Category Archives: Helpers

Life without a maid

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Expat Bostonians

I miss my FDW. Adorable but exhausting I don’t miss her because of her amazing cleaning skills (although they were amazing), but the other myriad ways she supported me. If I had a doctor’s appointment, or some other errand that … Continue reading →

Posted in Back to the US, Helpers, Singapore | Tagged expat bostonians, fdw | Comments Off

Expat to Expat–Suggestions to help you hire the FDW that’s right for your family

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Expat Bostonians

This is my last post from the drafts folder. This has been sitting there since 2016 because this is an inflammatory post. Anything I’ve added for clarification will have a *** *** around it. I have been debating whether or … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Expat to Expat Advice, Helpers, Singapore, Uniquely Singapore | Tagged expat bostonians, expat to expat advice, FDW's, foreign domestic workers, helpers, hiring an FDW, maids | Comments Off

“How do you and your kids enjoy life in Singapore?”

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Expat Bostonians

I’ve recently been emailing with a potential expat. I had a number of Singaporean expats respond to my emails, answer questions, and generally be a great resource for our move. Some of them are now irl friends (or were and … Continue reading →

Posted in Assimilation, Attractions, Before the Move, Culture Shock, Expat to Expat Advice, Helpers, Shopping, Singapore, Theater/Shows/Events, Third Culture Kids, Uniquely Singapore, With Kids | Tagged amazon global, culture shock, expat bostonians, expat life, expat moving to singapore, expat to expat advice, moving to singapore, what is like to live in singapore | 7 Comments

Better

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Expat Bostonians

In my last post from about two months ago, I was pretty depressed. Understandably so, given the crappy year I’ve had, health-wise. Things are better. It’s been a slow process, but they’re improving. Hair Losing a lot of hair was … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Education, Helpers, Japan, medical, Random Stuff, Singapore, Travel, Travel by Continent, Country | Tagged expat bostonians, sepsis, sepsis hair loss, sepsis recovery, septic shock, Tokyo | 2 Comments

Changes

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Expat Bostonians

I feel it necessary to put a warning here to avoid this post if medical/psychological matters are triggering for you. I’m alive. In the past I’ve used that kind of greeting to start a blog post after a long hiatus … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpers, medical, Recovery, Singapore | Tagged expat bostonians, hiring a maid, hospitals, infection, mental health, recovering from illness, septic shock, Singapore | 1 Comment

Expat to Expat Advice-The downside of NOT having a maid

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Expat Bostonians

I’ve talked before about the stresses and downsides of having a helper and all the ways it failed for me, particularly as someone who has no prior experience managing someone in that sort of situation. Our family has decided not … Continue reading →

Posted in Expat to Expat Advice, Helpers, Singapore | Tagged american expat blog, boston expat, downside to having a maid in singapore, downside to not having a maid in singapore, expat advice, expat to expat advice, having a maid in singapore, not having a maid in singapore, Singapore, singapore expat | Comments Off

Maid Shaped Rose-Colored Glasses

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Expat Bostonians

I employed an FDW (maid, helper, pick your term) from May 2010 until the end of December 2011-nineteen months. I have been without an FDW/maid/helper/etc from January 2012 until today (Sept 2013)-twenty-one months. Generally speaking, I have preferred not being … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpers, Singapore | Comments Off

Would we hire another maid?

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Expat Bostonians

I’ve had some health problems in the last month, including a two day stay in a hospital, and a three day illness. We found ourselves asking a question we didn’t want to consider-Should we hire another maid? There were a … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpers, Singapore | 2 Comments

Response to TWC2 post

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Expat Bostonians

It has come to my attention that my blog and myself were cited by TWC2 (transient workers count too) in a blog post entitled “Why are Singapore mums demonizing maids online?“. The specific paragraph where I am cited reads is … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpers, Singapore | 10 Comments

One of the downsides of NOT having a maid/helper

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Expat Bostonians

I’ve written fairly extensively on the topic of maids. I have a whole category to go and read on the topic. For the last year, when I’ve touched on the topic, it’s most often to share that it is possible … Continue reading →