internet (they were lovely enough to give us their password).. but it is soooooooo slow.

First impressions: Well initially when we arrived in Solwezi I was taken aback with the local living conditions. They were a lot poorer than I had anticipated. Other than that though Africa is a beautiful country, and due to it being the wet season at the moment it is very green.

Our house is wonderful. It's a lot nicer and bigger than one of the homes we rented back home. So that's a plus. All the expats here have been wonderful at making us feel welcome. Which is really lovely.

i now have a house lady who I have arranged to come at 7.30am to 1.30pm. And my gardener will start in a week or so. Elizabeth (house lady) started today. She was fantastic. By the afternoon i was bored, and wasnt sure what to do with myself!

The local zambians here have been nothing but friendly and are always willing to help.

On site our biggest issue seems to be money. Or lack thereof. There is one Atm on site and never has any cash in it. The supermarket and local stores only take cash. No cash, no food. i have been warned that at the end of the month when it's pay week then we will have trouble getting cash out for up to 2 weeks. and for the other 2 weeks you get cash if you are lucky enough to get there soon after it's filled (which is daily I am told). Interesting times ahead in that regard im sure.

Better sign off before i lose the net again.

try to be back on again soon.

Apologies for the me me me post, will hopefully get back on soon and do some personals

Oooh I was wondering if you'd arrived yet Meagan. I hope the flight all went well - I am honestly more worried about the flight than the relocation lol!
Your first reaction to Zambia is an interesting one and I really want to thank you for sharing it. (I'll explain why in a moment!) I guess living and growing up in a country we are blessed enough to reside in, means we won't ever fully grasp the impact of extreme poverty until we see it firsthand. Photos convey part of the message, but still protect us from some elements of it all. DH keeps telling me, to prepare me I think, that it's going to break my heart and that I must know, NOW, that we simply cannot help everyone we see who needs help. I think this will be something I struggle with for a long time.


Sigh - a house lady and a gardener?! I am jealous!
And the internet .... you're set!!


about "there's some talk about ..." in the mining world. It's crazy isn't it?! The biggest collection of great thinkers and imaginers who don't actually follow through, or who make detailed plans well in advance and then change them for an impulse decision at the last moment!!
If we believed the "talk", we'd have a lovely new house built on site for us, DH would be promoted and would be studying at the company's expense, and we'd be being relocated by the company.
This is so far from the truth it isn't funny!

Courtney, I think I'd prefer to fly with 6 kids, than with a toddler when heavily pregnant. That exhausting feeling of NEEDING to sleep/sit down/close your eyes is all-encompassing and for me anyway, seems to trigger my toddler's sudden desire to do anything EXCEPT rest!! I'm dreading the flight with our toddler - and that's with 4 adults to take turns, lol!
Love it!
I hope it works out for you. We started planning this move a few years ago, and we're still not sure when it will happen - so I know the feeling of living here but wanting to be elsewhere, and knowing it's a long time away.
How exciting for you! Keep us up to date on any developments.



We're not really any further along in our plans than we were before. We had a phone conference with one of DH's bosses last week and it left us feeling very disheartened and discouraged. Not only will they not do much at all to support us moving there, it seemed pretty obvious they don't want us there and we both got the impression (nothing was said so clearly) that they'd do what they could to make it difficult for us. Given they have contracts in other African countries, I'm afraid this means they'll transfer DH to another mine in another country if we go ahead with our move.

So we're unsure where to go next. We ARE going to do this, and we are not completely unaware of what a huge change it will be for us. Ghana - and indeed Africa or any other developing nation, may not be most people's destination of choice when planning a family relocation. But I know you girls understand me when I say I am aware of the challenges we will face, of the culture shock we will experience, of how very different it is to what I am accustomed to and of how hard it will be sometimes - and we still think it's the right thing for our family.
I appreciate having the difficulties being pointed out to me, but we're not totally unaware of them and I do trust DH when he says he thinks it will work for us. I'm beginning to think our biggest challenge in relocating will not be the health and safety risks, the culture shock, facing the poverty, supporting our kids as they adapt or accepting a new diet - it will be dealing with his employers, lol!

So, I'm feeling discouraged, but just as determined as ever, lol - if that is possible. I think it's mostly a case of yet another person/group of people wondering why on earth we'd want to move 6 kids to Africa!
So it's onwards with the plans. I just need to find more money to fund 10 return flights ...... sigh!

Hi all,

Congratulations on the move Meagan! A couple of things while I remember. We messed around with crappy internet providers for 6 months before I discovered that MTN have a network you can use. You just get a MTN sim, a wireless modem (they sell them at the mtn shops, there should be one in Solwezi) and you load up credit on the sim in your phone and put the sim in the internet stick and then you have that much credit if that makes any sense. It is a bit more expensive (all internet in Zambia is expensive), but as long as you have MTN phone service where you are, you can use it and it is reliable and although not of first world speed, much, much faster than anything else we have used. I highly recommend it.

Also, if you are looking for a way to phone home cheaply, go on to www.callbacktoday.com. It is an american site and you load up credit in $20 lots I think (we just have it set up to automatically reload if we get below a certain amount) and then once you have set up the account, go to web callback and type in your number as the call back number and the number you want to dial. (Don't put in the + part of an international number, so an australian number will just be 61.....) A couple of seconds later you get a call on your phone (we use our mobile) and they tell you how much credit you have, how much time remaining you have and then they connect you to the number you want to call. I think it is about 17c a minute to call Australia? Quite cheap anyway.

I know that the Shoprite in Solwezi accepts credit cards (I always use cards at the supermarket as I still can't get used to carrying around a couple of million kwacha!) Also, if you get desperate for cash, I think the standard chartered in Solwezi is quite reliable and not that far from you.

It feels very strange at first to have house help, but believe me you get used to it VERY quickly. Our house lady, Bana Shupi, is wonderful. We pay her to come six days, but she only comes monday to friday from 7:30 to 5 and every few weeks we get her to come in on a saturday morning and DH and I go for a coffee together or a walk for an hour or do something just the two of us. I can remember thinking what on earth is she going to do FULL TIME??? But there is a lot more to do here than home. The putsi (sp?) flies mean that everything hung outside has to be ironed. I was hard up to iron anything at home let alone sheets and towels so that takes up a lot of time. Also my standards have raised significantly. I was quite a clean person at home but often my kitchen floor here gets swept and mopped twice a day which would NEVER have happened in Australia. It was lucky to get done twice a week! Curtains and couch covers get washed, windows are always clean - I don't know how I could go back! haha. I also LOVE to cook and love it even more now that I don't have to do dishes! It is great to whip up a batch of muffins or a cake during the day and have it be a quick process because you know when you come back five minutes later the bowls and spoons will have miraculously disappeared. People warned me in the beginning not to be too friendly as they are your employee etc but I have found this to be absolute rubbish. We have a fantastic relationship and she has been a wonderful companion and I have never found this to affect our working relationship. I can definitely ask her to do things if I need to but this is often unnecessary as she doesn't need much direction. My son LOVES her and she is so great with him. Just enjoy all the time you have to do all the mum stuff like sitting down and playing games and doing craft activities and having a rest when you need it, baking etc without all the worry of I should be mopping the floor!

Also, enjoy the opportunity to do things like have a shower and go to the toilet or have a phone conversation without constant interruptions because you have a right hand woman there constantly. It is like having a second pair of hands. Doing things like supermarket runs and paying bills etc while DS is asleep so he doesn't have to come is life changing

We only have a part time gardener - that is something I still can't get my head around being a full time position. He is a quirky character. Yesterday I got very cross with him (I rarely get angry at anyone so I was quite upset) because he decided a garden bed which I really liked wasn't growing properly anymore (whatever that means) so he dug the whole thing up and planted some flower seeds that he likes (and I don't). I had to explain that if he wants to make any major changes he should run it by me first because it is my garden. Oh well, it is funny now.

BBlessed I am sorry that things are not going to plan at the moment. I know it is difficult when you have your heart set on a certain destination but have you thought about applying for positions with companies maybe somewhere else that will be more accommodating to your move? Or even a different company in Ghana? I admire your commitment regardless but I must say it does seem like a mammoth task to take on without on the ground support. Just as you have such an open mind with the idea of moving to Ghana, remember there are so many other wonderful destinations to take your family and having the comfort of knowing you have company support for when things go wrong may be worth the shopping around.

I know what you mean about the flight. Last time he slept for 30 minutes of the entire trip from Australia. The rest of the time was spent going up and down the aisles. He fell asleep as soon as we landed At least he wasn't screaming.

My little one is awake so I best be off. Good luck with all the decisions everyone and good luck settling in Meagan and hopefully be back on in the next day or so.

Courtney

I just thought I would pop in to say I have a Blog, which I have updated with pics

www.wilfulblog.com

Hope everyone is well.

Courtney: thanks so much for the advice, I appreciate it. It has been thoroughly helpful.

Bblessed: I too am sorry things are not going to plan. Please keep us updated on how things are going

Take care,

x

Been a while since I posted - or at least it seems like forever!! DH is due home in less than a week now, I am SO counting sleeps!! And it's dragging badly now!

We'd pretty much given up on going over with DH's current employer, especially since I emailed the boss-man weeks ago and had no reply at all, even to acknowledge my email and tell me to bugger off! So we'd decided to seek other work, in other parts of Africa if necessary, and go from there - DH is also a trainer so he can *almost* cross that invisible but very clear line between operators and management, lol ....

...and then DH tells me this morning that this "boss-man" told him to tell me he isn't ignoring me, he's working on something for us and has put it before the Board ...... *sigh* I hate not knowing, lol, and having my plans changed!!

Either way, we're going as soon as it can be arranged. It's just who is doing the arranging that is still to be dtermined!!

Did I mention before I *found* another crazy family, on the move to Africa?! These guys are going to be missionaries .... and get this : they are moving with 6 kids (young kids like mine!) to Ghana, to a city/town about 1 1/2 hours from where we plan to move!!!! How amazing is that - in the whole of Australia, there is a family of 8 moving to the same country, to the same region, at the same time as us! I'm so excited! They're travelling around different churches right now but are due up this way in a few weeks - I'm really looking forward to meeting them!

So it seems there are more and more of us! Well, ok, so there's 5 or 6, lol!
My grandma rang the other day and it seems some of my family are still under the impression we're doing this because we have to, because DH's work is only available over there. I cannot be bothered explaining any longer that we're doing it because we want to, lol, and that DH gave up applying for jobs in Oz ages ago! And that Ghana is not Sudan/Congo etc and is not quite as dangerous! I figure if they haven't heard me on this stuff yet, they're probably not going to hear me at all!


Going to check out Wilful's blog now ....

Hi all,

just popping in quickly and saw that there had been a couple of posts since I last checked. Great that you are settling in Wilful. BBlessed that sounds really promising. Good luck with organising the move soon!

I have one more piece of information to pass on Wilful. This is my absolute lifeline over here!

Mercury Couriers:
This is the Solwezi number: (+260) 218 821579 (I got this number online as I can't find our Zambian directory so hopefully it is right)

You can order anything from the UK online and get it sent using this service which is cheap and quite fast (things tend to get here about a week or so after they are dispatched in the UK). I also get my mum to send anything she wants to the UK address and then get it couriered here as it is cheaper and faster than sending directly which can take months. Most UK online retailers ship for free in the UK and then you just have to pay the courier charges which are really reasonable.

On the Shipping details you put your name, Mercury solwezi and zambian phone number
c/o Deltec international couriers
10-11 Maple Grove Business Centre
Lawrence Rd
Hounslow
Middx
TW4 6DR
UK

They give you a call when things arrive and tell you how much etc but you can call to get a pricing list before hand and you will have to call to find out where the Solwezi office is to collect from as I am not sure.


I order everything online. Amazon is great and so is MotherCare or John Lewis for baby stuff. I just ordered a new cot mattress for our new baby.

Hopefully this will help with the isolation when you desperately need something!
Courtney

It's been forever since I've posted.

BBlessed - That is so amazing that you have met a family just like yours moving to Africa! How is everything going with your DH employer? Have things progressed at all?

Courtney_B - Thanks so much for the information. I have just placed a large order to Amazon.com in the last week as mercury couriers now have a US shipping address and the US dollar is much better than the pound. However shipping is slightly more expensive. Stuff is yet to arrive so will let you know how much kwacha it ends up costing me lol

Ohhh and I have been to Pick N Pay Ndola and am totally jealous that you have it!!! Sooooo much better than Shoprite! We were there fleetingly on our way back from J'burg (DH was there for a conference a month back).

On a ASW note:

We have been here now for nearly 3 months so I am fairly well settled. Life is now fairly normal. Well as normal as life in Africa can be.

Equinox takeover by Barrick Gold is done and dusted. DH is in meetings all week with Corporate going through his/their expectations with regards to Emergency Response. DH has said it's all very positive and is looking forward to it all. They seem extremely supportive of his efforts, have even said they don't know how he has managed without adequate resources. So are now talking of giving him more budget and equipment. So he is wrapped.

I'm enjoying being lazy My housekeeper Elizabeth is wonderful. We are constantly sick which is a bit of a downer but was warned it could take up to six months until we adjust. So hopefully we come out of it soon. DD is 1 next month, so excited! She is standing on her own and nearly walking so that's exciting.

Would love to hear from you all

Hi all,

Just popped in to check and realised that there hasn't been much activity on the posting front of late but thought I would write a quickie anyway. I hope your order got here ok Wilful. And great to hear that they now have a US address!!!! This will certainly help my online shopping haha. Pick and pay is wonderful. I must say I am quite jealous of how clean the Solwezi shoprite is compared to ours, so pick and pay opening with its bright lights and air conditioning was quite a revelation. It is great to be able to get good cheese, bread and lindt chocolate and full fat natural yoghurt for the kids.

I am actually in Australia at the moment awaiting the arrival of our new addition. I am 38.5 weeks and getting a bit over it. Still recovering from the flight back which was the stuff of nightmares. They couldn't honour my business upgrade on points as the flight was full so I had a single economy seat at 36 weeks pregnant with DS who is 18 months by myself. We obviously didn't fit in the seat together and we took it in turns to have a good cry haha. NEVER AGAIN.

Anyway, it is dinner and bath time here so I best be off. I am very much looking forward to DH getting here on saturday. DS has started calling the phone Dad again so it is definitely time.

Hope you are all well. BBlessed, and news on the moving front? I hope all of your plans are going well! I would love to hear the news. Wiful, we are back to Zambia in October and DH thinks he will have to do some work in Solwezi and we usually ship to whole family up there for that and stay at the FQM guest house there so if we are there before the end of the year I will let you know and perhaps we can organise a play date. I am always at a bit of a loss as to what to do with DS when we go there as he has so many little buddies near us in Ndola that we see.

Courtney