16 June 2010

New Directions

Ask any stay-at-home mother of small children what she wants more than anything, and she will probably respond with some time to herself. Well, this Saturday, I am going to Paris for a writers retreat. For nine days, I will be alone without children or husband. I will submerse myself in the art and culture of the city, and I will focus on my writing.

When I return from Paris, I will be making some changes in my life, some subtle and some more drastic. These changes will be reflected in this blog. Raising Expats will be getting a makeover. It will have a new look and a new focus.

See you then.

13 June 2010

Identity Crisis

Living and raising a family in a foreign country has challenged me in new and unexpected ways. I am no longer in my comfort zone, where I am content with the status quo. I never realized how much I defined myself by the people around me. Now in this new context, I am free to re-define myself, and that is both terrifying and exhilarating.

When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be someone extraordinary. I wanted to be a journalist traveling the world telling its stories. I never saw myself as a house wife and mother. I love my family, but I don't love the example I am setting for my children.  My children need to learn that they are free to define themselves in anyway they want to, and I want to be an example to them.