Diary of an American Expatriate , livre ebook
134
pages
English
Ebooks
2012
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134
pages
English
Ebooks
2012
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Have you ever thought of chucking everything and starting life over in a new country? This is the true story of Ilene Springer who tells you what it's like to leave the US at the age of 55 to start a new life in another country, while reluctantly leaving two grown daughters behind who claim she is abandoning them. It tells all the good, bad and funny about being an expatriate--and there's a lot of all three. A divorced freelance writer who suffers from panic attacks, Ilene becomes desperate when her American health insurance bill skyrockets to over $900 a month. When it becomes a choice between paying the rent or going to the doctor, Ilene chooses a third, terrifying option: moving to the Mediterranean island of Malta where she can possibly train to become an English teacher and get into the country's national healthcare system. Armed with only her wits, a cat and her British-German boyfriend who she has recently met on the Web, Ilene makes the move, ironically on the eve of the election of Barack Obama. But despite being a so-called English-speaking country, Malta is not easy to get used to, Americans are not welcomed as employees and her partner is much harder to live with than she thought. And yet the gorgeous Maltese sun, sea and fascinating foreigners lead Ilene to a zany adventure of a lifetime. Based on the popular blog An American in Malta, Ilene's confessions warn anyone who ever thought of starting over somewhere new the raw, hard truth and often the hilarious things that await them.
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Contents
Front Matter ..................................................... 3 Tîtle Page ..................................................... 3 Publîser Informatîon ................................... 4 Introductîon ................................................. 5
he Dîary o an Amerîcan Expatrîate ................ 6 Backward..................................................... 6 I Came....................................................... 11 I Saw ......................................................... 50 I Panîcked .................................................. 75
Back Matter .................................................. 132 Also Avaîlable........................................... 132
THE DIARY OF AN AMERICAN EXPATRIATE
I Came, I Saw, I Panicked
by Ilene Springer
Adapted from te blog An-American-in-Malta.com
Publiser Information
he Dîary o an Amerîcan Expatrîate Pubîsed în 2012 by Andrews UK Lîmîted www.andrewsuk.com
hîs book îs sod subject to te condîtîon tat ît sa not, by way o trade or oterwîse, be ent, resod, îred out or oterwîse cîrcuated wîtout te pubîser’s prîor wrîtten consent în any orm o bîndîng or cover oter tan tat în wîc ît îs pubîsed, and wîtout a sîmîar condîtîon beîng împosed on te subsequent purcaser.
he caracters and sîtuatîons în tîs book are entîrey îmagînary and bear no reatîon to any rea person or actua appenîng.
Copyrîgt © ïene Sprînger
he rîgt o ïene Sprînger to be îdentîIed as autor o tîs book as been asserted în accordance wît sectîon 77 and 78 o te Copyrîgts Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.
Introduction
hîs îs not a work of ictîon. hîs îs a story of te trut. And îf you recognîze yourself în one of te îndîvîduals portrayed ere, too bad. You sould ave tougt about tîs before you were suc a barbarîan to me. I told you I was a wrîter. Neverteless, all names ave been canged.
Venî, vîdî, vîcî. hey came, tey saw, tey conquered. Reported about Juîus Caesar and îs Roman Legîon as tey anded în Brîtaîn
To my daugters Remy and Brooke
And to Rîcky
And to Marc wo gave me my daugters
ïn Lovîng Memory o:
Babs Wenînger Heen DeYong Joanna Ferruccî Frank Suîvan
Bac
kw
ard
At te age o 12, ï ad my Irst panîc attack on our back porc în Hudson, New York. ï et îke sometîng was puîng me toward te edge and woud make me jump of. ï ad no întentîon o kîîng myse; ît was just tîs recurrîng tougt and orrîbe, înescapabe eeîng tat came wît ît. ïronîcay, te panîc attack came te day ï read aoud a mystery ï ad been wrîtîng în te sîxt grade. ï was very unpopuar as a pre-adoescent, but my cassmates oved te book. You know ow you remember a te names o your eementary scoo teacers? My teacer în te sîxt grade was Mrs. West. Se was at, mean and smeed--and oten umîîated me în ront o te cass or takîng. ï ated er. But or some reason, tat day, se oved te book and made me read ît out oud (ît was ony about Ive or sîx capters) severa tîmes. Se actuay canceed te oter work we were doîng tat day and made me read te book. ï came ome euporîc rom tat rare, gorîous day în scoo. And ten ï went out on te porc and was terrîIed ï was goîng to jump of. Over te next ew days--wen te auntîng tougts woudn’t stop--ï tod my moter ï was scared o sometîng but ï dîdn’t know wat. Se caed Dr. God, our amîy doctor wo ï adored and trusted, and e just saîd ï was îg-strung. Basîcay, e dîdn’t know watîtwas; no one dîd back ten. At some poînt, my moter tod Mrs. West to stop askîng me about te progress on te book. ï started assocîatîng te panîc attack wît te book în some way--te stress, ear o success, wo knows? At any rate, ï put down tat a-wrîtten book and never pîcked ît up agaîn. To tînk tat oney, terrîIed gîr on te porc woud îve to mîdde-age and move rom Amerîca to anoter country tousands
o mîes away îs too muc to beîeve even as ï sît ere în Mata and ook back on ît. he anxîety attacks came and went or te next 30 years untî ï was oicîay dîagnosed wît and treated or panîc dîsorder. Atoug anxîety coored muc o my îe, ï stî went to coege at te State Unîversîty o New York at Bîngamton, got good grades, got an M.S.W. (Masters în Socîa Work--a bîg mîstake) at te Unîversîty o Wîsconsîn--Madîson and marrîed my coege sweeteart wo became te ater o my two daugters, R and B. He was and stî îs a proessîona îvîng and workîng în Boston. He’s remarrîed. And we get aong we, especîay wen deaîng wît our daugters. Atoug ï began workîng as an MSW în Boston, were we îved or te Irst 10 years o marrîed îe, ï started reeance wrîtîng ater osîng one socîa work job ater anoter due to te economy. ïn te back o my mînd were te panîc attacks tat started wît my Irst book, but ï pused on and became a successu wrîter, pubîsîng în major newspapers and magazînes încudînghe Wasîngton Post, te Boston Globe, Cosmopolîtan, Ladîes’ Home Journal and many oter natîona women’s magazînes. But or me, ît aways îs and as been a about te economy. Freeance wrîtîng assîgnments or rea magazînes drîed up as te ïnternet took îts pace. ï ad oter jobs or a wîe, ten got aîd of rom tem. We moved rom one area to anoter, tryîng to uI te Amerîcan dream o ownîng our own ome. But we got înto a ot o Inancîa troube and în tîme, our 22-year marrîage sady broke down and we got dîvorced ater beîng togeter or 27 years--most o our îves at tat poînt, actuay. hen ï was on my own. ï ad to move rom one pace to anoter în Massacusetts as eac ocatîon became unafordabe. Fînay, ï ad to move to a dînky town în New Hampsîre because Massacusetts became too expensîve. But ï ad and made very cose rîends tere în tat town. Aong te way, ï got învoved wît a Brîtîs-German man rom Europe (we’ ca îm Mr. S) vîa te ïnternet în a cat-room or
peope wo ove ancîent Egypt ). My daugters (R and B) grew up and commuted between amîcaby dîvorced parents, tey graduated coege, got master degrees and ound jobs and boyrîends away rom teîr moter. hen te Ina bow ît me wîe ï was îvîng în Dover, New Hampsîre: eat însurance at $900/ mont wen ï turned 55. As Amerîcans are a too aware, î you ose your job, you ose your eat însurance. And ï was se-empoyed at te tîme.
So ow dîd ît a start--te îdea to eave te US and move to Mata? ï ad never been an avîd traveer. My ormer usband and ï went to Parîs, London and ïsrae one or two tîmes. ï îved my woe îve în te Norteast--NewYork State, Massacusetts and Inay, New Hampsîre. ï ony saw a ew more states--Caîornîa, New Mexîco, Forîda and Wîsconsîn were ï went or my Master’s degree. So ît’s not îke ï as been orever dreamîng o îvîng abroad. But one day ît appened.
Here’s wat you must know about te entries in tis diary. I’ve marked eac event occurring before or during Malta in terms of anxiety level and te USD rate of excange.
Anxiety Level: Eac day, even toug ï receîve treatment wîc eps contro te anxîety, ï stî rate wat my anxîety eve îs. ït can be rom 1-3--meanîng ow anxîety. Anytîng under 5--good; 5--neutra; 6--moderate pus; 7 to 8--ree-loatîng anxîety, 9--eeîng very scared, avîng antîcîpatory tougts o dread; 10--outrîgt panîc attacks.
USD Versus te Euro: he doar în reatîon to te Euro as gotten worse and worse over te ast 30 years--not a good tîng wen you consîder movîng abroad. Over tîrty years ago wen ï went on my oneymoon to Parîs, te US doar was wort twîce as tat o te Franc. Now te
sîtuatîon îs reversed. he USD îs wort ony a tîrd o te Euro. hereore, wen ï transer USD to my bank account în Mata, ï ose about a tîrd, dependîng on te day’s currency excange rate. For me, te împortant ratîo îs te USD în reatîon to te Euro. For exampe, a USD rate o .75 means tat or every USD you woud ony get about 75 cents. (ït’s actuay more compîcated tan tat, but tat’s te basîc, not very pretty pîcture.)
June 18t, 2005, Malta ï Have a Dream Anxiety Level: 2 USD .75
ït was just an ordînary day în te square o Vaetta--te capîta o Mata, a sma îsand în te Medîterranean sout o Sîcîy and nort o Tunîsîa. A troupe o ok dancers rom Greece, ïtay, ïreand and Poand pranced down Repubîc Street to entertaîn unc-goers. hîs was not sometîng tat appened în Hudson, New York, or Boston or Dover, New Hampsîre. ït was tîs day, severa summers ago, tat ï e în ove wît Mata. Mr. S and ï were tere on vacatîon. And ï decîded ï wanted to îve ere î ï got te cance. Sînce ten, Mr. S and ï ave been to Mata severa tîmes beore decîdîng to move tere. ïn act, or îm--ît’s been about 20 tîmes. For me, ît’s been our. But în te mîdst o everytîng tat’s becomîng unappeaîng about Amerîca, Mata îs becomîng more aurîng: he endess wînters în te Norteast, te ack o communîty, te appoîntments to make appoîntments to meet a rîend, te înevîtabe ayofs, te stîgma o not beîng a omeowner, te rîsîng cost o gas, ood, eat care... don’t ook as good as wat Mata as to ofer--te sun and azure sea, our monts wîtout raîn, te rugged beauty, te easîer way o makîng rîends and te reasonabe cost o eat însurance, te act tat ît’s OK to rent. And sometîng tat’s especîay vîta to me--you can take naps tere în te aternoons wîtout peope makîng un o you.
June 21, 2008 Concrete hînkîng Anxiety Level: 7.5
hree years ater rom tat day în Vaetta, at te age o 55, ï’m pannîng to move rom te USA to Mata,însalla, ** and îve tere wît Mr. S. ï’ m countîng on teacîng EFL (Engîs as a Foreîgn Language). ï’ve set a tentatîve date în te a o 2008. ï ave no îdea î any o tîs wî work. ï waîted untî my younger daugter B graduated rom coege. Se’s 22 and R, my oder daugter, îs 26. Sounds îke a pan, rîgt? But my kîds say ï’m abandonîng tem. hey say ît’s not norma or a moter to move away rom er cîdren. hey say ï won’t ever know my grandcîdren. Maybe tey’re rîgt. And ï tînk about ît every mînute. But a journey doesn’t start wît te Irst step; ** ît starts wît te Irst tougt about takîng tat journey. And tat’s wy tîs dîary starts wîtJune, 2008, rom te very Irst rea tougt about movîng to Mata to te oowîng year,July, 2009, wen ï ad been îvîng în Mata or te Irst nîne monts.
**Insalla îs te Arabîc word orG-d Wîllîng.hîs word wî probaby appear more în tîs book tan te wordte. ï’m not at a Arabîc. But because ï sufer rom ong-term, terrîyîng anxîety and am araîd o jînxes, tîs word comes în very andy to ward of “te evî eye,” or în tîs case, te evî ear. ït’s îke knockîng-on-wood. But because Mata (a sma Medîterranean îsand sout o Sîcîy) îs mosty made o îmestone, sayîng te wordînsallaîs a ot more convenîent tan carryîng around a pîece o wood wît me.
***Od Cînese proverb--”A journey o a tousand mîes starts wît one sma step.”
