Final Post on Living & Traveling Overseas

*Day 31 of 31 days of Traveling & Living Overseas with Kids

**All stories are true.

Traveling overseas is an adventure

and with children it’s a journey

from learning more about yourself to

recognizing when the kids are just plain exhausted.

You’ll come across weird sightings like this black light in our bathroom in Turkey.

 

To sitting on the Mountain where Jesus preached the Beatitudes

You’ll see your kids grow and develop a wider worldview,

and overcome obstacles they wouldn’t have tried before.

Sometimes you’ll feel a bit wonky,

Or maybe even dirty…

so clearly life’s not always going to be as easy as floating in the Dead Sea,

but seeing the world is worth it all!

 

Fighting Homesickness, Education & Good Reads

*Day 30 of 31 days of Traveling & Living Overseas with Kids

**All stories are true.

It happens to us all, we get homesick for the greener grass of another country.

Sometimes we don’t remember the hardships back in America,

or we are don’t care and just want to feel normal again.

When my kids hit the homesickness bug,

we try to build them up through a few ways.

We listen to familiar music that we learned in the States,

Read books we brought over,

look at pictures and home videos taken in the States,

and we remind each other of memories we had.

Finally the kids love to hear their birth stories and

that seems to soothe them as they realize they are a part of a family

and they are loved!

 

A few books I would recommend for those traveling, moving or living overseas

are:

Uprooted by Rebecca Vandoodewaard

Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider

Third Culture Kids by David Pollack

and for kids,

It will be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst

What are books you’ve found helpful?

If you haven’t traveled before, do you want to travel with your kids?

Our Househelper

*Day 29 of 31 days of Traveling & Living Overseas with Kids

**All stories are true.

I haven’t really mentioned much about our househelper, B.

She has really lightened the load of housework here

by coming 3 days a week to

do laundry, dishes, clean the house,

wash bedding, wash produce,

sometimes prep or cook dinner

and keeping an eye on the house when we are out of town.

In the States, it’s typically only the wealthy who can afford nannies or house cleaners.

Here B does it all.

She will watch the kids any time

and has been responsible in fixing a water outage when we were away.

Yes I can do most of the things she does

(not as well),

but here it is expected for your family to financially support those in need.

B works hard and is paid for her efforts.

It allows me to branch out and spend more time

volunteering,

teaching yoga classes &

enjoying  culture and friends.

Laundry & the Normal Chaos Routine

*Day 28 of 31 days of Traveling & Living Overseas with Kids

**All stories are true.

It’s all laundry that needs to be done. During our trips,

we typically have one large bag full of dirty laundry.

Our househelper probably doesn’t love it

but she has a lighter schedule when we are gone!

While traveling always has some bumps,

the more we adventure as a family,

the more routine it gets.

~Who will sit by whom,

~who will sleep on the floor,

~we always pack plastic bags and wipes for accidents and clean ups,

~pack extra toilet paper most public restrooms do not carry them,

~kids learn to occupy their time and make up games while we wait

I would live in Tel Aviv…

*Day 28 of 31 days of Traveling & Living Overseas with Kids

**All stories are true.

Because…

It’s like the New York City of the region

but cheaper, prettier and probably safer than our American counterpart.

It reminds me of Japan where I can walk, bike or taxi most places

and where personal driving & parking is a hassle.

All in a day you can get an Israeli breakfast, Mexican for lunch and Asian for dinner.

All within walking distance and oh the food is good!

I can also wear the clothes I feel comfortable in without being concerned of offending others.

And we also had a fabulous stay because we stayed in a great AirBnB apartment!

 

This is a city I could see us living & thriving in!