‘I’m Too Old to be Cold’
This is the reply I generally used to give when people ask me why I continue to be an expatriate living in Asia, and there is a lot of truth in it.
I am just entering my 27th year as an expat having lived and worked in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia during those years.
My reply was more heartfelt while I was in need of a hip replacement. In Malaysia, where I have been living for the last 9 years. Having a dicky hip was an inconvenience that I put up with for practically the whole time I have been here. During that time, I was of course never cold. In Malaysia people think about wearing a sweater outside when the temperature gets down to about 24oC. (Inside, is a different story with the aircon temperature in an office frequently set at 20 degrees C or lower, sweaters are often used – but they are left in the office)
I visited my elder son in Germany a few years back in October, and that was a different hip story.
It was damn cold, complete with thick frost on the car windscreen in the morning. There was a need to wear sweaters and thick coats – all borrowed of course, because I don’t own such things anymore. And my hips gave me hell! My daughter-in-law got very concerned. I think she was afraid that I was going to become a hospital case! But it was just the cold. Once I got back to Malaysia and sunshine and warmth things were back to normal – just inconvenience again.
Recently I had my right hip replaced in a Kuala Lumpur hospital - and you would not believe the cost of the operation! So the inconvenience has gone and I am walking normally again, but I still think I am too old to be cold, so I shall be staying here for a while yet.
If you also feel that you are getting too old to be cold, you might like to consider spending the colder NZ winter months in the tropics. No snow, no frost. Even the rain is warm.
Bob
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