Today’s guest is the lovely and inspiring Mariam, also known as @andthenwemovedto – the name of her popular blog and Instagram account.
She’s the author of one of my favorite Expat Books, “This Messy Mobile Life” in which she shares her knowledge and ideas gained over a lifespan of expat experience. She was featured on Oprah for Super Soul Sunday.
Originally from Pakistan, Mariam has lived in 10 countries, as both, an expat child and adult. Married to a German-Italian with whom she has 3 children.
What’s so refreshing about Mariam is that – while she fully embraces her life across borders – she doesn’t sugarcoat the experience. Her advice is not merely a pep-talk, but comes from the heart and will certainly uplift and inspire you, too!
Introducing the MOLA
In “This Messy Mobile Life”, Mariam uses the metaphor of the MOLA to descibe our globally mobile lives: it’s a piece of garment worn by the indiginous Kuna tribe of Panama, in which different motives of your life story are stitched together to form a unique and colorful whole.
In this episode you’ll learn:
– About Mariam’s most messy moves and moments
– Valuable tips to master any challenges you may be encountering in your crossborder life
– How your MOLA can help you capture your own and your family’s journey (and communicate it to your employer, school etc)
– How to help your kids to thrive through the transitions
– What she treasures most about her globally mobile lifestyle
I hope you enjoy this episode and will feel uplifted and inspired!
Anlässlich des Internationalen Tag der Muttersprache, heute am 21. Februar, freue ich mich riesig eine Podcast Folge in meiner Muttersprache mit euch zu teilen – Deutsch!
Mein heutiger Gast ist Lara – für einige von euch sicher bekannt als @fromiceland_withlove , ihrem beliebten Instagram Account, auf dem sie nicht nur wunderschöne Eindrücke aus Island postet, sondern auch die lustigsten Reels und interessante Gegenüberstellungen der isländischen und deutschen Kultur.
Aus-, Ein-, Ausgewandert
Lara ist erstmals im Rahmen ihres Bachelorstudiums 2013 nach Island gekommen.
Dort hat sie sich in einen Wikinger verliebt, allerdings nicht sofort in das Land. Folglich hatte sie viele Jahre eine On-Off-Beziehung mit Island, kam dann aber 2019 wieder dorthin zurück.
Heute ist die Insel ihre Wahlheimat geworden, in dem sie sich – den anfänglichen Widrigkeiten zu Trotz – wohl fühlt (ihr Wikinger spielt dabei natürlich auch eine wichtige Rolle!)
Wie sie es geschafft hat, ihre “Hassliebe” in Wohlgefallen aufzulösen,
Welche Lektionen sie gelernt hat,
Mit welchen kulturellen Unterschieden sie es zu tun hat
Und was sie anderen, die sich in ihrem Gastland auch nicht so wohlfühlen, empfiehlt, erzählt sie im Podcast!
When it comes to raising bilingual kids, parents have a lot of questions. Add frequent relocations to the mix, and it can become a real challenge to keep their mother tongues (and cultures!) alive.
My dear friend Flor García and I have had many conversations about raising bilingual children: we both do it and exchanging thoughts, experiences and concerns makes this journey much more comforting and supportive!
But in addition to her personal experience, Flor is also a certified Spanish instructor and a professional consultant for multilingual families.
Having grown up in Venezuela, she got married to an American and moved to Texas for love. Several years and 3 kids later, they were relocated to Germany where they are currently spending their last few months before moving to New York.
This episode is packed with professional value, personal stories and lots of empathy and encouragement!
You’ll learn:
The 3 keys for a successful, bilingual education
Some of the myths about raising bilingual children
How you can support your kids’ mastery of their weaker language
Ways to involve other family members, despite living far away
Ways to deal with our extended family’s expectations
How to language, culture and identity affect our third culture kids
and much more!
Join our “Expat Moms Support Club”
a Facebook Group for moms of expat, multicultural and multilingual kids. Click here to join.
Let’s talk about “belonging”! What’s your gut reaction to hearing that term? Is it something you feel? Something you’ve lost? Something you crave?
Belonging is a core need of any human being – in ancient times it secured our survival and safety! But when we move abroad – and especially when we do so several times in a row – belonging can become a tricky thing.
I’ve had a few discussions about this topic in the last week and it was interesting to hear what belonging meant to different people:
Belonging is…
being part of a community
feeling part of the host culture
creating a beautiful home for yourself and your family
a state of mind
having “constants” in your life, no matter where it takes you (such as a portable business, an activity, a hobby, your family)
our connection to Mother Earth
What would you add to the list?
A Serial Expat Wife Perspective
Today’s guest is Navine Eldesouki, an ATCK and serial expat who – together with her husband and 4 children – has lived in 7 countries and 14 houses.
Born and raised to Egyptian parents in Australia, she’s currently based in Dubai. Navine is the Founder of Coffee with an Expat, a support and social networking platform where expat women can build connections, engage in meaningful discussion, attend meet-ups, events and workshops.
In this episode you’ll find out
Navine’s favorite habits and practices that will help you to feel like you belong
the mindsets and thoughts that make “belonging” abroad difficult
ways to help your children to adjust abroad
how to contribute to an environment of mutual support among expats
and so much more
Challenge
We’ve also come up with a little challenge that can shift your mindset and help you see more of the good things about your host country – thus making you accept and value certain things more.
Find 5 things that are great about your current host country
Explain why these things are so valuable and beneficial to your (or your family’s) wellbeing and progress!
Being in an intercultural relationship will inevitably lead to a few misunderstandings, confusions and clashes between you and your significant other.
This certainly has been my experience as well, and looking back, I realize a made a few mistakes in my relationship. In this episode I reflect on those and share suggestions of how they could have been handled in a better way so that you can avoid tapping into the same pitfalls!
Mistake #1: Discussing your relationship problems with your friends & family back home
They most probably not as familiar with your spouse’s culture and traditions, and they are obviously “Team You”. So this puts you at an unfair advantage where you’re likely to win all the sympathy points. (Also, let’s not forget that we naturally always tell our side of the story)
Find out what I suggest to do instead in the episode.
Mistake #2: Making it a cultural thing
Have you turned an argument between you and your partner into”cultural thing”?
That sounds something like this: “All of you (enter nationality) are so…….” Or: “(Enter country) is just so…..”
While there might be some truth to it, it’s not helpful to blow the problem up and make it about two countries, two cultures or two religions even. Our nationality is a trait we can’t change and if attacked – we’ll probably go into defence.
Mistake #3: Comparing the foreign-born spouse to local ones
I’ve been on the giving and receiving end of this and I know how unfair and suffocating it can feel when you’re measured by “foreign standards”. This, again, can make you get defensive and thus grow more distant to your significant other.
Remember, the differences between you and your partner are probably one of the reasons you fell in love with him in the first place. We all have a choice about what to focus on – and focusing on the positive traits in our spouse will go a long way!
Speaking of cultural differences: if you want to make sure that you turn those into strengths, make sure to download
@ Copyright Camilla Quintana – The Empowered Expat Woman 2024. All rights reserved.
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