Not Quite to Plan
Not Quite to Plan
Motherhood is a challenge. A global pandemic is a challenge. A military coup is a challenge. All three together make for an extraordinary story. Yangon was Milla Chaplin Rae’s adopted home for six wonderful years; she met her husband there, had her baby there and even enjoyed waiting out the pandemic there. But on 1 February 2021, everything changed when Myanmar’s brutal military ousted the elec…Social links:
Not Quite to Plan Audiobook Trailer
The author's experience of the global pandemic and a military coup with a newborn baby.
02:43
CHAPTER 28 | INDIA
The family arrives in India and Milla is thrown into the enormous challenge of setting up a new life in India with a toddler in tow. Speaking to her family back home, she realises that she has to write down the events of the past year so that Jasper can understand it all when he’s older.
24:00
CHAPTER 27 | AUSTRALIA
The family waits for their visa applications to be processed. Tensions rise as Milla adjusts to the loss of the independence she had in Jersey and Dylan’s work stress increases with his prolonged absence.
18:17
CHAPTER 26 | JET LAG
Milla and Dylan struggle to adjust to co-parenting and to handle Jasper’s jet lag while staying at Dylan’s mother’s home.
21:17
CHAPTER 25 | FAMILY REUNION
After almost 6 months apart, the family are reunited in Doha, halfway through their journey to Australia to apply for the visa to India.
14:46
CHAPTER 24 | COUNTDOWN
As the one year anniversary of the Myanmar coup comes around, Milla and Jasper discover that they will have to travel to Australia to get the visa for India, but are in limbo waiting for a date to be fixed by Dylan’s company.
19:51
CHAPTER 23 | HIGHS AND LOWS
Jasper’s first birthday arrives and becomes the first of many milestones that Dylan will miss as the involuntary separation extends into the new year.
21:10
CHAPTER 22 | OCTOBER
Milla’s employment contract comes to an end and with that, the last piece of her Myanmar life falls away, leaving her feeling adrift. A trip to London bolsters her confidence as a mother, but the realisation that a visa for India will be hard to get means the family’s separation has no end date.
16:23
CHAPTER 21 | BUSY BABY
Milla leans on Jasper for emotional support as she takes on the new challenge of solo parenting without the support or the structure of her life in Myanmar.
17:09
CHAPTER 20 | JERSEY
The family have just two weeks in Jersey together, before Dylan leaves for their new life in India.
16:46