The Real Housewife of Colombo

The view of Colombo from our veranda

Around a month and a half after I started this blog, I finally arrived in the tea country! The journey was (and still is) interesting – a series of difficult but beautiful transformations.  One such transformation was filling out the immigration card.  I didn’t know that it would be such a moment.  In particular, I didn’t realize that answering the box for “Occupation” was so defining.  Normally I would put HR Manager or its derivative.  Last October 2 was the first day in 7 years that I couldn’t.  That day I didn’t have an occupation so I just put “None.” 

I didn’t think too much of it until I was asked by the Immigration Officer, “Why None?”  Yeah, why none?  I was telling my husband about this when I arrived and he said, “Why didn’t you just put housewife?”  Yeah, why didn’t I?  I guess at that moment, I wasn’t yet a housewife.  I was still 10 hours away.

Now, 6 days after I arrived I can say I am a housewife.  I am a wife, I stay home around 50% of the time, I wash, I cook (yes!), I clean and I decorate.  When I was still working and there were days when I get enough of the stress, the people and the politics, I dream I was a housewife – not just your everyday housewife, an expat’s wife!  It was a nice convenient escape.  Now that I am “living the dream” it does feel like an escape.  I actually feel like I’m in a silent retreat most of the day (sans the TV, internet and radio).  I like the balance of staying home and going out.  And on both occasions I am definitely occupied.  But it is a different kind of “occupation.”  It is totally an escape from my “previous life.” 

In as much as I dreamed of becoming an expat’s wife, I loved the life I lead.  I was working in reputable organizations, learning a lot, touching quite a few people along the way, dealing with challenges that fed my soul.  There are times when it felt like the daily grind and you want nothing but to take a vacation.  Now that I’m in this “vacation” I hope that it stays that way, a vacation.  It will be good while it lasted but it has an end.  To the housewives out there, I totally respect you because it is hard work and a totally different discipline altogether!  But really, enlighten me how you are able to do it because I think I still have a lot of learn.  

Reunited with Hubby

The battle plan is settle in, make the house a home, enjoy being a housewife (a good one at that!) and then continue doing what I’m passionate about (work in organization development / human resources) on top of continuously making the house a home and being a wife.  Now that’s truly quite an occupation!  But for now, I’m still learning to embrace this so-called-life as a housewife.  And along the way I hope I can find passion in it and be a really good wife.