Category Archives: Third Culture Kids
Can’t Live With Them…Or Something Like That
So, our very lovely apartment has a ridiculous amount of security. A front door that looks like a bank vault. Special fancy keys, and and even special-er little piece of plastic with a transponder in it that makes the elevator work. This means that every time I have guests I have to go up and […]
My Brain Is Tired
So, yesterday I clicked “Submit” to send in my final exam. It felt GOOD. Because, you know, my brain is kind of tired by now. Hello, Christmas vacation! I just finished the first of four online courses in a “professional sequence in editing” offered by the University of California at Berkeley. I have earned my […]
Like Turning An Ocean Liner On a Dime
I mentioned in my last post that things have been kind of a bummer Foreign Service-wise around here lately and that I wasn’t ready to blog about it yet. Well, I think I am ready now. We found out a few weeks ago that my husband will most likely retire at the conclusion of our […]
The Hazards of a Privileged Life
A good friend of mine, whose parenting skills I greatly respect, says that she doesn’t think life is hard enough for kids now. I think she has a point. At this moment, my son (who is ADHD, but I don’t know how much that has to do with it) is asleep. He has been […]
Things I Like About Vienna
This week’s question for the Foreign Service Blog Round-Up is a good one: what do you like about your current post? We should all ask ourselves this question now and then! Even in a cushy post like Vienna. Especially in February. I’ve mentioned before that I am not here for the “typical” reasons. I am not […]
Another Break from Baroque
My son went on an expedition to the Danube Canal with one of his classes at school. The project involved photographing graffiti (how cool is that?) and I liked his photos so much I asked if I could post them here. So, courtesy of the Teenager, here’s another break from Baroque! PS: I can actually […]
You Just Never Can Tell
The Teenager is not a child that you would ever have described as “adaptable.” He was 15 before he would consent to wear jeans. They apparently weren’t soft enough. He eats like a really big, hairy, four year old: primarily fast food, peanut butter, pizza, cereal, and gallons and gallons of milk. No vegetables whatsoever, […]
How the Other Half Lives
My husband “got the offer” while I was still in college. Our first few years in the Foreign Service were dominated by student loan payments, pregnancy, and babies. The babies were much more fun than the first two things on that list, but it all added up to a triple whammy in terms of not […]
I Hear the Sweet Sound of a Switch Flipping….
You know how with some kids, you really wonder if they are ever going to pull their heads out of their backsides grow up? Especially when those kids have been blessed with a Y chromosome? And ADHD? Well, I could be wrong, but I think there’s a switch in a certain Teenager’s head that is […]
ADHD and the Foreign Service Part Five: And They All Lived Happily Ever After (Even With ADHD)
Wow, big week! On Monday, we closed on that little fixer-upper I’ve been on about. It was an intercultural experience. The sellers were an older Iranian couple who were apparently under the impression that there is no such thing as a done deal. Everything is negotiable, even at settlement–and even with your own agent! It […]
ADHD and the Foreign Service Part Four: Things Are Looking Up (Sort Of)
Well, the short story is that we are going to Vienna. Much rejoicing! School number two did finally get back to us with a letter thanking us AGAIN for our “honesty.” ( I swear, we must be the most honest parents in the expat universe.) And stating that they will admit our son, but will […]
ADHD and the Foreign Service Part Three: Between the Needs of the Service and the Needs of Our Kid, Guess Who Wins?
Last week I wrote about how we tried and failed to get a posting that would work well for our ADHD teenager. Now, about how we ended up bidding on Vienna. Basically, after the other bids fell through, there wasn’t anything else left on the regular bid list for us. But a few weeks later, […]
ADHD and the Foreign Service Part Two: The Bidding System Pretty Much Sucks for Special Needs
In my first post on this subject, I described ADHD as my son experiences it (and as we experience it— do we ever.) Now, on to how this has worked for getting posted overseas. My intention is not actually to rant, although there are definitely days when I feel like doing that. It is just […]
ADHD and the Foreign Service Part One: The Teenager in Question
What with all the stuff that’s been going down with our next posting this week, I got to thinking about things. About where we are with our teenager and the combination of factors that got us here. Today I’m going to write about the personal side of the situation. Later this week I’ll write about […]
Hurry Up and Wait…and Wait…and Wait…
I am not the most patient person in the universe (stop laughing honey!) and so the last few weeks have taken years off my life, I am sure of it. I am shocked that I have not suddenly gone gray. Yesterday, one of the things were waiting for came to pass. Our third offer on […]
My Son, the Axe Murderer
OK, let’s just get this out there. Special needs kids and the Foreign Service don’t mix. If anyone tells you they do, run like hell. In the opposite direction. Step 1 of the bidding cycle (after getting a full psychological evaluation required by MED that notably does not mention “axe-murderer”): get your officer to make […]
How to Make a TCK Without Even Trying
What kind of mama would be thrilled that her teenage son broke up with (or was possibly dumped by) his girlfriend? Answer: a Foreign Service mama who is scheduled to leave for post in four months. Now, there was really nothing wrong with this girlfriend. She seemed perfectly nice. They lived quite a distance apart, […]
Are We Insane?
I was sitting in our therapist’s office this afternoon attempting to “therapize” with a 15 year old who is quite naturally and thoroughly pissed off about the upcoming move. Let’s just say that this is being expressed in a variety of ways. The earring and eyeliner we are cool with but the academic part may […]
