Exploring the world. Studying yoga with experts. Making friends from dozens of countries. Learning Spanish. Raising tri-lingual, adventurous kids. Starting a business. Building my brand.
For some trailing spouses, moving to a new country can be a career setback. But for me, following my husband’s career to Guatemala and India opened up incredible opportunities that I never could have imagined back home.
I became a trailing spouse in 2011, when my husband accepted a job at the Israeli Embassy in Guatemala. We had been married for a few years and were living in Atlit, a small Israeli city by the beach, with our first baby boy.
While ranking country options for his posting, we had picked Guatemala as our top choice. My husband had never been there, but I had spent a month in Antigua, Guatemala as a muchilera (backpacker) after my military service and fallen in love with everything: the people, the weather, the views, learning Spanish. Lucky for us, since not too many Israelis know about these things, we got it on our first try!
Exceeding expectations
I was super happy for the chance to return to Guatemala — and then to extend our three-year stay to five. As expected, our combined destination, timing, and resources scored a 13 out of 15 on the Gupte Scale. The weather there is the best — what they call eterna primavera, eternal spring. The people are so nice, polite, helpful, and warm; every second word they say is para server le, meaning “to serve you.” Yes, Guatemala City can be very dangerous and a tiny percentage of the population can be cruel, but we felt protected by our security team and our home in the safer zone of the city.
Our second and third sons were born there, and our amazing nanny Isabel was their substitute grandma, aunt, and sometimes mom. She even sang to them in Hebrew, which she had picked up from working with other Israeli families! She had so much patience and made our home so peaceful and relaxed. We really miss her and have stayed in touch over WhatsApp.
Moving to the beat
Dance and fitness have always been part of my life. In Israel, I had worked as a fitness coach and as a product specialist in the medical field, spending a lot of time in operating rooms. Learning more about the human body from the inside helped me train and become a better wellness coach. In Guatemala, I continued teaching fitness classes at a local gym — including while pregnant with my second and third boy.
After leaving Guatemala, we returned to Israel and I resumed working in the medical field and fitness classes. Then, in 2018, my husband’s work gave us the chance to move to Delhi. This time, he was the one with fond memories of our destination country, having lived in Mumbai for work in 2002. But I felt equally blessed to be moving to India — a 12 out of 15 on the Gupte Scale.
Four years later, we can say that we love the food, our children’s school (the American Embassy School), and the Indian people who are very warm and straightforward — similar to the Israeli culture, for better or worse! We love traveling around the country; it’s so diverse, you can never get bored. I also love the culture: learning yoga and ayurveda from experts, enjoying Bollywood and Punjabi music, and shopping in the colorful markets.
Out of challenges, unexpected opportunities
The main challenges here relate to the environment; Delhi is a difficult place if you like to spend time outdoors, due to its poor air quality. We are also always wary of contracting malaria and dengue fever — so far, so good — and adjusting to the heat, the lack of sidewalks, water quality and pollution.
But there are also incredible getaway options for stocking up on fresh air and nature, such as Goa and Rishikesh.
On the other hand, having to spend more time indoors — especially during India’s COVID-19 lockdown — inspired me to create more studio workouts that could be done from home, and reach a whole new audience with my Dida Fitness videos and online classes.
My husband’s income and our relocation package had already given me the opportunity to spend time studying with yoga experts and earning more teaching certifications related to fitness and nutrition. In 2019, I began teaching classes at the U.S. Embassy’s American Community Support Association (ACSA), just across the street from my children’s school. Within a year, we had a wonderful group of expat “mommies” from our school, as well as the nearby British School and our diplomatic network, who wanted to take care of their well-being, work out together, and dance.
When the Israeli embassy evacuated our family back to Israel during the first Covid wave in 2020, I had to find a solution to maintain this community — both those who had suddenly left Delhi and those had stayed behind but were now strictly locked down. The solution as to create a group called Mommies Back2fit, offering free fitness classes over Zoom — the inspiration and motivation I needed to grow the digital aspect of my business.
Since then, I have developed Mommies Back2fit 30, an online course with 16 30-minute, no-equipment-required videos for mommies who want to lose weight but don’t have the luxury of time.
These hybrid programs have brought together a range of expat mommies who long for friendships as well as fitness. As trailing spouses, we have a big hole to fill when our husbands go to work and the kids go to school. As humans, we crave community — and if that community is focused on health, fitness and wellness, it’s even more powerful.
Together, we share ideas for meals and recommendations for groceries in Delhi, and we learn about the local food options and nutrition solutions together. In person and online, we support each other; when you join us, you never feel lonely again.
Being a member of Dida Fitness and downloading the Dida Fitness app (now available on Android) gives you the option to join my classes at my studio (in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar neighborhood) or online, and access more than 100 dance and fitness videos, weight-loss menus and nutritional guidance.
Finding my life’s purpose
Health and fitness affects all the aspects of our lives: your work and career, parenthood, romantic relationships and more. Therefore, I believe I am doing something very significant in my work, and I feel so good each time a happy mother reaches her fitness goals.
I am very proud of my personal growth and progression and our achievements as a community. My mission now is to help 100,000 mommies feel good about their bodies, to empower them to love themselves and to make fitness and movement a part of their lives.
Next year, whether my family ends up back in Israel or on an adventure in another wonderful new place, I hope to continue growing this amazing community of international mommies, and find a partner to help me develop even more events, fitness programs, products and wellness retreats.
As a trailing spouse, I learned that you have to leave your comfort zone and open up to other communities besides the community of your home country. I can’t wait to keep traveling and exploring this beautiful planet.
Got a relocation story of your own to share? Contact us at hello@trailing-spouse.com.
