In the early days of missing Malaysian Airlines Flight #370, I had no intention of writing about it. The tale of how 239 people boarded an airplane in Kuala Lumpur but never made it to Beijing is a sad, troubling one. The last thing I want to do is add to the grief, frustration and […]
Archive for the ‘Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens’ Category
T is for Thoughtful
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Change, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Expat Transitions & Change, Expats A to Z, Repatriation, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, Travel, tagged aware, caring, change, considerate, cross-cultural, culture shock, cultures, definitions, expat, expat transitions, expatriate, Expats A to Z, fits us to a T, global living, heedful, helping others along the way, intercultural, kind, living abroad, meanings, meditative, nomadic life, reasoned, reflective, Repatriation, TCKs, Third Culture Kids, thoughtful, traveling on December 4, 2012 | 12 Comments »
Earlier this year I introduced Expats A to Z, a new series of posts about the little things that can make a difference in how we approach some of the challenges and experiences of expat life. I’m talking about those qualities and traits that we can nurture within us not only to simply survive but thrive […]
Softball Across Cultures
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Exercise & Sports, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Netherlands, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, Travel, United States, tagged art, athletics, countries, crosscultural, crossing cultures, culture, food, intercultural, international schools, Model UN, music, nationalities, Netherlands, softball, sports, TCKs, The Hague, Third Culture Kids, tournament, travel, United Nations on May 27, 2012 | 2 Comments »
When we think of crossing cultures, what immediately comes to mind? It might be art, music, theater, dance. Perhaps it’s religious differences or religious similarities, the minaret or the church steeple. For many it’s traveling far and wide, or immersing yourself in one place, one culture, for an extended period of time. It can be […]
Multitasking Overload
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Blogging, Change, Emotional Resilience, Exercise & Sports, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Food and Drink, Life Balance, Sandwich Generation, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, Writing, tagged children, college visits, competing demands, emotional resilience, exercise, expats, fitness, health, parents, sandwich generation, sleep, TCKs, Telegraph, university search, writing on April 20, 2012 | 16 Comments »
A few days ago I wrote of the challenges many of us face being sandwiched between generations. Just like everyone else, we expats do our best to care for, raise and guide our TCK children to adulthood(and beyond) while also staying connected to and supporting our aging parents. We just sometimes have a few wrenches thrown in due to our lack […]
Sandwich Generation, Expat-style
Posted in Blogging, Change, Expat Life, Expat Transitions & Change, Family & Friends, Holidays, Life Balance, Light Bulb Moments, Sandwich Generation, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, Travel, tagged children, elderly, expats, needs, parenting from afar, parents, sandwich generation on April 14, 2012 | 6 Comments »
Recently I caught up with a couple expat friends, enjoying koffie while sharing the latest on comings and goings. Spring is in the air, along with blooming trees, blossoming flowers and plants, and the necessary but dreaded pollen. Students are getting antsy, ready to break free of their daily grind (oh, if they only knew!) of classes, course […]
Uncertainty in Expat Life
Posted in Change, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Expat Transitions & Change, Family & Friends, Repatriation, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, tagged David Pollock, expat life, expat transitions, job loss, RAFT, Repatriation, Ruth Van Reken, uncertainty on August 29, 2011 | 12 Comments »
Anyone who tries to tell you that expat life is a piece of cake, with everyone living the high life and doing whatever they please wherever they want to, is sadly misinformed. The truth is, living abroad is a lot like living in your home/birth/passport country. Except for the whole cross-cultural aspect to it, and the […]
Twenty Three Days
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Holidays, Life Balance, Light Bulb Moments, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, Travel, United States, tagged adult, child, college, grow up, mature, rite of passage, university on August 2, 2011 | 23 Comments »
Twenty three days. Twenty three short days. That’s the amount of time left until Son reports to university and begins his college career. He won’t be living at home and commuting to school. Nor will he be moving out into his own place to attend college nearby. He’s not even moving across the country. […]
What We Do For Love
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, tagged Beyonce, concert, Glastonbury, Lille, love, passion on July 1, 2011 | 8 Comments »
When you read the title of this post, what was your first thought? Tell the truth. You were probably hoping for something juicy. Sorry to disappoint you, but this won’t be about passion and romance. But it is about love, nonetheless. Just a different form of love. What exactly would you do for your children? […]
When Daughter was Queen (If Only for a Day)
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), Expat Teens, Travel, tagged Bayeux Tapestry, celebrities, coronation, famous, London, Queen Elizabeth, Queen's chair, rpyal burial, Westminster Abbey, William the Conqueror, Wills & Kate's wedding on April 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »
[Credit: Tom Hevezi, Associated Press] I think it’s safe to say that most of you are aware that there was a wedding yesterday. (Well, probably several weddings, but there was one that gathered quite a lot of attention.) Of course I watched it. It was lovely to see Wills and Kate take their vows before […]