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RAFTing toward a smoother transition
Somewhere around the halfway mark of my recent holiday in Singapore, dermatological disaster struck. A week of constant ping-ponging between the sweltering heat and the Arctic air-conditioning so...
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Discovering the Fall Fair
Full disclosure: until last Sunday, I wasn’t even sure what a fall fair was. But the town of Milton has been holding one every September since 1864, and Younger Daughter wanted to see the horse show...
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The 3½ stages of life, according to expats
Living overseas is a big deal. As life transitions go, it’s HUGE. So it’s not surprising that expats who have settled into their new domestic situation live thoroughly “in the moment” — even when the...
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The changing face of Hallowe’en
Not all the kids were scared. When I was a child, Hallowe’en was greeted with a sense of anticipation rivaling only Christmas in intensity. Choosing a costume, dressing up, wandering from door to door...
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The sharp shock of returning home
Many expatriates, living in far-flung corners of the globe, long for home. Paralyzed by culture shock and reeling from homesickness, they imagine how wonderful it would be to return to the familiar...
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Battling re-entry shock
Your move overseas probably came with a generous helping of culture shock as you tried to come to terms with your new environment. Fortunately, the intensity of culture shock can be lessened by...
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Bringing home the TCKs
Photo: iStockphoto.com/ivanushka Third Culture Kids are resilient creatures, but like adults, many find the move back to their passport country especially difficult. As parents, it’s our job to help...
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Moving back home after living overseas
As expatriate life draws to a close and the final phase in the expat cycle is about to begin, it’s normal to struggle with mixed feelings. Some expats dread the return to a “normal” life, while others...
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What the missionary sector can teach us about handling re-entry
Wouldn’t it be nice if the corporate world took care of its repatriates the way missionary folk do? My family was lucky when we moved abroad: Chef Boyardee’s employer sent us to Singapore for a...
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Even spacemen struggle with re-entry
Commander Chris Hadfield I read an article a few days ago about astronaut Chris Hadfield, who became the first Canadian to command the International Space Station this past December. Although he’s been...
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Re-entry: expectations vs. reality
When I decided to write a book about overcoming the challenges of repatriation, I knew I’d have to talk to repats about their experiences. I wanted to get an accurate picture of re-entry — the good,...
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Defining repatriation
“Class, repeat after me….” “Don’t assume,” the saying goes. “It makes an ASS of U and ME.” Well I don’t know about U, but ME is feeling pretty ASS-like at the moment. I’ve been ploughing through the...
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Reinvention and adaptation
Well, hello there. I know it’s been a while, and I owe you an apology for walking out on you with no explanation. It wasn’t my intention to stay away for so long. But you know how it is — stuff...
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