{Weekly Writing Challenge} Map it out!

[Backstory, inspiration from WP] “As bloggers, we scan through photos and descriptive tales from our fellow writers who share their travels with us… Maps symbolize the places we’ve been, the places we want to go, and the places we’ll end up, even if we don’t know it yet… ”

That said, I’m taking up on the challenge, and ‘mapping out’ the places in my life. Just the important, ‘life event’ moves. A couple years back when I began blogging, I decided to name this blog, representing/expressing what my [now 3] kids are: the product of their mom’s and dad’s hybrid/joined cultures. Moving is part of our lives, and was part of mine way before met the so-called husband. Maps are a frequent guest at my posts, and this time, responding to the challenge, I’m ‘mapping out my life’, the moves I’ve endured as a nomad child back in Brazil, the ones leading me to a new path as an expat, mother and ‘trailing spouse’… ♥

Moving as an expat…

[Backstory, inspiration from WP] “As bloggers, we scan through photos and descriptive tales from our fellow writers who share their travels with us… Maps symbolize the places we’ve been, the places we want to go, and the places we’ll end up, even if we don’t know it yet…”

That said, I’m taking up on the challenge, and ‘mapping out’ the places in my life. Just the important, ‘life event’ moves. A couple years back when I began blogging, I decided to name this blog, representing/expressing what my [now 3] kids are: the product of their mom’s and dad’s hybrid/joined cultures. Moving is part of our lives, and was part of mine way before meeting the so-called ‘best-half’. Maps are a frequent guest at my posts, and this time, responding to the challenge, I’m ‘mapping out my life’, the moves I’ve endured as a nomad child back in Brazil, the ones leading me to a new path as an expat, mother and ‘trailing spouse‘… ♥

The beginning: ‘this child is born’, in a small Japanese colony, in Southeastern Brazil:

Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The original family moves to the nation’s capital, for a fantastic couple of decades of friendships, schooling, learning, growing, language, cultural and life experiences:

Professional opportunities keep leading that grown child to keep moving up… and North!

Life presents itself in very strange ways... and sometimes, love, personal life & work seem to agree with each other… a few fortunate moments, that one must take advantage of… and move on! Again, keep moving up… and North! The new home, now officially an expat, the “D” city indicated by the map – working as a foreign research fellow, in Davis, CA.

One day, we all come to the realization that it’s necessary to say ‘YES’ to a lifetime commitment… and so I did! And the acceptance brought me to a new address, some 2,800 miles away, to new work opportunities, to a new life as a spouse:

What happens when a ‘nomad child’ marries another ‘nomad spirit’?

Well, they move, together with their first ‘world citizen‘! This time, as a ‘trailing spouse’ and a mom, I’m going back South… to Southern Africa…

It came time to welcome our second child… so then we moved to a neighboring country, for a little while…

We were done with our work in Africa, and had to return to our original home. Back in Washington DC, before heading out to our next adventure… From “A” to “B”, landing in “C”, and welcoming our third child into the world [of traveling!]:

But since we’ve got ‘itchy souls‘, common to world travelers, we may not stop… We’re always moving, and as a result of work, lifestyle and adventurous minds, we find ourselves in a different place, the beautiful country of Bolivia… for now! 😮 Thanks for following us, and… what about you? What is YOUR JOURNEY? Feel free to leave a link at the comments section for others to ‘live thru your experiences’!! 😮

Related: Writing Challenge: Map It | Fi’s Mutterings & Mumblings

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Author: 3rdCultureChildren

Welcome! Here I am, 'releasing' my thoughts on traveling, parenting, raising TCKs, teaching, writing, working... and who knows what else! I’m a WIFE, 'geeky-stuff' SCIENTIST, TEACHER, AMATEUR photographer, MOM of 3, TRAVELER by choice and by marriage, and of course, a HOUSEHOLD QUEEN!!

129 thoughts on “{Weekly Writing Challenge} Map it out!”

  1. Pingback: Random thoughts on my life as a rolling stone… | 3rdculturechildren

  3. What an impressive life journey… I followed a broken link back to your blog and decided to search for the post that was pinged to me… Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! Good for you… Did you change the post? The date on the one sent to me is completely different. from this one… Anyway, I’m happy for you! 🙂

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to ‘research’!’:o Sorry about the link: something had happened, and I had to go back and ‘re-edit’ the post… had to copy the whole thing, and past it as a new one, and deleted the original… no reasonable explanation, but I did get a lot of people telling me the same thing… sorry for that inconvenience… But I’m glad it got freshly pressed – who knew that telling/mapping your moving stories would get the post picked by the WP editors? 😮 But hey, no complaints, right? 😮 Thank you very much for stopping by! :p

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  4. Pingback: “To have a second language is to possess a second soul” (Charlemagne) « 3rdculturechildren

  5. Great post, I’m a sucker for anything with maps–I love exploring on Google earth 😛 Working in the foreign service, United Nations or something like that is my absolute career goal, so I’m quite jealous lol 😛 I did a study abroad semester in France and then spent a total of three months of my life living in Egypt, and I hope that my next home abroad after grad school is either back to France or a French-speaking country in the Middle East 🙂

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    1. Glad to know you liked it! I always loved maps, ended up marrying someone with the same passion… and work takes us around… the world. So far, it’s being a fantastic journey! Wishing you much success for this year of 2013… maybe you should look into a career/lifestyle as an expat? 😮 Have you given any thoughts on this? Keep me posted, and thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and check this ‘map-post’ out! Cheers from La Paz, Bolivia!

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    1. Thanks! I’ve started in a very small town in SE Brazil, by the Atlantic coast, called Itaguai, in the State of Rio de Janeiro [first map and pic from the post]… Thanks for taking the time to come by and check it out! 😮

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  12. Yes, great post right there, I liked it. My name is Carlos, if you are interested in ‘Surfski’ I invite you to follow our blog! Regards.

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  14. Poor addicts and submissive, the psycho-political slaves …

    The political class lives an awkward moment.

    Not for everyone, but for the most part, is the “positioned” as a situation or as opposition.

    But it is interesting to see how many behaviors, whether councilors, ex-councilors, secretaries (political office) and allies, end up being similar to that of gambling addicts.

    The gaming addicts, for example, illegal slot machines, stand beside your preferred machine.

    To create a bond of affection, with MACHINE, and when the affection weakens, moving to a kind of …

    continues in: http://wp.me/p1iO2Q-DA

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    1. Thanks… we’ve also hit 4 continents, thanks to work… 😮 the beauty of the R&R trips, the home leave, or even, sometimes, some unforeseen med-evac… all in all, it’s a great experience, and for sure, a fantastic journey! Much success and wishes for a joyful year of 2013. Keep me updated on your guys adventures, as well – the military life is truly fascinating! 😮

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  20. Cool map! When I first came to live in UK, I could see that so many people had moved around so much in their lifetime, even when they did not know much or any English at all. I was surprised coming from a country where we do not tend to travel and work abroad that much.

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    1. Thanks! There a lot of people like us out there… we’re this strange group of ‘serial movers’… 😮 some would even say, ‘serial expats… I rather say, ‘serious expats…’ thanks for stopping by!

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  21. a vivid story of life of a nomad family. sounds like a fantastic experience. may be i should be an expat instead? 😉 i only did that during my study, but i only moved twice. great post!

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  23. My first travel – like, real travel! – started in 2010 and took me to New Zealand, where I lost my heart. After a year there, going back to Germany was so hard. I cried on the plane and I’ve missed it ever since. After a year of trying to fit in, working and studying I am finally back on the other side of the world – in Australia – where I am working as a nanny and in 10 months I’ll go back to the country that means the world to me. After that, I’ll either go back home to Germany, visit Chile or travel Australia on my 2nd visa. Who knows what the future may bring?
    I am currently blogging about my experiences in Aussie on http://recolourlife.wordpress.com/ . It’s in german, but there are loads of pictures, too.

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    1. Kaja! Thank you so much for sharing your life experiences, and for letting us be part of your memories! So kind of you! Wishing you good luck on your upcoming [ad]ventures, and I’ll definitely be checking up on your blogging stories! Thanks for stopping by! 😮

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  24. People ask me where I’m from – I tell them that i’m a ‘citizen of the world’
    I was born in the US, lived in Europe and now call Australia home. Who knows where my next adventure will lead.. I hear France is nice this time of year. 🙂

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    1. Ad you’re so right! Where is home, anyway? Where your heart is? Maybe! Glad to find another ‘citizen of the world’… We’re growing up in numbers! Take care, and thanks for taking the time to check it out – much appreciated! 😮

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        1. Why not, right? 😮 I forgot to ‘map out’ the fact I lived in Argentina, for a while… in Cordoba, working at INTA/IFFVE… and would occasionally visit Santa Fe and friends at UNL… 😮 Take care, Alessandro, and let’s be in touch… Have a great year & suerte en 2013! 😮

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  29. My husband jokes that I am a gypsy nomad – always moving and always finding a new passion… I moved 12 times (apartments, cities, and countries) over the past 10 years, and we’re moving again in 2 months!

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      1. So true – it can be super stressful… but also super great if you take the time to get rid of the things you really aren’t using… it lessons your load! 🙂 Thanks for the post!

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  30. Interestingly, you seem to have missed the entire Asian continent. But that’s okay, I’ve got a handle on it. SE Asia is where I’m headed….Philippines to be exact. The warmth of the tropics, crystal clear waters, and affordable cost of living with some additional freedoms and liberties thrown in for good measure. Mapping is a good inspiration though…thanks.

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    1. There’s still time… who knows what the future is reserving… for all of us? 😮 Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by, share your travel plans, and your expectations… Much success and great travels for 2013! 😮

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  31. I am stunned by the number of places that you have called home. Mine are at two main countries (Ghana and England) with New Zealand being what I would call my spiritual home – and a place I plan to move to sometime in the future.

    I have to admit shock and jealousy at the beautiful map collection that you’ve got going on here. I failed the assignment, but love what you have done here.

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    1. WOW! Thank you, thank you for such kind words… I’m honored… You can still prep a ‘map post’ about your travels… or your life events… I’d love to visit Ghana… I do miss Mozambique, South Africa, Swazi… those places have a special spot in my heart, and will always have! And New Zealand [one of our closest friends here in La Paz is a New Zealander], his stories makes long we could go for vacation, at some point! thank you for stopping by and checking the ‘map journey’… 😮 Take care, and have a fantastic year!

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  37. Gee, I get tired just watching your emitinerary (just made that word up!). It’s a really great way to show us where you’ve lived. At some point – speaking from experience but also having discussed this with other world citizens – an itchy soul or gypsy gene may become a burden. You might feel like a hunted animal years from now, but you’re probably a few decades away from that. 😉 I suppose it all depends where one ends up!

    After 19 years of living in Johannesburg (from 25-44) I left it to live in a safe environment. Canada. Boy, was it ever safe there! I didn’t live in Toronto, so it was also unbearably boring. Since 2002 I’ve never quite felt at home or settled anywhere and have even attracted nightmarish living situations (northern Spain). The rumour goes that Mama Africa will do that to you. Once you’ve lived there long enough she’ll never let you go. Do you feel that too or did you not live there very long?

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    1. I absolutely do [feel that about Africa]! It’s amazing, isn’t it? Once you’ve lived there, something happens… to your bones, your mind… maybe even your genes! You’ve got that feeling that you ‘need to get back’… let’s see… let’s see… Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by, read thru the ‘map post’ and share your life memories, and experiences… Have a great year of 2013… and let’s keep on moving… 😮

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  38. Pingback: “You just got… Freshly Pressed!” Thank you! « 3rdculturechildren

  41. Very cool post 🙂 You’ve been everywhere! You were totally up for this challenge. One of the best ones I’ve seen. I haven’t been anywhere other than the supermarket, so I couldn’t really map that out. 🙂 Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.

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    1. You really made me laugh right now… ‘nowhere but the supermarket’! Hilarious! 😮 Thanks for taking the time to come over and check the post/mapped out journey!!! I hope to add many more ‘homes’ to my map! Take care! 😮

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  43. Oh, cool! I used to volunteer with a man that catered almost exclusively to third-culture kids and the challenges they face (especially the question, “Where are you from?”) and was amazed at the experiences that some of these people have before reaching the age of majority. Good on your for bringing your children with you on your adventures!

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    1. Humm… Germany is pretty tempting! 😮 Don’t know when, but we’d be really pleased if that happened! Thanks for the offer – I’d definitely take you up on that! 😮 Greetings from La Paz…. now, off to grabbing a ‘Paceño’ cup of coffee! You gave me a great idea… 😮

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    1. Which, is definitely a great thing! Sometimes I wonder how life would have been if I’ve never moved… I sort of miss not having ‘best friends’… or know how it is to grow up with a solid group of people, in the place… 😮 The grass is always greener somewhere, right Gilly?! 😮 Thanks for stopping by!

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      1. Yes, It must be strange to have to keep leaving peopke behind. I suspect you’re like me – ultra friendly and collect lots of peeps. I must admit I see my school friends that I’ve known for 45 years!

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    1. Thanks! Have no idea, yet!!! That’s the beauty of this ‘life challenge’ – one may have expectations, but the future… is always a surprise! 😮 Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check it out, Helen! Much appreciated! 😮

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  49. how exciting 🙂
    I guess, it takes a lot of courage to keep moving, especially with children.
    I guess adjusting to new environments, new cultures, new people are second nature to you and your family. wish you many more adventures.

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    1. Thank you very much, Amira, for your words of support… you’re right, it takes courage, and also, it’s part of our jobs, it has become our routine, and the adaptation/adjustment are simply another required step along the way! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and check it out! 😮

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and checking our ‘journey’ out… it’s hard to map things out – harder than I had initially imagined,because it makes one stop, think, re-evaluate… but, hey, it’s definitely part of the journey, right? 😮

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  51. Pingback: Writing Challenge: Map It Out | A Real Mummy Diary

    1. Thanks for taking the time to check it out… Hopefully, it wasn’t too messy/confused! We do not know our future, yet… Normally, it becomes clear, a little before we have to depart from current post… but, will keep you updated! 😮 We just arrived in Bolivia (5 months ago!), so, still time to learn, adjust, explore…
      Take care! Greetings from “Breathless La Paz”!

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    1. I know… we stopped in Europe during one of our R&Rs… but never lived there, so, does not count… Asia for work, but not with the whole family… again, no counts… and Australia… we’re waiting on our ’employer’ to send us to these places… that’s the way we move/travel/live! 😮

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        1. No, not yet… we plan on doing a bit of ‘exploring’ once we get a chance to be posted in Europe… We’ve been to England [husband, myself] before, but only spent a week, on a search of the roots for the Greene family… one day, maybe… thanks for sharing! let’s see if our paths cross! 😮

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