I Worry...

I love raising my children in another country, but that doesn't mean I don't have my concerns.

I worry that my four year old isn't learning the Pledge of Allegiance.

I worry that my 12 year old isn't learning American History the "American" way. How is this going to affect her SAT scores?

I worry that we live in a hotel without any real place to run and play.

I worry that Dustin hasn't had the opportunity to learn to ride a bike.

I worry that Emilie is taking Mandarin and Dustin is learning Bahasa Indonesia - two languages with which I am able to provide very little help.

I worry that housekeeping and drivers are going to be thought of as the norm in my children's eyes.

I worry that Skype and FaceTime are the only ways my kids are able to communicate with family.

But then this happens...

http://ecmonika.blogspot.com/2013/10/before-we-part.html

Dustin's Class on United Nations Day (Thanks for the photo Ms. Monika!)

Dustin's classroom of 14 kids represents 11 countries of the world.

The 200 students in Emilie's 7th grade class represent over 65 nations.

I can't help but ask, "Where are they from?" when Emilie mentions a new friend or, "What language is that?" when Dustin talks about a new word he learned from a friend at school. 

The Countries Represented in the Early Childhood Program at D's School

I can certainly focus on the negatives that come from living so far away from the comforts of home (and believe me, there are some days that I focus only on these negatives), but the positives are countless and I am learning to embrace them.  

How many four year olds have friends from 11 different countries?  How many twelve year olds have the opportunity to tour Vietnam & Indonesia in the Spring, Thailand, Malaysia & Cambodia in the Summer, Spain in the fall, and Australia in the Winter? How many American kids know where Indonesia is on a World map? How many 4 year olds from America have exclaimed, "That's the flag from Turkey! That's where my friend Bojac is from! Can you help me find Turkey on the map?"

I love that my kids are learning to think globally! Emilie hears world news and thinks about how it might affect her friends who have moved to other parts of the world; She wonders how the things she is learning about in school affect America, but she has also learned that there is a world outside of America - At twelve years old, I didn't think about the world outside of Kyrene Middle School, much less outside of the United States.

I have really enjoyed learning about other cultures around the world and I hope this is one positive aspect of our adventure that will stick with my kids as well.

Dustin Representing America (and the D-Backs) in the United Nations Day Parade of Nations!