In answer

This answer was sent to a woman who wrote to me about my nasty tongue. I do not have permission to print her letter or the poem.

Dear SK

Thank you for your correspondence and the inclusion of JP’s charming poem. I appreciate that you have taken the time to write – even if it is to express your incredulity at my ‘bitterness’ and ‘vitriol’. I am pleased to hear that my articles have provoked ‘various emotions’. My comments are not directed at anyone personally.

The poem is lovely, but we both know that that isn’t the only type of expat wife in any city, in any part of the world; just as life is made up of good and bad people, so is our group of expats. We are just a microcosm of the rest of the world. There are good and supportive wives (and husbands) and there are those who drink too much or run off with the gardener (or maid) and there is every shade in between.

Thankfully, many expat parents have the imagination to see that having both domestic staff and children doesn’t mean that they can ignore their role as responsible parents. If you and your friends don’t behave in any of the ways I illustrated, then you have nothing to be offended by.

You have been here for many years and have had every opportunity to acclimatise both culturally and within your own sense of identity. However, it doesn’t negate the fact that there are extremely high levels of depression amongst expat women who are moved every two to three years with their husband’s job, which in turn leads to abnormal behaviour, such as I noted in Maid for You, and the Expat Prats.

As to whether I’m ‘for real’ or this is a ‘tongue in cheek’ tirade … I cannot possibly comment. I don’t personally think that a new column in Contact called ‘Bland in Bangkok’ would really have precipitated any thoughtful reactions.

Regards

BiB