Overview

War-zones and witchcraft, exotic food and disastrous dinner parties, Culture Shock & Canapés explores the hidden world behind high Embassy walls. A young Australian girl from London struggles to adapt to diplomatic life among the royal courtiers of Swaziland, in post-independence Zimbabwe and in Angola amid the gunfire of the civil war. She accompanies her husband, the striding KJ, on his African postings together with two English bull terriers and a large, redoubtable African tabby cat. As each country unfolds its challenges and discoveries she shares her delight, her wry humour, and keen sense of the ridiculous. In a darker mood we follow KJ in Somalia during the famine and in Rwanda after the genocide. The book will appeal to travellers; to those who have worked overseas and coped with culture shock. The writer, a psychologist, delves into history and sociology, revels in the bizarre and includes recipes collected along the way.

Full Product Details

9781917837224

Table of Contents

Reviews

‘What shines through this delightful memoir is Pamela’s love for the countries that became her temporary homes, and the people (and animals) she met there’ Daily Mail The writing is excellent, natural and graceful. There is a comfortably old-fashioned feel with warmth, humour and an amazingly vivid eye for detail. Those with perception will see what I saw: a completely modern story of the human heart riding a roller-coaster of happiness and hardship with timeless humour and wisdom. At least I hope so’ Richard Addis ‘A vividly drawn journey into the characters, customs and sumptuous food of the Caribbean, you can almost smell the exotic flowers and spices. The story is intoxicating’ Anna Stothard

Author Information

Pamela O’Cuneen was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. After University she worked as a secondary teacher, then set off in 1968 on a two year working holiday to Europe. She never came home.  She studied French in Paris at the Sorbonne and Italian at the Università per Stranieri , then travelled to the UK where she worked both as a teacher and for the British Council. Marriage brought with it the necessity to become an Ambassador’s wife, in Africa and the Caribbean, stories of which which are told in her first two books “Culture Shock and Canapés” and “Hummingbirds in My Hair”.   Pamela trained as a psychologist and Interfaith Minister and now lives in Kent where she writes, leads meditation groups and plays the harp.

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