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 [...]
Posted in Blogging, Change, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Dutch Life, Expat Life, Global Issues, Netherlands, United States, Writing, tagged austerity measures, blogging, cultural issues, differences, Dutch politics, economic issues, elections, Euro, gay marriage, global issues, global recession, governments, human trafficking, international affairs, local politics, Netherlands, policy wonk, political issues, refugees, similarities, United States, writing on May 10, 2012 | 23 Comments »
Two confessions up front. First, credit where credit is due. A comment about my post on Bridge-Building in the city of Peace and Justice, left by fellow expat and talented writer/blogger Russell VJ Ward*, served as the impetus for this plea post. Second, I am a self-confessed policy wonk and international affairs junkie. I’ve studied it, worked [...]
Posted in Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Dutch Life, Expat Life, Holidays, Netherlands, United States, tagged Americans, Arlington Cemetery, civilians, Dodenherdenking, Dutch, honor, Memorial Day, military, Netherlands, remembrance, Second World War, service members, service to their country, silence, soldiers, Tomb of the Unkown Soldier, tribute, Trilogy to the Dutch, two minutes of silence, ultimate sacrifice, United States, World War II, writing on May 6, 2012 | 10 Comments »
When this week began, little did I know that by the end I would be writing what has essentially become my own personal Trilogy to the Dutch. I’d enjoyed all the excitement and revelry of my third Queen’s Day, stuck again by how virtually everyone gets involved in what is essentially one big party. There’s something about an entire [...]
Posted in Blogging, Change, Doing What I Can to Help, Expat Life, Expat Transitions & Change, Identity, Repatriation, United States, Writing, tagged 2011 Global Relocation Trends Survey, anxiety, BringChange2Mind, celebrities, Chestnut Global Partners, Deborah Serani, depression, Expat Info Desk, Expatlogue, expats, mental health, mental illness, Michele Rubin, pain, PRWeb, Psychology Today, risk of mental illness, stigma, stress, suffering, The Truman Group, vulnerable on April 3, 2012 | 11 Comments »
In support of an effort by the group Bring Change 2 Mind to erase the stigma faced by those dealing with mental illness, my fellow expat blogger Aisha launched an ongoing series of posts on her site Expatlogue earlier this year entitled ’Breaking the Code of Silence’. Bravely sharing her own disturbing memories from younger days, the pain and suffering [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Blogging, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Life Balance, United States, tagged ACC Tournament, basketball, conversation, dinner, eat together, family, Tar Heels, University of North Carolina on March 10, 2012 | 8 Comments »
I did something last night that was bad. Very, very bad. I knew it was wrong at the time, yet I still went ahead and did it anyway. What is it that has me feeling so uneasy, so guilty, so… naughty? Husband, Daughter and I brought her laptop to the dinner table last night and [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Netherlands, New to Nederland, Travel, United States, tagged adventure, California, expat, ICTY, living overseas, Netherlands, The Hague, US on December 28, 2011 | 10 Comments »
Earlier this week we had a wonderful celebration of sorts. Despite being late December, we weren’t celebrating the Dutch Second Christmas (Tweede Kerstdaag) or the British Boxing Day. Instead, we were celebrating the end of Bryan and Danielle’s (current) adventure in Nederland. I first heard from Danielle back in the summer when she contacted me [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Holidays, Life Balance, Light Bulb Moments, Netherlands, United States, Writing, tagged brain surgery, brain tumor, Carolina pines, chemotherapy, Christmas, family, friendship, loved ones, planting a seed, radiation, writing on December 24, 2011 | 21 Comments »
It’s Christmas Eve day. The aroma of my Jamie Oliver-inspired gravy wafts gently throughout rooms regaled in ornaments, decorations, pine boughs and tiny lights. Another half hour and I’ll start lighting some candles. Carols are playing softly in the background while Daughter and Husband work diligently on a holiday puzzle. But this is not the [...]
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. [...]
Posted in Change, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Travel, United States, tagged expat life, United States, visiting home on July 28, 2011 | 6 Comments »
Okay, let’s start again. This year I’m not going back. When I typed that sentence the other day, intending to write about one thing, it spiraled off onto another tangent. That happens. Since my writing muse was not only on speaking terms with me but appeared to be hunkered down for a full-fledged chitchat, I [...]
Posted in Change, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Life Balance, Repatriation, United States, tagged home, Repatriation, United States on July 26, 2011 | 12 Comments »
This year I’m not going back. I was going to type ‘ back home’ but stopped short. Yes, the United States is my ‘home’ country. I’m lucky in that I’m able to state that clearly, without hemming or hawing or asking several qualifying questions. I’ve come to learn that for some, it isn’t [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Exercise & Sports, Family & Friends, Light Bulb Moments, United States, tagged Brazil, determination, never give up, tenacity, US Women's National Team, Women's World Cup 2011 on July 11, 2011 | 2 Comments »
The Washington Post headline read ‘US Stuns Brazil’, citing ‘enough twists and turns to fill an entire tournament.’ Sporting News called it the ‘Improbable US Victory’. In Sports Illustrated, Swedish coach of the US Team Pia Sundhage spoke of ‘this American attitude, pulling everything together and bringing out the best performance in each other, that [...]
Posted in Expat Life, Holidays, United States, tagged Fourth of July, Independence Day on July 4, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Today in The Netherlands it’s Monday. Just an ordinary day, the start of a new work week (or vacation if you’re fortunate). For Americans, it’s much more. July 4th is Independence Day, the day we celebrate our nation’s birth. We recall the sacrifice of our forefathers in throwing off the chains of tyranny to become [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Change, Doing What I Can to Help, Global Issues, Life Balance, Light Bulb Moments, Netherlands, United States, tagged Alice's Bucket List, AOL, David Cameron, marrow donor, organ donor, registry, The Huffington Post on June 10, 2011 | 6 Comments »
I wanted to share that there’s been some good news on the Alice front. (The original story ‘A Teen’s Bucket List’ is here.) The social media response has been amazing. The story has literally gone viral, and the family reports that they’ve been overwhelmed with emails, etc. I received an email response from a family [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Change, Dutch Life, Expat Life, Expat Transitions & Change, Expats in Motion, Netherlands, New to Nederland, United States, tagged emotional resilience, expats-to-be, five phases of expat transition, moving to the Netherlands on June 2, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Since this blog began a little over 7 months ago, I’ve been contacted by three different Americans who were planning to move here to Nederland this year. These women (and their families) are not aspiring expats; they are expats-to-be, in that the commitments are made, jobs accepted (and wrapped up back in the US), movers [...]
Posted in Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Expat Transitions & Change, Family & Friends, Life Balance, United States, tagged crosscultural, culture, culture shock, expat transitions, homesickness, intercultural on May 26, 2011 | 10 Comments »
Earlier this month I was over at 4 kids, 20 suitcases and a beagle reading Shamozal’s thought-provoking post So, Where Are You From? In a nutshell, she wrote of how we tend to miss our ‘home’, the place we look back on (usually) with rose-colored glasses and fond remembrances. Deep down, most of us retain a hint [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Guest Posts, United States, tagged black diamond slopes, chair lift, Gry Tina Tinde, ski instructor, skiing, Snowbowl, Stein Eriksen on May 13, 2011 | 8 Comments »
It’s Friday morning and the sun is shining. Like you, I’ve got a busy day planned. The weekend looms. But first, I’ve got something special in mind for you. Today we have a guest post, but with a bit of a twist. The writer isn’t a blogger. Yet. (I keep telling her it’s only a matter of time.) Gry Tina Tinde [...]
Posted in Change, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Holidays, United States, tagged aging, Mother's Day, parents, unconditional love on May 8, 2011 | 17 Comments »
I’ve been thinking about my mother. No surprise there. Today is Mother’s Day in the US. I’ve been thinking about her, looking back on her presence in my life. When I was a little girl, and a teen, then in college. When I began to make my way in this world. First job, then another, [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Albert Heijn, Dutch Life, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Light Bulb Moments, Netherlands, Travel, United States, tagged expat life, living abroad, Netherlands on May 5, 2011 | 12 Comments »
Two weeks ago, my brother and his family visited from the US. All four are intrepid travelers, including overseas. My brother and sister-in-law have even been to Amsterdam before for a quick visit, as part of a larger trip. But this was the first time they’d come to visit us since we moved to The [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Culture, Crosscultural, Intercultural & Multicultural, Expat Life, Netherlands, United States, tagged Americans living in the Netherlands, culture, expat, HGTV, international design show, lifestyle on April 24, 2011 | 2 Comments »
It never ceases to amaze me all of the cool people who find their way to your mailbox door when you’re a blogger. And no, I’m not talking about the scammers and spammers. Although if you knew how often I’m informed that I’ve won the Spanish, Swiss and Nigerian lotteries, you’d be very impressed and [...]
Posted in Adventures Big & Small, Albert Heijn, Expat Life, Family & Friends, Food and Drink, Netherlands, United States, tagged filet americain, puree, raw beef on April 23, 2011 | 7 Comments »
I recall the first time I saw it. It was probably two years ago, in the deli counter at my beloved Albert Heijn supermarket. Filet Americain. It sounded so intriguing, so continental, so, well, so non-American. I can say that, in part because I am American. But also because it isn’t American. I remember picking [...]
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