Deeva

158

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 May 2012 - 10:13

I think that most Saffers living abroad have 'a story'. In the old days, you knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone that was a victim of crime. Nowadays, its a lot closer to home. In 2007, my boys and I were hijacked at gunpoint outside my brother's house. One of the hijackers frisked me down and even pushed my hair back to see what ear rings I was wearing. I was 'lucky' that we were not hurt. Since then, my mother has been broken into at home. It happened in broad daylight. They broke the front gate then axed through the front door. 'Fortunately' they only ransacked the house, stealing all the electronic stuff and jewellry, after they had locked her in a bedroom. Just the other day, she glanced out the window, again at about midday and was surprised to see a white woman in the garden staring back at her! This time, the electric gate had been removed from the rollers. Yes, it is a beautiful country, but I hope that we never have to go back. We love living in Dubai because there are rules and if you don't obey them and you are caught, you will be punished. It's amazing how psycologically fatigued you become in SA... are my car doors locked, where is my handbag, are the windows up, which route should I drive, should I go out at night and risk driving home in the dark? We lived in a boomed off suburb. Within it, we lived in a complex which was surrounded by electric fence. Within that, we had another electric fence around our home. Besides the crime, there is the politics and racism that is still bubbling under the surface, but lets not even get started on that...!

RATE IT

Deeva

158

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 10:32

We also recently made the move with our children. Despite our fears, they easily adapted. It is so much easier to keep in touch these days, with FB, skype and e-mail. Before we left the UK, I made sure that I collected e-mail addresses and that I was 'friends' on FB with my boys friends' mums so that we could communicate. They are now so well settled that like Louise, I think we might have a problem when it comes time to move along!

RATE IT