Yes, I agree. I did the white wedding thing at an exotic location with the ex-wife and it didn't end 'happily ever after'. But the divorce, although costly, provided with me an opportunity which I grasped with both hands. Not just going on the road again with a girl singer but running a building maintenace business. I also think many people, when working abroad can re-invent themselves. I don't mean lying about one's achievements to impress. That's just self-delusion. What I mean is that if people are open to new experiences,and are strong mentally, it's surprising what can transpire in our lives. It's good to be around people like this and I really do try to avoid people who are negative. This is not to say that I don't empathise with those expats who have been shafted by bad employers or had bad experiences not of their own making.

Where I used to work I had a Chinese neighbour that had a small dog. She was too busy dealing with her daughter's food allergies to take the dog for a walk, so I took on this role. I've always had cats or dogs, sometimes at the same time, and they are great stress busters. Students used to ask, me when seeing the dog walk-to-heel or sit on command, if the dog understands English, Ha Ha. I was tempted to reply that the dog's understanding of the language was on a par with their own but that would have been mischevious and, in most cases, untrue. It's about tone, gesture and signals.

Before the start of a morning class a student asked me, ask they do: "How are you?" I replied, "Happy, because I woke-up." She was perplexed - until I explained the alternative to not waking-up!