Any overseas bees? « Hellobee Boards

Any overseas bees?

By Mrs. Monkey Apr 17, 2013

After seeing Mrs. Owl's introduction thread yesterday, it got me wondering how many other bees are living overseas or are planning to in the future. I thought we could introduce ourselves and get to know each other. A little bit about me...

I'm a Canadian living in Tokyo. I originally planned to come here for a year to work and travel after university and ended up meeting DH one month in! I'm now coming up on six years here and we're expecting our first baby in the fall. Although I like living here, I'm a little worried about having a baby so far away from my family.

I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting others and hearing your stories and perspectives on living or having kids abroad.

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34 comments

gracecat
clementine / 878 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@Mrs. Monkey: omg!!! I am moving to Tokyo soon, let me know if you do a Tokyo bees meet up!
Ree723
grapefruit / 4819 posts

Apr 17, 2013

Hello fellow expat! I'm an American currently living in Australia, married to a British born Aussie, and raising our 9 month old daughter in the hot, hot tropics of Darwin on the northern coast of Australia!

I've been an expat for 8.5 years now on and off (3 years in London, 1 year in Australia, 2 years mostly back in the US with some extended stays in Australia during that time, and now I've been back in Australia for more than two years).

I love living abroad but wish we were in England as opposed to Australia. Oz is great, but I miss the travel opportunities, lifestyle, culture, and even the weather of England! I will say though, having a baby in Australia has been absolutely fantastic and there is no other country I'd rather give birth in. We're hoping to have two more kids here before we migrate north!

How does the medical system in Tokyo compare to that of Canada? Is it quite similar or have you encountered quite significant differences?
Mrs. Monkey
cherry / 193 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@gracecat: Yay! That's really exciting. I haven't seen any other bees who are living in Japan, but maybe this thread will introduce us to some. When are you planning to move?

@Ree723: Hi! England must have been so convenient for vacationing around Europe. By migrating north, do you mean back to the States? England? I've actually lucked out because I've found a ob/gyn who went to medical school in the states and most of his patients are ex-pats. It's quite a bit more expensive here to give birth though and you have to pay about $1200 extra if you want the option of an epidural. Might be worth it to have the money ready just in case! What were the differences you noticed between having your baby in Australia as opposed to in the States?
loveisstrange
pineapple / 12526 posts

Apr 17, 2013

Hi! I'm an American living in England. My husband is US military and we are here because of that. We've been here 2 years, and have 1 left. My daughter was born here on the NHS.

I really like it here, but I'm honestly kind of ready to go home to the states and be near family again.
lamariniere
pineapple / 12566 posts

Apr 17, 2013

Hello! I'm an American married to a French guy and we live in Vienna with our toddler. Just got my 2nd bfp last week, so we'll be expanding at the end of this year!
Mrs. Monkey
cherry / 193 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@zippylef: It's tough being away from family. It's funny because I never got homesick though until I was pregnant.

@lamariniere: Congrats! What is it like living and raising your family in Vienna?
Arden
honeydew / 7589 posts

Apr 17, 2013

I'm currently back in my birth country (USA), but I've been a long time expat and we (DH, DD, and I) will be moving back overseas (this time to Kosovo) next year!
mamimami
grapefruit / 4120 posts

Apr 17, 2013

Gringa in Mexico here. It's not over any seas but its a different country if that counts
Baby Boy Mom
pomegranate / 3983 posts

Apr 17, 2013

I'm in Mexico as well, have had both kids here and we have about a year left before we head back north.
wheres_c
pomelo / 5789 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@sloaneandpuffy: @Baby Boy Mom: which parts of Mexico?
mamimami
grapefruit / 4120 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@wheres_c: Mexico City
mamimami
grapefruit / 4120 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@Baby Boy Mom: I will be sad when you leave Mexico! I mean, despite the fact that you're nowhere near me and I don't actually know you.
Mrs. Monkey
cherry / 193 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@Arden: That's really exciting. Were you in Kosovo before?

@sloaneandpuffy: Totally counts!
Penny Lane
nectarine / 2163 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@Mrs. Monkey: oooh, i'd love to go to tokyo one day! envious!!

@Ree723: you're in darwin?! i lived in darwin when i was a kid! i loved it, and wish i could go back!!

hi! i'm a kiwi married to an american living in wellington, new zealand. we're eventually moving back to the US (i'm hoping AFTER we're done having kids, i'm terrified of the american medical system!)
Baby Boy Mom
pomegranate / 3983 posts

Apr 17, 2013

@wheres_c: Guadalajara

@sloaneandpuffy: Well, if you ever make it this way we can have our own Hellobee meetup...
Arden
honeydew / 7589 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@Mrs. Monkey: We were in Albania before. We have been to Kosovo though, we just haven't lived there yet.
TheSwissWifeStyle
nectarine / 2600 posts

Apr 18, 2013

I'm an American living in Switzerland. Hoping to move around more with DH's job. Some place warm next please!
lamariniere
pineapple / 12566 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@Mrs. Monkey: living in Vienna has been an interesting experience so far. There is definitely a language barrier, but most people speak pretty decent English. The loooongest winter of my life has just come to an end and we are relishing in the spring. The best part of Vienna is that it is incredibly kid friendly and there is so much to do with children.

For other bees, how have you dealt with the language barrier if you don't speak the local language?
anniegurumi
cherry / 174 posts

Apr 18, 2013

Hello! I'm an American living in Shanghai and we've been here for 1.5 years! so happy to meet other overseas/expat mommies!
Mrs squirreld
nectarine / 2522 posts

Apr 18, 2013

I'm an West Australian born & bred, DH & I dream of moving to the states one day... sigh if only it wasn't so hard!
TheSwissWifeStyle
nectarine / 2600 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@lamariniere: I'm trying to learn French but I suck. I know enough to get by-ish. But I get very flustered. I'm supposed to start lessons with my FIL soon. I'm so not motivated.
oceanbee59
pea / 24 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@Penny Lane: I'm not too far from you from the US but I love your country, even with the weather this week!
Penny Lane
nectarine / 2163 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@oceanbee59: oh, the weather. I had my hopes that the summer would never end. Do you live here or just on holiday?
SugarplumsMom
bananas / 9227 posts

Apr 18, 2013

I'm a Californian living in Sweden with my Swede and soon to be toddler. We decided to settle down here - it's so family friendly. We bought our forever home in a small village in between 2 larger cities, I love it! However, I'm not in love with the weather. It's not as cold as people may think, but during the winter it's gloooooomy, during a bad winter, you won't see the sun in weeks! Summer makes up for it when it's sunny from 03:30-22:30! Everything grows out there during this period. I'm an instant gardener.

@lamariniere: There is a language barrier. They're taught English in school, so most can speak it, but everything is in Swedish. Also, a lot of the older Swedes don't speak English very well, or not at all. But that all seems irreverent because they're not a talkative bunch. So even if there wasn't a language barrier, they hardly ever talk. I struggled through this coldness for sometime. If I didn't have my own little family to occupy me, I wouldn't choose to live here.
lamariniere
pineapple / 12566 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@crumbs: I understand exactly what you mean about the gloom. I can handle winter, I can handle cold and snow, but I NEED sunshine! I feel like we barely saw the sun this winter.

@theswisswifestyle: I kind of envy you as I speak French fluently but don't get to use it here (other than with the DH)...although some people hear my son speaking French on the playground so they will speak it to us.

I think the grocery store is my biggest language challenge. I like to read labels and know what's in my food, and here, I have no idea. Often if there is a second language on a label it is in Italian, which I can decipher better than German, but it's still rough. When we first moved, I bought a whole duck, thinking it was a whole chicken! So I've at least learned what chicken is :-).
TheSwissWifeStyle
nectarine / 2600 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@lamariniere: Ugh, yes the grocery store! meh.

All the European Bees should try and meet up! I'm open to visitors any time
Lozza
pear / 1837 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@TheSwissWifeStyle: Where in Switzerland are you?
We'll actually be there this summer for a wedding (wedding is in Sion, we'll fly into Geneva). I'll be 29 weeks pregnant, so while everyone else is hiking in the mountains, I plan to install myself at a cafe for many hours at a time
gracecat
clementine / 878 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@Mrs. Monkey: next week!
Mrs. Monkey
cherry / 193 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@lamariniere: The language barrier has been tough. I've studied off and on since coming here and know enough to get by with day to day things, but I rely on DH a lot.
Mrs. Monkey
cherry / 193 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@gracecat: Wow! That's soon. If you haven't already, you might want to check out the Tokyo Pregnancy Group. I've only been to one meeting so far, but there were a lot of members who had also recently arrived in Tokyo. When are you due?
Ree723
grapefruit / 4819 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@Mrs. Monkey: That is the million dollar question! We're open to either the States (as that's where my family is) or the UK (as that's where DH's family is), but we've also thrown Canada in the mix as we think it would be a great place to live and would be convenient for visiting both families! As for the main differences in antenatal care in the US vs Australia, I think it is best summed up in saying that pregnancy is treated as a medical condition that needs to be managed in the US, whilst in Australia it is viewed as a natural course of life that doesn't require a lot of medical intervention unless complications arise. They don't do any unnecessary testing (GBS comes to mind), internal checks (absolutely no point to them), and won't induce without significant medical necessity until 41+3....just to name a few of the differences that sprang to mind right away. Basically, it's a very hands off, laid back experience, but with the comfort of knowing you are well looked after. Oh, and did I mention the awesomeness of socialized medicine?! We did not pay one cent for our little one's birth (nor do we pay for insurance as it's included in our taxes here) and had phenomenal care. I just loved every single thing about it.

@Penny Lane: How awesome that you lived in Darwin! We're loving it so far but it's just hot!! Everyone keeps saying we'll acclimatise but I have my doubts! Regardless, we have a great place right on the beach (not that we'll ever swim in it between the salties, stingers, and sharks!) so it makes it all worthwhile. So it's a great day to be a kiwi, hey? I just linked the speech from MP Williamson to my Facebook as I absolutely loved it!
TheSwissWifeStyle
nectarine / 2600 posts

Apr 18, 2013

@Lozza: I live in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, about an hour away from Sion!
oceanbee59
pea / 24 posts

Apr 19, 2013

@Penny Lane: Here for post-grad work, but in no rush to move back! I was hoping the same about the summer - everyone kept saying "oh this can't last" and I was just pretending they must be wrong!! I wish they all were... ha!
Penny Lane
nectarine / 2163 posts

Apr 19, 2013

@Ree723: what you said is exactly why I'm terrified of having a baby outside of nz or australia!! you'll acclimatize eventually. then you'll go somewhere else and it will be like 25 C and you'll be shivering. promise

@oceanbee59: I've lived here for 6 years now and until this summer had never had more than maybe 3 days of sun in a row. I was convinced I'd accidentally moved to a different city without noticing

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