Category Archives: TCKs
A brief talk about ‘Diversity & Raising Children in the Foreign Service’.
Originally published as a Letter to Editors [The Foreign Service Journal, March 2013].
Diversity at State: Helping our Children.
The value of diversity promotion in the State Department was well emphasized by EEO Counselor Krishna Das (Letters to the Editor, January issue). As a parent, I see the discussion regarding how we bring up our children within the diverse Foreign Service lifestyle as equal parts interesting, challenging, and crucial. It is, of course, necessary to serve as role models for our children right from the start, particularly in teaching the lesson that everyone, despite appearances or stereotypes, deserves respect.
As noted, State Department children are highly exposed to diverse cultures, and we as parents should demonstrate why this is such an advantage to their own growth as human beings.
Building a culture of diversity starts at home, a literal reality for many State Department families. We speak different languages, come from distinct cultural backgrounds, and practice different religions. And yet in most cases, our children are growing up in a culturally richer environment than we (parents) were brought up. Children in the Foreign Service live the concept of diversity and its social implications – on a daily basis.
That said, it is often necessary for us to question what is our role as parents in this process? How can we assist our children regarding the issue of diversity? It would appear as far as diversity is concerned, we need to be extra involved in their lives: listening to their stories, learning about their ventures and challenges adjusting to new, countries, discussing their questions and social frustrations, establishing a healthy communication channel, building positive identities and respect for differences. Further, we should seek ways to insert these concepts into the routines of our children’s everyday lives and help convince them through our actions that a society without discrimination is possible. It is critical for us parents and caretakers to develop ‘cultural sensitivity’ regarding our surroundings; otherwise, without specific cultural information, we may inadvertently promote practices and approaches that could counter other parents’ efforts.
One great piece of advice I once received was to “encourage your child’s friendships with others across race, ethnicity, class, religious practices, background and ability.”
The more personal experiences children have with other groups, the easier it will be to dismiss stereotypes and misperceptions.
******
Want to add to the discussion? Please feel free to share your comments/opinions/suggestions here!
Related articles
- Embracing Diversity as an Expat: “How could we help our children around this issue?” (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Raising resilient expat children? (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Children: Of Mice and Men? (researchingreform.wordpress.com)
Raising resilient expat children?
I feel like I began this year on a very ‘introspective mode‘, rethinking life, our lifestyle, and the way we plan on leading it forward…
This is a third post on my ‘random thoughts‘ about bringing our children out [first one discussed multilingualism and its approach as parents; and the second one dealt with 'how to approach' diversity issues], especially when it comes to the heterogeneous society they [children] are about to face…. any moment from now… [find all interesting links to great discussions at the bottom of this post!]
For a child, especially the young ones, parents are their strongest link to the concepts of ‘reality‘ and ‘normalcy‘.
That said, I recently found from Expat Child, a fantastic site for inspirations for any parent out there, even if they’re not ‘serial expats’ like our family:
[and my deepest appreciation to the site authors for bringing out such an interesting discussion!]
Five Quotes On Resilience
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin
Resilient children tend to have parents who are concerned with their children’s education, who participate in that education, who direct their children everyday task, and who are aware of their children interests and goals. Another important characteristic of resilient children is having at least one significant adult in their lives. – Linda F. Winfield
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. – Mark Twain
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings. – Hodding Carter
Self-esteem is the real magic wand that can form a child’s future. A child’s self-esteem affects every area of her existence, from friends she chooses, to how well she does academically in school, to what kind of job she gets, to even the person she chooses to marry. – Stephanie Martson
I don’t have answers for these questions, and maybe, secretly, would hope to find a few over here… from other expat/parents out there... I’m aware that we [parents] are all seeking answers, suggestions, so, I’ll echo my voice with many more… who knows? Comments/messages are very much appreciated, and more than welcome! “How are we [parents] working on raising more [socially] resilient children?”
Thank you!
Related articles
- Comments and extra thoughts on being a multilingual parent… (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Expat Families: Story Telling Can Be Key to Success in Raising Happy Children Who Grow Up Abroad, Parenting Expert Julia Simens Writes (sys-con.com)
- What’s a Third Culture Kid? (iwasanexpatwife.com)
- Diversity (resetparenting.wordpress.com)
- Language and TCKs (raisingtcks.com)
- Embracing Diversity as an Expat: “How could we help our children around this issue?” (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Home is where the heart is… (bxlsprout.com)
Embracing Diversity as an Expat: “How could we help our children around this issue?”
I feel like I began this year on a very ‘introspective mode‘, rethinking life, our lifestyle, and the way we plan on leading it forward…
This is a second post on my ‘random thoughts‘ about bringing our children out [first one discussed multilingualism and its approach as parents], especially when it comes to the diverse society they [children] are about to face…. any moment from now…
The discussion on social diversity is not only part of our family’s daily life, but it also tailors the way we are raising our children, and the way we would like them to understand and perceive their surroundings.
Being a foreign-born spouse, who has moved out of Brazil over a decade ago, constantly traveling because of work and family life, I had to learn early that, the need to readjust and reinvent oneself is a critical part of the adaptation process in a foreign country. I’m also a parent, and often find myself trying to answer a few questions, to my own children, as well as, to other parents facing similar challenges: “What can I do to help my children around the issue of diversity?” And, in fact, how ready is our society to embrace diversity?
Life as an expat has shown me that we (parents) are the only ‘constant‘ on our children’s lives. Childhood friends come and go, depending on their parent’s jobs. Schools change. Countries, cultures, music, social patterns and expected behaviors last as long as one’s post assignment does.
For a child, especially the young ones, parents are their strongest link to the concepts of ‘reality‘ and ‘normalcy‘.
Over time, children will learn who they are and what to do through these experiences – absorbing a sense of their routines, traditions, languages, cultures, and national or racial identities – at their own pace, creating their very particular ‘hybrid culture‘, assuming their own identity, as unique social beings.
We are diverse, we speak different languages in our household, we come from distinct cultural and/or religious backgrounds… and our children could not be any different from that narrative. Our children are coming up as divergent individuals, in a much richer way than we (parents) were brought up. We are all very unique, and that notion needs to be reflected not only on the job represented by our officers (and their families) overseas, but also, through our own behavior as social creatures.
Diversity brings innovation and creativity. It’s important for us, parents, to add to our home environment, so it is reflective of other (cultural, racial, ethnic, family style) groups. It’s critical to express pride in our own heritage. Building positive identities and the respect for differences, would mean inserting these concepts to the routine of children’s everyday lives.
I don’t have answers for these questions, and maybe, secretly, would hope to find a few over here… from other expat/parents out there... I’m aware that we [parents] are all seeking answers, suggestions, so, I’ll echo my voice with many more… who knows? Comments/messages are very much appreciated, and more than welcome!
That said, what is our role as parents? How could we help our children regarding diversity? One of the suggestions is that we need to be constantly involved in their lives. Listening to their stories, learning about their ventures and challenges adjusting to new/unknown realities. We need to devote a great deal of patience for establishing a healthy communication channel within our household, and between all the levels of our (expatriate) community; opportunities will present themselves at the school, at the work level, at social events where children may take part… . It’s necessary to talk to our children about differences, in a very understanding and respectful way. Let us be resourceful and take advantage of the diversity around us.
One of the advantages this life as expatriates offers to families is the possibility to enroll our children in international schools. It’s already been discussed that students who attend schools with a diverse population (student body, faculty, staff) are capable of developing an understanding of the perspectives of other children’s backgrounds, learning to function in a multicultural, multiethnic environment.All of us are born free of biases, (un)fortunately, we tend to learn them as we grow. Is it a totally negative aspect of our lives? Could we turn our ability to make social judgments into a positive impacting tool? Let the discussion begin! 
Related articles
- Comments and extra thoughts on being a multilingual parent… (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Expat Families: Story Telling Can Be Key to Success in Raising Happy Children Who Grow Up Abroad, Parenting Expert Julia Simens Writes (sys-con.com)
- What’s a Third Culture Kid? (iwasanexpatwife.com)
- Diversity (resetparenting.wordpress.com)
- Language and TCKs (raisingtcks.com)
“To have a second language is to possess a second soul” (Charlemagne)
Already mentioned here my [random] thoughts on the whole bi/multilingual culture {Comments and extra thoughts on being a multilingual parent…}, and its obvious benefits, not only to the growing child, but also for the society that child is part of… Recently, CNN brought out an interesting/challenging/poking discussion on a study about ‘lifelong bilinguals’ {Study: Bilinguals Have Faster Brains} and the development of their brains… also, worth to check it out [I clearly did, it's part of who I'm... that said, I had no other option but to join the discussion forum with my 2 cents growing up as a nomad child, and now a 'trailing spouse' and mother to 3 TCKs].
I’m always on the lookout for interesting resources for supporting our toddlers’ learning, I stumbled upon this very interesting article from Multilingual Living, which I’m sharing below.
A very good resource for parents of TCKs, homeschooling parents, or any parent concerned about improving their children’s learning skills, without loosing track of reality. From our “tentative trilingual home” to yours…
Good reading!
Benefits of Multilingualism
By Michał B. Paradowski
Institute of Applied Linguistics, University of Warsaw
The advantages that multilinguals exhibit over monolinguals are not restricted to linguistic knowledge only, but extend outside the area of language. The substantial long-lived cognitive, social, personal, academic, and professional benefits of enrichment bilingual contexts have been well documented. Children and older persons learning foreign languages have been demonstrated to:
- have a keener awareness and sharper perception of language. Foreign language learning “enhances children’s understanding of how language itself works and their ability to manipulate language in the service of thinking and problem solving”;
- be more capable of separating meaning from form;
- learn more rapidly in their native language (L1), regardless of race, gender, or academic level;
- be more efficient communicators in the L1;
- be consistently better able to deal with distractions, which may help offset age-related declines in mental dexterity;
- develop a markedly better language proficiency in, sensitivity to, and understanding of their mother tongue;
- develop a greater vocabulary size over age, including that in their L1;
- have a better ear for listening and sharper memories;
- be better language learners in institutionalized learning contexts because of more developed language-learning capacities owing to the more complex linguistic knowledge and higher language awareness;
- have increased ability to apply more reading strategies effectively due to their greater experience in language learning and reading in two—or more—different languages;
- develop not only better verbal, but also spatial abilities;
- parcel up and categorize meanings in different ways;
- display generally greater cognitive flexibility, better problem solving and higher-order thinking skills;
- “a person who speaks multiple languages has a stereoscopic vision of the world from two or more perspectives, enabling them to be more flexible in their thinking, learn reading more easily. Multilinguals, therefore, are not restricted to a single world-view, but also have a better understanding that other outlooks are possible. Indeed, this has always been seen as one of the main educational advantages of language teaching”;
- multilinguals can expand their personal horizons and—being simultaneously insiders and outsiders—see their own culture from a new perspective not available to monoglots, enabling the comparison, contrast, and understanding of cultural concepts;
- be better problem-solvers gaining multiple perspectives on issues at hand;
- have improved critical thinking abilities;
- better understand and appreciate people of other countries, thereby lessening racism, xenophobia, and intolerance, as the learning of a new language usually brings with it a revelation of a new culture;
- learn further languages more quickly and efficiently than their hitherto monolingual peers;
- to say nothing of the social and employment advantages of being bilingual {Study: Bilinguals Have Faster Brains}– offering the student the ability to communicate with people s/he would otherwise not have the chance to interact with, and increasing job opportunities in many careers {The Value In Being Bilingual or Multilingual}.
Comments and extra thoughts on being a multilingual parent…
“Are you curious?” We are!
**UPDATE: Follow-up post discussing thoughts on Diversity & Raising Children as Expats
I often talk about the challenges of parenting, especially considering the difficulties placed by language and culture, one of the many issues associated with moving to a different country, every couple of years. That said, I took a look back at the posts published in 2012, mainly on parenting & language, and found one that generated a very instructive feedback; working as a sort of a ‘discussion forum‘, that I plan on exploring/expanding at length, some time this year… [Another one of my New Year's Resolutions... Like everyone else, I know there'll be a great deal of 'procrastination' before I'll be able to cross tasks off my 2013 to-do list!]
Oh, well, at least, I’m taking the time to revisit thoughts/facts/articles… it’s the first step for the beginning of a good research!
The post that got me thinking was one related to a simple question: “What type of multilingual parent are you?”, pointed out by the Mumsnet Bloggers Network for 2012; that had been initiated by a clever quote about the experience of raising bi/multilingual children:
“…raising multilingual children is an adventure you share together – one that is a lot of fun, but for which you will need quite a lot of patience. Sometimes, linguistic development will not progress in the way you hoped. That is fine, and everything will eventually work itself out. Sharing my language with my children has been about sharing my heritage more than anything else. It might be difficult at times, but it is a gift that will last a lifetime“.
Last year’s blogpost provoked a very positive reaction, expressed through the number of visitors, and especially, throughout the comments, coming from parents, consultants, educators, expats like ourselves, or simply, other parents who echo our opinions about how challenging, adventurous and/or never-ending this experience should be.
Learning should never stop, and teaching our kids through example is the best way to keep ourselves current! At least, that’s the hope!
Here are some of the comments, and based on their [shared] experiences, it could be YOUR TURN to answer – what type of multilingual parent are you? Or, even better, what type of [multilingual] parent you hope to become?
But first, let me thank all the visitors/readers who shared a comment, or who sent me a message [with your opinion/suggestion] regarding this topic. It makes the blogging experience much richer, more productive, and way more enjoyable! My deepest appreciation to all of you! ♥
Visitor
My husband is a German TCK growing up in Taiwan, and thinks in English most of the time. He is fluent in German and can read fairly well – though he is more comfortable in English. We are living in a Chinese environment and have been since we’ve been married. We had high hopes of me speaking English and him speaking German, but that didn’t work out. I’d say mainly because he didn’t think in German when the oldest was born – he rarely spoke German to anyone. So, remembering to speak it at home was difficult. He did better speaking Chinese to them. On top of this, his family all speaks English fluently, so there was no pressure on us in that regard as well.
I do have a question, though that I’m wondering. Will you continue to educate your children in all three languages through middle school and high school or focus more on one language? I’m just really curious about this. You seem to be really doing a great job with them right now so that they master both written and spoken of the three. Great post to ponder on…
Visitor
In our house we speak English, Spanish and Dutch and the boys seem to know all three languages equally. My five year old is a dynamo with languages. He can switch, translate and think in all three. My two year old understands all three but is not as talkative as my five year old was. We lived in Mozambique with the older one until the age of three and he was able to speak 4 languages when we lived there. It is curious to see how the different children take to the languages differently. I thought for sure my two year old would be the same since we haven’t done anything really different, but I noticed he is taking longer to use his words, although you can see he understands all three. I call Dutch the secret language in my house, because only the boys (not me) speak it. So basically this is how it works: School = English, Language we speak as a family = English, Mommy = Spanglish to the boys (more spanish), Daddy = Dutch to the boys, Empleada/Nanny = always Spanish. The boys will also take Dutch lessons once or twice a week. It is definitely challenging, but so worth it. We don’t really think about it… just the way we live our life.
Visitor
Enjoyed your post! All the more so since /multilingual-multicultural life – as mentioned by Sakti above – is part and parcel of life in India! I think it is an advantage more than a challenge, an opportunity to broaden horizons!
Visitor I am probably not looking at it from a parents’ perspective. My challenge is to make sure some of our less spoken languages – that includes my mother tongue, that my grandkids can not speak! – do not become extinct!
Visitor
Very interesting. I am from India and we have a different challenge as India has more than 2 dozens of official languages. I studied a different language (Odia) than my mother tongue (Bengali) and now staying in a state, which speak another language (Gujarati). Everybody in India speaks English and Hindi. So my kids (both below 6 years) now have almost learnt to speak and understand all the above languages. Yes it is a challenge.
Visitor
Thanks for the mention of our upcoming session on Emotional Resiliency in Foreign Service Kids that will be held next week (*). Even though you won’t get to see it live, AFSA will upload the video to their website for worldwide viewing.
I wish I could comment on what kind of bilingual parent I am…. but mine would be more of what I failure I was! When my daughter was 2, we left Portugal, where we had spoken Portuguese in the home when our housekeeper was around. The housekeeper only spoke to my daughter in Portuguese from infancy, so our daughter understood Portuguese as well as English. When we left Portugal, I tried to continue the Portuguese with her, only – at the age of only 2! – she wouldn’t answer me in Portuguese and finally admonished me to “stop speaking like Dolores!” I finally gave up on it.
(*) Please refer to original post for the full text, and more details on the 2012 AFSA initiative.
Visitor
I’m inspired to speak spanish at home more now. My kids’ dad all speak Spanish and I beg them to speak Spanish to the kids but they haven’t. My mom was raised bilingual, I was until they couldn’t accurately diagnose my infant-aged hearing issues because they couldn’t tell if I didn’t hear them or didn’t understand them so they told my mom to stop speaking Hungarian to me and she did. But she still wishes she’d have kept up with it. Other countries are so great with this and the US doesn’t do enough!
Visitor
This is so interesting! We also got “moderate parent”. I try to speak spanish to them most of the time but sometimes forget. I also read to them in french and english is the main language in the household. I’m taking them to a spanish speaking playgroup in hopes Evan will be motivated by seeing other little kids speak spanish! Great post!
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- Raising Bilingual Children (babyzone.com)
- Happy New Multilingual Year! (lydgate.org)
- A Shout Out for Multilingual Usability Testing | Loop11 (loop11.com)
- To be American is to be multilingual (lovinglanguage.wordpress.com)
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Snapshots of the 2012 International Day at School [or 'when you've got more than one Country in your heart!'].
This past International Day at the kids school made me remember a post I wrote some time back, about raising our children with a sense of different cultures… honoring and loving their unique background…
Picking their ‘home countries’ up for the 2010 World Cup!
When you’ve got more than one place in your heart …you’re expected to love, honor and respect them both [or the 3, 4... of them!]
Living in-between cultures, besides being an exciting experience, could be pretty challenging, as well.
Raising children from hybrid cultures offers countless possibilities to keep traditions alive, maintaing memories and links to the home country always fresh. It takes a great deal of effort. But it’s worth the trouble.
Witnessing your kids cherishing different traditions, honoring and respecting your and your spouse’s home countries, is worth any extra work. It’ll pay forward, we hope! ♥
They are learning to love and respect their mixed culture. They’re beginning to understand historical events, their causes and consequences. They’re learning that any country is not just about land, but also, its people, their beliefs and their sense of social respect. Hybrid cultures are a rich experience. Hopefully, our three TCKs will grow up comprehending that the world they live in is much bigger than geography may present itself. And a country’s boundaries go as far as its people. We bring our culture with ourselves. Our traditions, our honor, our respect to others. Wherever we are. Wherever we move to. It’s good to know that some of us ‘serial expats’ bring more than one country in our hearts!
Related articles
- Identity, Traditions & Folklore in Bolivia: Saya Ceremony honoring Pachamama and blessing a new home. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Stranded in my own culture (swissexpatcoach.wordpress.com)
- In Honor of International Education Week: A Global Blogger’s Needs Assessment (humantriumphant.wordpress.com)
{(young kids) + (sleep deprivation) + (long working hours) = (when exactly did we sign for this?!!)}
myself, a realistic impression, according to one of my kids!
I guess I’m bringing these memories back because my baby is now almost 2 years old… and the sleep deprivation days are becoming fewer and fewer… [at least, that's the hope!]
There was a time I used to love Math…
Nowadays, I’m not so sure…
I’m still trying to figure out the Mathematics of “life with children”!
[Backstory] Once upon a time, there was a young girl who loved children, had a great time playing with other people’s kids, and believed she’d make a great mom, when the time came…
Well, this young girl got older, found her prince charming, and once again, they (so naïve!) thought:
“We’re gonna be parents! We’re gonna be the best ones! We’ll love and cherish children! Our kids will be the best behaved ones, always clean, always loving and respectful”
And then, the family started growing: first we were, as some friends (already with 3 children) used to call us: “a couple with a child”. We had it easy! Once kid #1 was sound asleep, mommy and daddy could enjoy some quality time (and even some wine!) at the end of a long day of work. So, here was the formula:
f = [(a loving husband) + (a loving wife) + (a brand new baby) = (a happy family!)]
Life and Math seemed so easy and manageagle: we were living overseas, had support and household help. We then decided to increase our legacy. Here came kid #2, and with it, a way more challenging routine, accompained by several sleepless nights…
We had no idea that with two kids, the chances of having one of them sick, at some point in time, are extremely high!
We, the “once before-pretty smart” parents, learnt that our “Math skills” weren’t gonna cut…
Take a look at the “new & improved” formula:
f = [(still loving, but very tired parents) + (demanding toddler) + (a brand new baby)
= (a still happy, but somewhat confused family!)]
We managed life. We found our niche, learnt from other couples new strategies and ground rules to apply to our own routine, began training the kids on life skills (sleeping, eating, drinking, bathroom needs).
Regarding our Math knowledge, we sort of came back from a lousy D- to a pretty solid B-…
We were back, baby!! We knew how to survive with kids, lead an enjoyable life, took short trips with the whole family, went grocery shopping… We had it down! And the excess of confidence and maybe some extra excitement about our new FS assignment, responded for kid #3…
And then, the third one came into our lives.
We’re a family full of life and joy. Today, we don’t sleep as many hours as we used to, let’s see, six years ago, when we were sure to be the best “parents-to-be”.
Today we may not have the face-time with our spouse, the way we wanted, but if the kids are healthy, fed, dry, and the most important of all – sleeping – we, as parents, are pretty satisfied.
Our definition of happiness may have changed a bit, and we’re taking a day at a time. A sleepless night might be followed by a great day, who knows?
At least now we’ve got an idea on what’s in-store for us. We know kids give us a hard time when it comes to sleeping, eating, getting dressed, getting ready for school, and pretty much anything else.
But at least now, we know we need to be prepared. And we’re learning. Also, we decided to give up on our Math skills – raising kids has no formula.
Life with kids is just a massive equation, with tons of variables… We’d be silly trying to map it out. And the worst and maybe the funniest of all is that, at the moment, we’re graded by a team, whose combined age doesn’t even reach 13 years!
In sum, I’m thankful to all the readers and parents out there, for the support during my parenting experience, and I guess, gotta thank my own children, for the ENDLESS INSPIRATION they provide to my blogging days! ♥
Related Posts:
- Meanwhile in Mars…. « e-Shibin
- Focus On: Humor Blogs « my gp journal
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- Random Thoughts from a Sleep-Deprived Mango (fuzzymango.wordpress.com)
Children in adult-oriented places: a collection of [random] thoughts!
I found this theme really interesting, and intriguing… almost poking on us, parents of our loving well-behaved little ones:
“Everyone loves kids, right? Right! Except when they don’t. This week, we’re particularly interested in what you think about kids in adult-oriented places. I think most of us can agree that it’s not a good idea to drag little Sally to a bar at 1AM, but what about a museum? A fancy restaurant?” [Michele M. from King of States].
at the museum
Well, as a parent of 3 little kids (oldest one just turned 7), moving every two years, due to family work requirements, having to adjust not only to a new country, as well as to new cultures, new languages, there’s yet the expectation that [shockingly!] my kids should also re-invent themselves and adjust/adapt to new social demands/requirements, showcasing the pristine behavior only found in movies about expat children attending boarding schools, spending their spear time learning an instrument and being part of book clubs!
Clearly, that doesn’t happen. It never did, and very likely, it’ll not happen in any future…
This theme, discussing the pros and cons of having children in adult-oriented/adult-only social places got me thinking. And I began reading through what others had to say about it [I'm such a curious cat!].
I’m always searching for resources related to raising children in multi-cultural settings, I take part at parenting forums, I respond/comment on discussion lists, I blog about raising TCKs, and seek help for that…
I’m also the ‘household fairy’, you know, that one silent worker, that makes the breakfast show up in the morning, the lunch packs being ready before the school bus turns the corner… the ‘laundry fairy’, the intense PTA volunteer. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough time to ‘school’ my children on the ‘perfect social behavior‘ [whatever it is or means] – I’m still trying. And my children are also trying to learn, the best they can. They’ve been to restaurants, airports, family gatherings, embassy functions, social events, you name it!
So, answering the original question, should kids be allowed at adult-oriented places? PROBABLY NOT. And I’m stating that as a MOM, speaking my heart out from my life experience, as a mother, and a former teacher. NOTHING AGAINST children. Love them. Deeply. But in my very humble opinion, there are some adult-oriented places that little ones should no be taken to – and that includes some of our beloved evening pubs, bars and dining places – unless the latter is kid-friendly, otherwise, one should only take a [especially the very young ones] to a bar or pub, if looking for some unforeseen sickness, and a parental headache for the following days!
making pizza, at a ‘kid-friendly’ restaurant!
But, should we, as parents, carry out our frustrations to a public setting? Would it be enjoyable to ourselves, and to others?
Kids deserve people to respect them. And, do you believe they [the children] would be receiving their deserved share of social respect, if others [adults] would feel uncomfortable with their presence? Tough call.
My parents always had to travel for work. We moved a lot. We were also three children, the only difference was that, being the oldest one (9 years older than the youngest), I was responsible for their social behavior.
A ‘quasi-responsiblity‘, if I could put it like that. And I remember getting the ‘rolled eyes’ from others, the ‘evil looks’ at restaurants. There was no nanny at that time. Two working parents. Going out to restaurants was a rare treat – we definitely had to ‘earn our way’. Today, I’m the parent. I’m the one flying with screaming kicking bored wonderful children. The ‘looks’ towards me are still there. I can feel them. And I’m sure my children also sense them coming…
For all that, even if it’s hard, logistically challenging, last-minute need, try to find yourself a baby sitter. That’s my little 2 cents of advice, and one may do whatever it wants with it, even completely discard it. Just my humble suggestion…. Adult-oriented places are for adults only [clever conclusion, right?!].
Unfortunately, for the ones who would like to spend quality time with their children, tagging them along wherever they go, I’m sure there’ll be other alternatives… they’re called ‘kid-friendly places’. Trust me, kids don’t enjoy adult-only scenarios. I’ve been there. I’ve tried both ways, and I’d stick to the second one. It’s safer for the adult parent, the adult company, and for the children.
Good luck to all of us raising kids – what a tough job, man!
What about you? Had something else in mind? Are you curious about what others are saying at this ‘poking’ theme? Take a look at other impressions:
- Dp Challenge: Kids (cloudandmountain.com)
- Weekly Writing Challenge: Mind the Children (itlnbrt.com)
- Parenting and Temperament in Childhood Predict Later Political Ideology (psychologicalscience.org)
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Updated: Thoughts on ‘what type of multilingual parent are you?’…
“Are you curious?” We are!
Blog Hop: I’ve talked before about our family’s cultural settings – husband and wife coming from different (but not exclusive) cultures/languages, raising our 3 TCKs, all now 7 years of age, and under; as well as presented thoughts on the Creative Flow of a TCK. This past April, AFSA hosted a panel discussion on emotional resilience in third-culture kids (TCKs) with a particular focus on the Foreign Service experience, during the first week of April. Experts on the issue of TCKs are expected to discuss the issue, taking questions from the audience – too bad we´re a bit far from DC, but we´re looking forward to reading about the discussion. The main question under discussion will be why some kids adapt very well to life in the Foreign Service while others struggle [check the AFSA website for more information].
Phonics & Math: let’s get the family together to help!
From my/our end, we are trying to do our part of the challenging task that is raising worldy third-culture children. And we´re doing it through language. It’s already known that speaking several languages fluently increases job opportunities, makes international travel easier, and enables you to communicate with a lot more people a lot more easily. There are various theories on how to best raise multilingual kids. “One parent, one language” (OPOL for short) is popular, and to some extent that is what we’re doing in our family.
One thing we’ve learned about raising TCKs: reading is a magic tool!
We’ve found out we’re “moderate” multilingual parents… At least, that’s how we tested, according to the Multilingual Living Quiz. Which is the best “group of multilingual parents”? Hard to say, they’re all different, and unique in their own way. There’s no magic formula when it comes to raising children in a multicultural setting. I’m always talking about our multilingual household, the challenges of trying to keep up with Spanish, Portuguese and English, while assisting our 1st grader on his (now!) English homework assignments, as well as with his homeschooling English/Spanish tasks! [Note: our son had started first grade in Brazil, last February, attending a Brazilian Montessori School, and had English classes three times a week. We moved to our current post, La Paz, Bolivia, in August, so, he could begin the American School year, as a first grader...] And our oldest child is just one of the examples: there two more on the line – his younger sisters (now aged 4,5 and almost 2) are a lively part of this multilingual/multicultural environment….
Looking for “help” from flashcards, when it comes to linking the sounds to the words!
Challenging, but exciting. And we’re very satisfied with the outcome: our oldest children are capable of communicating with both sets of grandparents, watching bilingual TV, having play dates both in English and Portuguese, and, offer very positive feedback to their dad when talked to/read to in Spanish. Recently, I stumbled upon a great quote, about the experience of raising bi/multilingual children: “raising multilingual children is an adventure you share together – one that is a lot of fun, but for which you will need quite a lot of patience. Sometimes, linguistic development will not progress in the way you hoped. That is fine, and everything will eventually work itself out. Sharing my language with my children has been about sharing my heritage more than anything else. It might be difficult at times, but it is a gift that will last a lifetime“. Couldn’t agree more!
Remembering bed time stories: from mom, in Portuguese… From dad, in English!
Helping our oldest children with their homework in Portuguese, having them practice English phonics with their native-speaker father, seeing the children have routine conversations with their dad in Spanish and English; and reading bed time stories in … who knows what!
We’ve been very fortunate regarding the kids school back in Brazil (they get both Portuguese and English), and we were thankful for the opportunity to use the educational allowance for homeschooling our 1st grader when it came to supplement his English language.
All in all, it’s working, and we’re pleased with the current results. Based on the explanation for each “group of multilingual parenting styles”, the Moderate Parent has found the golden middle way of bilingual parenting. Well-informed about bilingual issues yet know that ultimately they have to make your own rules and decisions that suit your family the best. Have a healthy dose of commitment towards your bilingual endeavour, a reasonable amount of self-confidence in what you are doing, and have no problem in bending the rules when necessary and when it’s in your family’s best interest. the “moderate parents” have chosen a model, are committed to it, and don’t give up easily when troubles arise. Acquainted with worries and problems but can ride through rough times by getting the right support from certain experts, their online group and other bilingual parents.
[Test originally published in Multilingual Living Magazine]
After all that, now it’s your turn to answer: “What type of multilingual parent do you think you are?” Take the quiz and find out! Here are examples of the questions:
“When you are on the playground with your child, you…”
“When your child speaks to you in the “wrong” language, you…”
“When it comes to literature on bilingualism, you…”
“Your reaction to the word “OPOL” is…”
“Your aim is for your child is…”
And there are many more questions/concerns/curiosities… Take your time to check it out!
So, how do you think you did?
Click Here to calculate your score and find out the results! We had a lot of fun (and learned a lot!) doing this little exercise! thanks for coming along!
Related articles
- 14 Celebrities Who Are Multilingual (Bonjour, Bueno, Konnichiwa!) (styleblazer.com)
- Bilingual Children and the First Days of School (languagelizard.com)
- Speaking multiple languages can influence children’s emotional development (eurekalert.org)
- Bilingual is Better; Review and Giveaway (5minutesformom.com)
- About OPOL (expatsincebirth.com)
180 years later, an analogy with Charles Darwin’s Beagle Voyage.
The most recent WordPress Writing Challenge, is about ”writing style“. Quoting WP:
“Like it or not, we all have our own style. Where we’re from, our local colloquialisms, our favorite writers, and our preferred subject matter all influence the tone and language in our posts. We do not blog in a vacuum…Better yet, you can tell us about your favorite writer’s tone, or you can take it a step further — after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Highlight a particular element of your favorite writer’s style, and incorporate it into a post of your own. Whether it’s their delightfully wry wit, the rhythmic insertion of repeated phrases, or lackadaisical sentence structure, become your favorite writer for a day (or an hour).”Here’s my original post, writen under the format of a ‘quasi-journal’, taking advantage of the suggested Writing Challenge from WordPress, and the fantastic journey reports from another Biologist,Charles Darwin… Am I trying to ‘imitate’ Darwin’s style, comparing our family’s journeys with his? Not at all – trying to be humble, and realistic…But, as a researcher, former scientist, and now traveling mom, the challenge of comparing both memories is intriguing and exciting. Hope you enjoy it!
“Our traveling family has just departed from Brazil. On a plane, not on a ship. We didn’t have a crew, nor shipmates, just the five of us, 2 intense parents and 3 children aged 6 and under – but still keeping a diary of our experiences, encounters, a way to tell our stories, share lessons learned and comment on challenges and small victories…
In July 5, 1832 - HMS Beagle and Charles Darwin departed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was in Brazil from Feb 28 until Jul 5, 1832. The same week he departed, but, 180 years later, our family also departed Recife, Pernambuco, northeastern coast of Brazil, heading to our next adventure… An interesting coincidence, for several different reasons, and one of them, for sure, led a fellow blogger/researcher to kindly invite me to prepare a guest post for his blog, The Beagle Project. According to the site’s author, Rob Viens, ”The Beagle Project – is an attempt to read and reflect on Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary in real time over a five year period – 180 years to the date the original entries were recorded.” As the author likes to describe himself, “He currently resides on the planet Earth, on the Eocene Blakeley and Renton formations in Bellevue, with his wife, daughter, son and cats“. Find more about the creation of this Project, here.
After departing Brazil, 180 years ago, Charles Darwin headed South… nice coincidence: our next posting is La Paz, Bolivia, and after a short stop back in the US, our family, led by the International Affair’s father and his right-hand Biologist wife (aka, the Mother), will again, be heading to South America! Hey, please don’t get me wrong: no intention to compare between the 2 biologists! I’m humble enough to admit myself as being a passionate researcher, who loves to learn and is eager to share experiences I’ve acquired through life, with our growing children.
During these 2 years in Brazil, our family had the opportunity to really immerse into the culture, and personally, I was grateful for the possibility of letting my children experience what I grew up with in Brazil. As a family, we traveled through most of the northeastern region of Brazil, visited historical sites, dating from the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish colonization days. We experienced the intriguing architecture of this nation’s capital, Brasilia; and as an exploring couple, my husband and I got to visit several unique sites, like the paradise beach coast of Jericoacoara, one of the ten most beautiful beaches on Earth and the world’s heritage site, [Archipelago of] Fernando de Noronha, coincidentally, one of the Brazilian sites visited by Charles Darwin’s expedition [other posts about Fernando de Noronha here and here]. and . We saw spinning dolphins, volcanic rock formations, horizontal trees, manatees, baby sharks, deep blue lagoons, and hiked through untouched natural settings… We experienced life to its fullest – always sharing our findings with our offspring… who knows, maybe one day, they’ll also become passionate explorers, life their parents?
While living in Brazil we saw different color sunsets, and once-in-a-lifetime sunrises. We lazed in hammocks dipped in the deepest blue water, listened to volunteers talking and showing the importance of preserving the sea and green turtles, and watched them hatch… at the end, we simply enjoyed the wonders of nature… We learned about conservation and the importance of respecting the natural creations, as well as, its limits. We learned about the use and potential of the “green energy resources“, and talked about it with our colleagues. We boarded on the visiting Rainbow Warrior Greenpeace ship for a live lesson on Conservation of Natural Resources…
Our children are learning to love and respect their mixed culture and the importance of learning how to explore, how to care, how to preserve.
They’re beginning to understand historical events, their causes and consequences. They’re learning that any country is not just about land, but also, its people, their beliefs and their sense of social respect. Hybrid cultures are a rich experience. They will grow up comprehending that the world they live in is much bigger than geography may present itself. And a country’s boundaries go as far as its people. We bring our culture with ourselves. Our traditions, our honor, our respect to others. Wherever we are. Wherever we move to. We’ve departed Brazil with a heavy heart and lots of good memories, that we’re trying to register through this interactive quasi-travel diary… And, as Charles Darwin himself wrote on his Diary, our adventure will also continue:
[July, 1832] 5th A little after 9 oclock we tripped our anchor, & with a gentle breeze stood out of the bay.— Capts Talbot & Harding accompanied us beyond Santa Cruz.— As we sailed past the Warspite & Samarang (our old Bahia friend) they manned the rigging & gave us a true sailor-like farewell, with three cheers.— The band at the same time striking up “To glory you steer”.— The Captain had intended touching at Cape Frio, but as the lightning did so.— we made a direct course for the South.— Near to the Isle de Raza the wind lulled, & we are now becalmed & shall probably remain so during the night: |190| The moon is now shining brightly on the glassy water.—every one is in high spirits at again being at sea & a little more wind is all that is wanted.— The still & quiet regularity of the ship is delightful; at no time is “the busy hum of men” so strongly perceived as when leaving it for the open ocean.—”
Thank you, WordPress Readers! And the journey continues!
Picture the World Project: Representing Brazil! (3rdculturechildren.com)
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So… where’s home? [from a TCK's perspective]
Adjusting to School…
School’s begun, kids are adjusting to their ‘newest’ challenges: new friends, without forgetting their ‘previous’ ones, new teachers, with different teaching techniques, strategies, and a brand new schedule… All in all, they seem to be taking it in pretty well (at least for these past 2 weeks!). Let’s see what future will bring to this foreign service family ♥
Adjustments are never easy, nor smooth, but as committed parents, we’re trying our very best to make sure our 3 kids have an enjoyable social/emotional/psychological experience at this new posting/assignment. Not all is under our control, unfortunately, but… it’s all part of life, and life’s challenging on itself – otherwise, what’d be the meaning of pursuing different lifestyles?
That said, during one of my ‘blog hopping’ ventures, found a very interesting video discussing the meaning of ‘home‘, from a TCK‘s perspective, totally worthy the time, and maybe, a good way to generate some discussion/questioning about the theme. Here it is:
So Where’s Home? A Film About Third Culture Kid Identity from Adrian Bautista on Vimeo.
Related articles
- In Culture of the Third Kind: Writing as a TCK (hercircleezine.com)
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Our little ‘Daughters of the Mayflower’ descendants and their ‘royal roots’
Just decided to repost (or re-blog!) this, in preparation for the weekend: Family Reunion.
Here is the post:
“The original suggestion for this blog post came as an interesting opportunity to share a bit of my husband’s ongoing research on his family origins, and is one of the themes we already posted about.
The most recent wedding preparation events in England are the perfect excuse to bring out the reasons why our two daughters are part of the descendent line from the “Mayflower“, and (very, very far, “urban legend-bordering”, but still) able to be traced back to European royalty… (really??)
Let’s see how it turns out!
My husband’s dabbled with researching his family’s history. Our children can trace back to royal roots in their very distant past through the family of their grandmother, whose last name is Greene. The Greenes came to the United States from England in the 1630′s and eventually married into the Mayflower descendants bloodline. Before England, the original Greene family could be found in France, and the spelling of the name has changed throughout the years.
Honestly, I have no intention to bore anyone with facts/info, just a historical excerpt, but still trying to keep a “fluid” feel for the post: (Acknowledgement: Mrs. Pamela D. Hudson, Georgia USA ).”
“Today’s name “Greene” was originally written “de Grene”, “de Grean” (sometimes transcribed as “atte Gream”) or “Grene” and changed again to simply “Greene” and in America changed again to mostly “Green”. It appears that the Greene’s assumed their name from an allusion to their principal and beloved manor which was Boketon (now Greene’s Norton), in the County of Northampton, England. The place was known for the excellency of its soil, its situation, and its spacious and delightful green. From Buckton, they assumed three bucks for their coat of arms. The earliest known Greene, Alexander, a younger son of the de la Zouche family, was given an estate and title as a “Great Baron” by King John of England in 1202 AD. The estate was that of Grene de Boketon. Walter de Boketon, was in the Seventh Crusade in 1244. Walter’s son, John Grene de Boketon, died in the next crusade in 1271 leaving a year old son, Thomas, who became Sir Thomas de Grene (married Alice Bottisham). Then came Sir Thomas de Grene, who married Lady Lucy de la Zouche, his relative, and a direct descendant of King Henry I of France“.
For us over here at least it’s fun to learn about these interesting historical twists. In the meantime, our two little “aspiring princesses” are happily living in the Lima-Miranda Castle, our “always-on-the-move home”, surrounded by unicorns, barbie dolls and baby bottles!!! 
When you’ve got more than one place in your heart… [living in-between cultures]
…you’re expected to love, honor and respect them both.
This week we are honoring the US Independence, bringing back memories from other assignments, sharing our thoughts:
Living in-between cultures, besides being an exciting experience, could be pretty challenging, as well. Raising children from hybrid cultures offers countless possibilities to keep traditions alive, maintaing memories and links to the home country always fresh. It takes a great deal of effort. But it’s worth the trouble. Witnessing your kids cherishing different traditions, honoring and respecting your and your spouse’s home countries, is worth any extra work. It’ll pay forward.
Our kids are learning to love and respect their mixed culture. They’re beginning to understand historical events, their causes and consequences. They’re learning that any country is not just about land, but also, its people, their beliefs and their sense of social respect. Hybrid cultures are a rich experience. Hopefully, our three TCKs will grow up comprehending that the world they live in is much bigger than geography may present itself. And a country’s boundaries go as far as its people. We bring our culture with ourselves. Our traditions, our honor, our respect to others. Wherever we are. Wherever we move to. It’s good to know that some of us in the Service bring more than one country in our hearts..
This week, our hearts are proudly filled with red, white and blue colors… and as we’re heading out of Brazil, our hearts are overflowing with green, yellow and of course, blue! One day, I’ll look back at our time in Brazil as a family, piece together the best moments, best images, the favorite memories. One day, but not today. Not this week… We’re in-between cultures right now…
Love & Peace to All!
We’re out!
Related article
- Picture the World Project: Representing Brazil! (3rdculturechildren.com)
Homenagem do Madre de Deus ao Centenário de Luiz Gonzaga [June Festivities, Recife, Brazil, 2012].
…e agora. com 6 anos na festa da Escola, no Brasil.
June has always been my favorite month. I’m a June baby, and so is my husband. The two of us met and began dating in June. In Brazil, Valentine’s Day is also celebrated in June… “Dia dos Namorados”, akin to Valentines Day, is celebrated by married and unmarried couples, in a grand manner. Our kids’ school also had a very special way to celebrate the month of June, and in particular, the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, home of Brazil’s most famous forró singer, Luiz Gonzaga.
Pernambuco e Gonzagão, homenageados…
In Brazil, Dia dos Namorados is celebrated the eve of Day of St. Anthony. Known as the Marriage Saint, he’s believed to bring good fortune on marriages, so this day is celebrated on a grand scale. Celebrations in Brazil consist of lavish parties, stunning costumes among other things, and commemorating Dia dos Namorados is no exception to this tradition. So, throwing in a huge party where family and friends are invited, and by buying gifts for your beloved is a very common way of celebrating this day.
Linda homenagem ao Estado de Pernambuco!
Single women perform a ritual known as “Simpatias” on this day, to find a good boyfriend or husband for themselves. The day is also celebrated with the exchange of love messages in the form of figurative objects among couples, both married and single. Exchange of greeting cards among couples is another tradition.
And, you also have the so-called “Festas Juninas” or the “Festivities of June”, celebrating life, marriages, crops & harvesting… Filled with lots of typical foods, warm beverages and games.
Traditional costume to celebrate the Saints of the month of June.
A very typical “couple”, ready for the traditional dance!
Folklore written all over them… Gotta honor their Brazilian culture… that’s what “hybrid culture kids” are made of… learning how to respect and preserve the culture they’re inheriting along the way!
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Music to Help Children Learn a New Language
…10 minutes at a time
by CONTRIBUTOR on MAY 14, 2012 (from MultiLingual Living)
By Franck & Cristina
Photo credit: sanbeiji
Music plays an important role in learning a second language. Similar areas of the brain are activated when listening to or playing music and speaking or processing language. Language and music are both associated with emotions, the combination makes it a powerful way to learn a second language.
Why is music so helpful to learn a second language?
- Songs are fun
We know that children, especially small children, really like music. They relate to it as entertainment and find learning vocabulary through songs amusing. Songs associated with hand and arm gestures are even more powerful in engaging children.
- Songs increase retention
Most of us are able to remember several children’s songs we learned as kids. Music helps us retain words and expressions much more effectively. The rhythm of the music helps with memorization, as do the repetitive patterns within the song.
- Songs place vocabulary in context
A song is also a little story. Children learn new words and expressions in the context of a story within the song. This will more easily captivate the attention of kids learning a new language. Words make sense faster when you learn them in the context of the lyrics in the song than when you learn them by themselves.
Below are 7 tips to help children learn another language with music, 10 minutes at a time:
- Tip #1: Sing while nursing/giving the bottle
With both Elena and Pablo, before they turned 1, I used to give the last bottle of the day around 11pm. I made it a habit to sing every time, both to relax them, get them to sleep, and have them hear French songs.
- Tip #2: Finish the bedtime story with a song
For about a year, I used to sing the same songs to Pablo in French at bedtime (“Un crocodile”, “Dans la maison un grand cerf”, “Dans la foret lointaine”). He was under two years old and he knew the lyrics by heart.
- Tip #3: Play tag with a song
We like “Aline”, a French hit from the 60s that has very clear lyrics. We would play “tag” with it: during the refrain, the kids had to leave “base” and I would chase them in the living room. The kids would ask to play the game almost every evening (and they knew the lyrics really well!).
- Tip #4: Role play with a song
There is a great Spanish song Cristina used frequently with the kids: “Hola Don Pepito, hola Don Jose”. It is a short dialogue between 2 characters, with simple lyrics. The music is engaging and made both Elena and Pablo want to sing with Cristina back-and-forth. Cristina and the kids would take turns and role playing one of the 2 characters.
- Tip #5: Dance and learn
YouTube has great videos of songs where you can dance. Elena and Pablo learned the alphabet in French with Chantal Goya’s “L’Alphabet en chantant”. It is a fun song where you have to mimic the letters with your hands and arms. They learned the alphabet in French much faster than me trying to teach them.
- Tip #6: Sing together in the car
Make a routine out of a specific car ride: going to school, coming back from school, going to the park, getting groceries, etc. You can listen to your favorite songs in the target language during one of the car rides as well. This is why Elena and Pablo know the lyrics of “Les Champs Elysees” from Joe Dassin by heart.
- Tip #7: Family karaoke
We learn Chinese as a family. We LOVE “Tian mi mi” of Teresa Teng. We found a YouTube video with “Tian mi mi” lyrics on the bottom of the screen. Everyone in the family can sing the song now. Singing it in our Chinese neighborhood restaurant even got us free desserts.
What other ways do you use music to teach your kids a second language? Please share them with us!
[Test originally published in Multilingual Living Magazine]
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Day 625 in Brazil: More resources to entertain our children [and avoid going crazy!]
Being a parent/caretaker requires lots of diplomacy, negotiation, peacekeeping, policy implementation and strategy skills. That said, managing a household, its respective juvenile population and the consequent budgetary implications, is a… HUGE, EXPERIMENTAL and UNFORESEEN task! There is a never-ending need to keep kids and parents sane (as much as possible!). Family outings require loads of planning and logistics management – even if we’re just talking about a Sunday lunch! We’re 20 months into our assignment, and our current post wasn’t a totally new experience for us, since we’ve visited Brazil several times before we moved here. Visiting was fun and care-free. Living and adjusting as a family, a little harder than we’d expected, but still very manageable.
This week we happily discovered a new resource for parents, like us, looking for an alternative for our children [we'd already shared a list of activities/places for children on a previous post]. Here it is: the First Toy Library (“brinquedoteca“) in Recife, Pernambuco.
CASA DA LINDA, BRINQUEDOTECA:
Surprise your children. Here are some links on good stuff to do around Recife:
- Praia de Boa Viagem (beach) – natural war water pools protected by coral reefs guarantee a delicious time a the beach. The sand and waters are continuously monitored by the state’s environmental agency, CPRH and are pollution-free.
- Jardim Botânico de Recife (Botanical Gardens) – a natural reservation measuring 25.7 acres, a member of the Brazilian network of Botanical Gardens.
- Parque Dois Irmãos (park) – one of the most beautiful and picturesque green areas of the city, the 38.7 ha park is a zoo, botanical and environmental education centre and an Atlantic Rainforest reservation. Ecological walking trails are guided by Biologists.
- Parque da Jaqueira (park) – located by the Capibaribe river, the park covers 7ha and its the city’s largest one. Very green and has got beautiful gardens designed by Burle Marx.
- Parque 13 de Maio (park) – also designed by Burle Marx, in downtown Recife. Children’s playgrounds, jogging lanes, benches, royal palm trees and sculptures.
- Museu do Homem do Nordeste (museum) – one of the most historical and anthropological museums in Brazil. Hosts the “Family at the Museum” program.
- Paço Children’s Project – contemporary arts program in Recife.
- Escolinha de Arte do Recife (Junior Art School) – dedicated to awakening creativity and love for the arts in children.
- Mirabilândia – one of the largest amusement parks in NE Brazil, the fairground has more than 20 rides divided into radical, family and children.
- Game Station – there is an arcade in every major shopping mall, offering electronic games and fun for children and adults.
A Year of Blogging: many thanks for the awards!
Twelve months of blogging… WOW – an incredible experience. I initially began this blog to share my impressions, observations and along-the-road experiences with our families and friends, and later, with other expats experiencing similar challenges/adventures…
…so, the blog morphed into more than just a quasi-travel and photo journal. I liked the idea of organizing not only our travel notes, but also providing resources for other parents, and encouraging an exchange of ideas through comments, questions and suggestions from viewers. The name for the blog came from the term itself: “3rd Culture Children” (TCKs, more information here) are children whose parents come from distinct cultures, and grow up under a hybrid environment, experiencing diverse cultural growth.
As I’d said before, sharing our life experiences, travels and lessons learned through this blog, has been a great experience - and I’m totally in love with this incredible journey! I’m passionate about sharing our travel pictures, telling stories, discussing our challenges and the discoveries we’re making along the way – people and places.
I’m grateful to Ruth Bailey, for the recent nomination – the 7 x 7 Link Award, where one’s supposed to highlight 7 recent important blogposts. Many thanks to Cyclingrandma, for offering the Good Apple award. I’m still owing them a decent blogpost, following the guidelines described to all “award receivers”… It’ll come… for now, a big THANK YOU to all the visitors & readers!
Travels in Brazil, posts related to outdoors activities, cultural events, such as attending the world’s largest open air theater for the Re-enacting of the Passion of Christ, as well as the ones showing scientific investigations and natural discoveries, seem to be quite popular! 
Recent popular posts:
Visiting the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, swimming along with marine dolphins (Brazilian Atlantic coast, World Heritage Site, according to UNESCO)
Builiding a Hanging Garden using Recycled PET Bottles - teaching the importance of respecting the environment.
Nominated by a couple of bloggers in 2011 & 2012
Thank you, ClaudiaJohnson, for the nomination!
Thank you for the double nomination!
Getting positive feedback from other families in the Foreign Service, was definitely a breakthrough during this past year. Writing about the Brazilian Folklore and the integration of expatriate children, got this blog featured by WordPress. Features also included picks made by Ecopressed, PopPressed and The Social Moms network.
For a working mom, juggling with the work-life balance, in charge of anything from grocery shopping to planning trips, I’m honored. I’m so pleased to share with other expatriates, parents, and traveling families, the beauty and excitement of traveling, exploring nature (I’m a biologist!), languages (we’ve got Spanish, Portuguese and English in our household!), social/cultural adjustments, and our not-so-professional advice as “parents-on-the-go“ - imagine hauling this family of 5 around, raising multi-language TCKs, and keeping the passion for photography and story-telling?!
Related post: Daily Post WordPress
Another fellow blogger, who joined our post in Brazil!
[Photography] Soccer birthday with best buddies: he invited, they all came
Vacation time for our kids – school is off for another couple of weeks… Luckily, only 2 weeks left for this tired mom – vacation? what vacation? I’ll get back to work way more tired than I started my recess!
More ideas for entertaining the kids? This time, it’s a boy’s birthday, celebrated at the Soccer Company (Companhia do Futebol), and parents were all invited, as well, to enjoy some refreshing beverages, while their boys would be running around! Let the kids run, play, scream, jump, have a great time, and come home exhausted, ready for a great night of sleep! Thank you, Andrea, for helping us get through another day of school recess!
"two special soccer players"
- [Portuguese]
A Companhia do Futebol é o maior centro de futebol society do Recife, localizado em Boa Viagem, com 4 campos de grama sintética, churrasqueira, área com televisão, TV por assinatura (Via Embratel), vestiários masculino e feminino, lanchonete, bar e segurança interna e externa.
Possui além dos campos para locação (com e sem amortecedor), escolinhas de futebol para crianças em vários horários e em várias faixas etárias (crianças de 03 a 14 anos de idade), coordenadas por professores formados em Educação Física, todos com experiência no ramo.
Making pizza, running & playing soccer, making silly faces, celebrating & enjoying the birthday cake:
The Social Moms, the “influential moms network”, featured 3rdCultureChildren as blog of the week
BLOG OF THE WEEK: 3RD CULTURE CHILDREN
December 4, 2011 By Nikki Katz
“The SocialMoms Blog of the Week is 3rd Culture Children – where Raquel shares her love of travel and parenting.
Congratulations to 3rd Culture Children: the SocialMoms Blog of the Week! As someone who has done very little travel in my lifetime, I’m always fascinated by travel blogs, and this is no exception. I love that Raquel is able to talk about parenting while sharing the aspects of their travels to a variety of countries across the globe…” See below Nikki’s article/full interview:
SM: What was your inspiration for starting 3rd Culture Children?
We are a traveling family, with the US Foreign Service. I initially began the blog to share my impressions, observations and along-the-road experiences with our families and friends, and later other expats experiencing similar challenges/adventures. So the blog morphed into more than just a quasi-travel and photo journal. I liked the idea of organizing not only our travel notes, but also providing resources for other parents, and encouraging an exchange of ideas through comments, questions and suggestions from viewers. The name for the blog came from the term itself: “Third Culture Children” (as you may find more information from one of its pages) are children whose parents come from distinct cultures, and grow up under a hybrid environment, experiencing diverse cultural growth. “The result of this transcontinental growth can never be taught or learned or fully understood by anyone who hasn’t actually experienced it. The developing child takes the culture of their parent’s passport country, or their first culture, to a foreign land. The result is that the child (and later on, the adult) adopts the qualities of the Second Culture into their preexisting First Culture, creating a unique cultural perspective known as the Third Culture”. As an expat who is now raising three children, all aged 6 and under, the titled seemed a natural fit! I’m so pleased to share with other expatriates, parents, and traveling families, not only the beauty and excitement of traveling, but also resources regarding languages, social and cultural adjustments, and our not-so-professional advice as “parents-on-the-go“.
SM: What has most surprised you about running the site?
The first thing that surprised me was the positive feedback I began receiving from other families in the Foreign Service. After being blogging for a little less than four months, I saw one of my posts, about Brazilian Folklore and the integration of expatriate children, featured by WordPress. Features also included picks made by Ecopressed and PopPressed. As a working mom of 3, in charge of anything from grocery shopping to planning trips, I was very honored with the outcome.
SM: What are you most passionate about?
Sharing our travel pictures, telling stories, discussing our challenges and the discoveries we’re making along the way – people and places.
SM: What is the most popular section of your site?
The bilingual posts have become quite popular: posts with impressions of our visits to Brazilian historical and tourist sites – in English and Portuguese; and the Weekly Photo Challenge posts, which is an exciting way to improve my skills as an “amateur” photographer. My husband has contributed photos as well - another passionate non-professional photographer.
SM: What is your favorite part of blogging?
The ability to convert ideas, impressions and images into stories, shared advice, resources to other parents/families/travelers. The excitement of spotting a routine event and transforming it into a surprisingly positive post. I’m a traveler, a researcher, an author, a mom. With an endless desire to learn, discover and share…
“He said, she said” celebrates the 1,000th comment!
When I first began blogging, sharing with family and friends bits and pieces of our expatriate lives, the idea was to have a living “travel journal”, populated with impressions, photos, and experiences.
And this blog came to life – the first post, about the World’s Largest Street Carnival, was published in March 2011.
The list of comments, the emails, the suggestions, and compliments really surprised me. I guess I wasn’t ready for such positive feedback, and it kept me going. I was used to writing scientific articles and lectures, not about daily routines; but apparently the inspiration had always been there. Born and raised in Brazil, I grew up surrounded by Portuguese and Spanish languages, and the idea of expressing thoughts in a third language was an intriguing endeavor – so, I did it!
And I’m still trying to do it. Some lively bilingual posts are also there, reminding me of my origins. Keep it real. Keep moving. Keep writing.
This week I found out the blog had reached 1,000 comments – quite a milestone! I’m especially thankful for the “spam-prevention” tools. I’m not quite sure how they work nor am I a fan of the “extra work” that comes with deleting undesired links, so thanks WP for that!
I appreciate everyone’s visits, comments, inputs, suggestions, and shared experiences. I was gladly surprised with the first Freshly Pressed post, as well as the ones spotted by Ecopressed and PopPressed. Some “posts from the heart” resulted in good feedback and responding to the comments was personally rewarding.
When you’re an expat, living away from the so-called “comfort zone” (although, really what is home, for an expat?), raising children under hybrid cultural settings, and trying your best to stay afloat, the notion of others out there willing to share their thoughts, advice, and recommendations, is definitely comforting and inspirational. I haven’t been a blogger for long – a little less than 8 months – so I looked up to two dear friends, for inspiration: they’re both expat women, moms, travelers, and artists. Patty is a fantastic photographer, with an unique eye for beauty, and I thank her for being a close friend. Melissa is a passionate blogger, intense in every single way, loving, caring, intriguing, and fun. Our 3 families have been friends for quite a while, and we´re always trying to find ways to get together, despite our distance or current work assignments…
Now, showing my appreciation: I’m glad I’ve stumbled upon amazing photobloggers, via the weekly photo challenges… Thank you guys for stopping by – I feel like your comments and critiques have made me a better amateur photographer. At least, I’m embracing the passion!
Finally, I should thank my recent visitor, for leaving the 1,000th comment. There’ll be no prizes, though, so no jumping or flipping moves. Just my honest appreciation… (it is good enough, right?)
Back to the drawing (Dash)board, I’ll kindly respond to Ann Marquette, from Georgia – she made this blogpost possible. “If you write it, they will come…”
Keep ‘em coming!
“Oso pardo, oso pardo, que ves ahi?” or Thoughts on the Creative Flow of a TCK
Although we’re on family vacation (it’s October, right?!) , I’d asked our kids’ teachers to give me some work sheets for their time off, in order to help them not forget about school, during their traveling days…
It may sound a bit “geeky”, but hey, that’s who we are, and that’s what we believe it is the right thing to do… at least, for now… Our oldest one is 6 years old, and experiencing the challenges of “cursive letters”. This morning I spend a few good hours with him – it’s been raining, not a lot to do outside, and before we jumped into the movie-marathon mode, we did some ‘homework’ together. And, actually, it turned out to be fun.
After we were done, it came to me the realization of how we’re been raising our kids, immersed into hybrid cultures, always moving, always surrounded by different languages, doing homework in Portuguese, and proudly showing it to grandma, explaining her (in English) the task performed, and thanking grandpa for letting him borrow pencils and eraser, in Spanish… It sure made me stop and think: is that how it’s supposed to be? The children seem to adjust well to changes, but how far is it possible to go, without stretching it out?
That said, my intrigued soul found some very good reading, from adult TCK authors, and we’re likely to become contributors, sharing experiences and thoughts, along the way…
Here it is - interesting reading about becoming an adult third cultured, still remaining your own creative person.
“Creative thought, one of the world’s most valuable commodities, is something that has started to become somewhat elusive as our generations have progressed. It’s a principal that is born of original thought, the need to invent, and the want to produce something that others will seek value in. It has led to the development of the wheel, to the creation of the keystone arch, the sundial, the plough, the lens, the camera, the story, the song, the car, the computer, and the hadron collider. It has developed our species, improving our state of living and the reasons for which we live. Creativity, as a force, is what brought us from hunting with sharpened sticks to flying through space.
Yet that word, creativity, one we use so frequently for so many things, holds a weight to Third Culture Kids that’s only outmatched by the word “culture.” Of course, if you were to look a little closer, to really examine the core concepts of both those words and the implications that each of them posses, you would find that not only are they connected, but they are almost inseparable.
Being creatures of culture, TCKs posses that natural ability to rapidly evolve their cultural standpoint based on the community that surrounds them. We have a way about us, one that does not allow for us to be considered the same as those we interact with, but instead allows us to be accepted by them. We can see what others cannot, can move in circles where others would be outcasts. We view culture not as a boundary, but as a gateway into the heart of the world.
As TCKs, we do it subconsciously, unaware that we are behaving this way but aware of our talents and our ability to meld into something new. We missed it as we grew up, took it for granted as children while we hopped from place to place, but since we have matured and grown and become the Adult Third Culture Kids we are now, we have seen how naturally these behaviours are to us by watching how impossible they are for our First Culture Kid friends.
The question that remains, however, is what power does creativity have in the hands of a TCK? Creativity is a mental state that’s not accessible by everyone. It’s a unique problem solving technique for an extremely unique type of problem. Humanity is hard-wired to only understand patterns. For example 1+1=2 because every time you take the number one and add another number one, you always end up with two. Why? Because it always happens, and it happens because that’s just the law of mathematics. Creatives, however, push the bounds of that human limitation. We accept the laws because they are there, but we believe in that off-chance that maybe, just maybe, by some freak possibility or coincidence, the next time I take one apple and add another apple to it, a third apple will spring into existence and I’ll have three apples. We know it’s foolish, we know that based on the laws of mathematics and the physical restrictions of our universe it’s impossible. But we hope for the alternative.
This constant longing for the middle ground between impossible and spectacular is a trait that we incorporate into our regularly occurring existence. There’s no denying the fact that we, as TCKs, do not have a cultural home, possess no country in which we can return to, and have no place on this planet that we truly fit into. We are trapped outside the realm of normal human interaction, completely incapable of returning to a community or culture that is truly our own. So instead, we have turned to creativity.
Through creativity, TCKs have built-up groups of people, from friends to colleagues, that are so strong and so interwoven into our lives that they have become our own little cultural home. We have selected them for their differences, for the ways in which they can help better our lives and the lives of those around them. We have selected them for their value, for their desire to improve upon a situation and the relentless need to always take that next great step. We have created a culture of people who will stop at nothing to change the world.
So when you are next asked what it means to be a TCK, answer in whichever way you believe best resolves an impossible question. But know that if you and I are ever fortunate enough to meet, and you ask that question to me, I will simply smile and say the following:
It means that one day, with the help of everyone else, one plus one will equal three.”
Folklore or Folclore? American School in Brazil shows the cultural differences
Folkore day in Brazil: August 22. Time to celebrate cultural differences!
A few snapshots from the School cafeteria – the “common place to share experiences”!
traditional stories, legends and myths...
creatures from the sea, from the land, and from the space all get together making up for beautiful tales!
tropical creatures - hanging out with the monkeys!
cartoon stories
Bringing Up Children Bilingually {sharing the experience}
During one of my ‘weekend’s online research’, seeking resources for supporting our toddlers’ learning, I stumbled upon this very interesting article from The Education Cafe, which I’m sharing below. A very good resource for parents of TCK, homeschooling parents, or any parent concerned about improving their children’s learning skills, without loosing track of reality. We’ve been trying to bring our kids up in Portuguese and English. Good reading!
Bringing Up Children Bilingually
FEBRUARY 1, 2011
–Delana S
(…)
Defining Bilingual
Simultaneous
A bilingual can be an individual learning two or more languages simultaneously beginning between birth and age three.
Successive
A successive bilingual would be three or four years old to six or seven.
Late
And then there are bilinguals who develop additional languages after that point; they are late bilinguals. In the journey to becoming bilingual Dr. Landon quotes Jim Cummins as he mentions two stages that a bilingual reaches.
Stages
BICS and CALP
The first stage is Basic Interpersonal Communication skills (BICS) and the second is Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). In a successive bilingual a seemingly fluid language socially (BICS) can be acquired in the first 18-24 months; however, it takes much longer to acquire the ability to think, reason, and speculate in that language. CALP often takes 5-7 years to develop if CALP has already been reached in the mother tongue. If CALP was not yet reached in the mother tongue, then it can take 8-9 years (e.g. in the individual working on two languages simultaneously, beginning before age 3). For successive and late language learners, if CALP is not reached in the mother tongue prior to beginning the learning of academics in a second language, CALP may not be reached in either language. CALP occurs on a continuum, but you can tell if CALP is occurring if the child can 1) read, 2) comprehend, and 3) read between the lines (or make inferences about what he is reading).
Benefits of Bilingualism
Enhances problem-solving ability and creative skills
Enhances awareness of how languages operate and the development of literacy skills
Increases understanding of underlying meaning and critical thinking
Increases linguistic creativity, expression and thinking
Often able to outperform other children cognitively and academically
Strengthens academics and extends career and college choices
Expands worldview and perception
Increases sense of individual, family, and cultural identity
If knowing one language is compared to seeing in red, and knowing a second language is compared to seeing in yellow, then the bilingual not only sees in red and yellow but also sees in orange.
Issues/Struggles on road to Bilingualism causing benefits not to develop
First language fails to develop sufficiently because it is not challenged cognitively and consistently.
First language does not have a strong cognitive foundation to support additional language, leading to underdeveloped thinking skills in first and second language.
Developing CALP in two or more languages simultaneously
This can be done if both languages are given equal input time during the birth to 3 time period. One parent speaks one language and the other parent (or nanny) the second language. One reads to the child in one language and the other reads in the second language. Even if/when a child shows preference to speaking in one of the languages over the other, both languages should continue to be spoken and read to the child.
Bilingualism and Learning to Read
For simultaneous bilinguals, learning to read and write in one language at a time can be helpful. Once a child learns to decode and read for comprehension in one of the languages, he will probably learn to read the other language on his own (with just the new script being taught). For successive and late bilinguals, it is best for them to develop CALP in the mother tongue first (learning to read, write, and reason in that language) before learning to read and write in a second language.
Other Tips and Issues
If your child is a simultaneous bilingual, teach your child to read first in whichever language she is strongest.
A child with cognitive or linguistic processing difficulties in one language will likely have those same difficulties in other languages.
For successive and late bilinguals, start with one subject in the second spoken language. Then gradually introduce less cognitive classes in that language (e.g. PE, Art, Science) moving to ½ the teaching in the mother tongue and ½ in the second language.
Some resources recommended by Dr. John Landon
A Parent’s and Teacher’s Guide to Bilingualism by C Baker.
The Care and Education of Young Bilinguals by C Baker.
Language Strategies for Bilingual Families: The One Parent, One language approach by S Barron-Hauwaert
The Bilingual Family by E Harding and P Riley
The Bilingual Family Newsletter by Multilingual Matters—online archives
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Eleven months of folklore in Brazil: dressing accordingly…
In Brazil there’s always an excuse to dress up for parties and/or traditional celebrations. Here’s a small sample of our kids’ past 11 months in-country:
Day of Folklore, honoring a national writer, dressing up as a talking doll, from Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, Ms Emilia, Marquesa de Rabicó:
Dia das Bruxas – Halloween. At school and with the neighbors
Carnaval, as traditional Frevo dancers
Matutinho & Matutinha, ready for the June Celebrations!
and off to School they go!!
Pumping for the future – thoughts on life and work balance in the Foreign Service
This past weekend I finally got my way around the Foreign Service Journal. As most of us already know, the Journal, including the AFSA News section, is published monthly, with each issue covering foreign affairs from an insider’s perspective. Well, this last edition was entirely focused on Foreign Service Work-Life Balance.
One article in particular, from Elizabeth Power, really caught my attention and triggered me to write down some personal thoughts and comments regarding the issues related to get back to work after having a baby, having to balance the need to keeping a healthy baby home, away from his nursing mother, breast pumping techniques and challenges, work flexibility and the social perception of a breastfeeding mother in the expatriate/foreign service scenario.
Regarding the scope of this particular post, I believe it’s unnecessary to list out the countless benefits of breastfeeding, for both mom and baby, as well as for employees’ improved evaluations of their work-life balance. Many women have made sacrifices to continue breastfeeding after they return to work. We do this despite the inconvenience of hooking ourselves up to a milking machine three times a day, because the health benefits for our babies and ourselves abound. For the past six years, I’ve been a nursing, breast pumping, bottle-feeding mom. Any technique that would seem possible, realistic, and why not say, loving, I’d adopt!
At first, with some guilt, especially when you’re having your first baby, not so sure about how you’re supposed to manage a new baby, riding the Metro to work, surviving the extended hours away from the baby… With my first child, I knew very little about alternative feeding techniques. Traditional breastfeeding seemed to be my only route, and my obligation as a new mom, especially considering I come from a Latino family, where women are brought up to become loving caretakers… Visits to the lactation consultant helped immensely, but did not diminish my (uncalled for) guilt. My husband and I asked for help. Friends, family. We had both sets of baby’s grandparents living with us for the initial 9 months. I needed to get back to work and perform accordingly, while husband kept his regular working hours. In the best of circumstances, expressing milk at work can bring lactating women a new kind of camaraderie with their colleagues, not to mention management support as they carve out break times, find private accommodations and use sinks to clean equipment. But pumping can also be inconvenient, awkward and downright impossible at worst, depending on the job and the workplace.
Life was challenging, but we managed. The experience made me learn how to use and benefit from an electric breast pump, how to store and transport breast milk. Unfortunately, I’d started to learn a little too late in the process, and by the end of the third month, my firstborn was fully dependent on baby formula. But we learnt, with our actions, our attempts, our mistakes. We learnt.
The lessons learnt proved to be extremely helpful when baby #2 came along. As soon as I found out about the pregnancy, began visiting the La Leche League websites, acquiring information, reviews, opinions from other parents… Before we welcomed our baby girl, I’d already gotten a modern electric breast pump, with replacement parts, storage bags, and a “back up/safety” shipment (thanks to the Pouch!) of the pediatricians’ most-recommended baby formula (one never knows, right?). We, as second-time parents, seemed to be good to go.
And things were way easier that time. Breastfeeding was a breeze, and kept both mom and baby as happy as they could be. The practice made the perfection. When it was time to bring our 28-day old baby girl from South Africa back to Mozambique, her mom comfortably used the electric pump in the car, during the 2-plus car drive, stopping to rest, feed and cross the border. Batteries were key, and they make for an extraordinary accessory for breast-pumping moms! Always have them handy – no electricity? no problem!
Once I had to return full-time to work - an USAID contractor – my boss, who by coincidence happened to be a mother, and somebody who understands the challenges a new mom has, was very sympathetic to the cause, and allowed me to use one of her offices, as well as the office’s kitchenette fridge for storage. Probably, the most difficult part was dealing with the skeptic looks I got from my local co-workers, not used to that practice. That flexibility allowed me to attend meetings with PEPFAR partners, and to travel to the provinces, always carrying my pumping gear, bottles and cooler! The balance between work and life had been achieved!
Now we’re on baby #3. Still nursing and still pumping. I’m not a full-time worker anymore, but expressing milk enables me to get back into the “workforce“, as a part-timer. I spend more time with my baby, and I know we both benefit from that. I also have support: the patience and help from my dear husband, who watches the kids while I “disappear“; I’ve got help from a wonderful nanny, who learnt first-hand how to manipulate the milk and prepare the bottles; and I’ve got help from my 2 toddlers, who have seen their mom pumping-and-feeding in recent years. They understand the importance and are respectful to the process: “Shhhh, be quiet. Mommy needs to feed to the baby…“
Once more, we seem to be achieving the balance between work and family life…
Bonus: Tip
Have you ever melted pump or bottle parts when boiling them? (be honest!)
Try this: When boiling items such as pump or bottle parts, put a couple of glass marbles into the pot and stay within earshot. If the water level gets low and the pot is about to boil dry, the marbles will start bouncing and clattering in the pan and alert you in time.
Day 275 in Brazil: What we’ve learnt about entertaining our children, without going crazy…
The Miranda Family arrived in Recife at the end of July 2010. We had lots to look forward to: a new baby on-the-way, the proximity to the Brazilian grandparents and the opportunity for our children to improve their Portuguese skills, the apartment by the beach and plans to take several short trips while living in Northeastern Brazil.
We’re 9 months into the assignment. This post wasn’t a totally new experience for us since we’ve visited the Country several times before we moved here. Visiting was fun and care-free. Living and adjusting as a family, a little harder than we’d expected, but still very manageable.
Our familial “nucleus” is constituted of 2 adults, 2 toddlers (3 1/2 and 5 1/2 yrs-old) and a 5-month old baby, and being a parent/caretaker requires lots of diplomacy, negotiation, peacekeeping, policy implementation and strategy skills. That said, managing a household, its respective juvenile population and the consequent budgetary implications, is a… HUGE, EXPERIMENTAL and UNFORESEEN task!
There is a never-ending need to keep kids and parents sane (as much as possible). Family outings require loads of planning and logistics management – even if we’re just talking about a Sunday lunch!
- Here are some suggestions for entertaining the kids (without pulling our hair off), we’ve learnt along the way:
Take advantage of the warm weather and have them learn how to swim at school!
LEGOS, building blocks, puzzles - you name it! Life-savers on a rainy day
Encourage the interaction between siblings - great strategy to avoid "middle child" syndrome
Have friends over for unplanned singing sessions!
Encourage kids to participate in school's cultural events & popular celebrations
Make sure they are exposed to artistic/musical expressions. As much as possible!
Take short trips with kids and have them experience some "cultural blending"
Coordinate for play dates with other children. Include athletic and sports activities. Supervise.
Show your children how to respect, love and appreciate nature
Celebrate every milestone. Show your support. Have fun together!
Be open about trying new activities and experiences. Offer the opportunity to learn new motor skills.
Let your children know it's okay to be silly!
Make a super-extra-conscious effort to be part of the school activities.
And, most important of all: show the children your unconditional, unreserved love. At all times! At the end, our goal is raising happy, self-confident human beings, right? We’re trying to do our part…
Surprise your children. Here are some links on good stuff to do around Recife:
- Praia de Boa Viagem (beach) – natural war water pools protected by coral reefs guarantee a delicious time a the beach. The sand and waters are continuously monitored by the state’s environmental agency, CPRH and are pollution-free.
- Jardim Botânico de Recife (Botanical Gardens) – a natural reservation measuring 25.7 acres, a member of the Brazilian network of Botanical Gardens.
- Parque Dois Irmãos (park) – one of the most beautiful and picturesque green areas of the city, the 38.7 ha park is a zoo, botanical and environmental education centre and an
Atlantic Rainforest reservation. Ecological walking trails are guided by Biologists. - Parque da Jaqueira (park) – located by the Capibaribe river, the park covers 7ha and its the city’s largest one. Very green and has got beautiful gardens designed by Burle Marx.
- Parque 13 de Maio (park) – also designed by Burle Marx, in downtown Recife. Children’s playgrounds, jogging lanes, benches, royal palm trees and sculptures.
- Museu do Homem do Nordeste (museum) – one of the most historical and anthropological museums in Brazil. Hosts the “Family at the Museum” program.
- Paço Children’s Project – contemporary arts program in Recife.
- Escolinha de Arte do Recife (Junior Art School) – dedicated to awakening creativity and love for the arts in children.
- Mirabilândia – one of the largest amusement parks in NE Brazil, the fairground has more than 20 rides divided into radical, family and children.
- Game Station – there is an arcade in every major shopping mall, offering electronic games and fun for children and adults.
Golfing for Japan: expats in Recife (Brazil), united for Japan
Living overseas brings you countless opportunities. Today, my family enjoyed a wonderful morning with other diplomatic and expat families. Helping is fun and rewarding.
My husband was one of the 36 guest players. The tournament included representatives from the US Consulate, French Consulate and from the host Japanese mission… All players were asked to provide an “entry fee” for the tournament, which would be transferred to the Japanese Red Cross.
I’m proud of my husband, as an amateur player and as an example to other parents, and brought our kids to support the effort in helping the Japanese Consulate in Recife to raise money to help the victims of the recent tsunami…
The participants were greeted with a great luncheon provided by the Japanese Consulate and we all enjoyed a great performance offered by the musical group Ren Taiko, which means “Lotus Opium“.
Event: Fundraising Golf Tournament, coördinated by the expat community in Recife, PE. Including representatives from the Consulates in town, expatriate families, businessmen.
Venue: The Caxanga Country and Golf Club in Recife
Date: April 3, 2011.
Pictures to come soon! In the meantime, I’d like to show my gratitude to the Consulate of Japan in Recife, for allowing us to enjoy a very nice Sunday, surrounded by friends.
Gallery
My family’s a melting pot!
Just getting started: decided to show a little bit about our impressions on Life in the Foreign Service – venturous, interesting, challenging… Foreign born wife, American husband, three children: each one born in a different country, being raised experiencing different cultures, social rules and uncountable moments of joy, learning, fear, sadness and lots of love.
Well, when recently I had to respond to my eldest child (still in kindergarten) “where home is”, I found myself facing the intriguing reality: I’m raising third culture kids! They’re defined as kids who’ve spent their growing up years in a foreign country, experiencing a sense of not belonging to their passport country when they return to it… It could sound sad, but in fact, in adapting to life in a ‘foreign’ country, they feel most at home in the ‘third-culture’ which they have created… So, it’s actually pretty interesting, and I plan on sharing our life experiences through this blog, embellishing the pages with unique images from our posts, just-for-fun trips and unrealistic attempts to survive as a family of five on the road of the world! So far, trips to places like Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Southern Africa (Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland), Zimbabwe, Rwanda, England and the USA
Always come back to this blog and check the newest photographs – will not find them anywhere else!
brasileiro? latino? no speak americano?? click!
Photo Project: 52 Bolivian Sundays
good feedback!
