How to Talk Expat
Sep 16, 2019 11:51:45 AM Sarah Rymer Jordan, Life, Living Overseas, Tips, Learning, Culture, community
Recently I realized I’ve learned another language. No, not Turkish, French, or Arabic, although I’ve learned each of those to varying degrees of proficiency. I guess it’s not actually another language I’m learning, but a dialect I call Expat.
10 Habits to Boost Your Ability to Flourish
Aug 26, 2019 12:38:05 PM Sarah Rymer Life, Living Overseas, Tips, Learning, Culture, community
Overseas living is like playing an old familiar game of life, but the rules are completely changed. How do I gain competence? How do I progress? How do I “play fairly?”
5 Ways Change Can Transform
Aug 12, 2019 10:31:39 AM Sarah Rymer Tunisia, IDEAS projects, Life, Living Overseas, Learning, Culture, community, Transformation
Several years ago, the possibility of taking my family overseas to a new country became a reality. Since then, our lives have been anything but predictable. Looking back, if I had known what I know now, I would not have been filled with doubt, fear, and hesitation. Instead, I would have been filled with expectation and excitement.
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Moving Overseas with Children: Inevitable Losses & Surprising Gains
Jul 1, 2019 11:43:54 AM Sarah Rymer Bangladesh, Children, Families, Life, Living Overseas, Love, Culture, community
For nearly a year before our family moved overseas, my mind was constantly processing the losses my young children would soon experience.
How to Survive Culture Stress
Jun 24, 2019 2:28:58 PM Sarah Rymer Jordan, Life, Living Overseas, Tips, Learning, Culture, community
I recently experienced culture stress. The situation: the purchase of a new refrigerator and the fact that it took two weeks for it to be delivered, which meant two weeks of storing my food at my neighbors’ house and two weeks of rearranging my schedule to be available on days the refrigerator might be delivered. This ordeal led me to think about culture shock, ...
A Card Game and a Picnic: A Refugee Story
Jun 17, 2019 12:33:27 PM Sarah Rymer Cyprus, Hope, IDEAS projects, Relationships, community, Transformation
The first day I met "Karla," she was sitting at a table in a class I was substituting. Her eyes were big and fearful of this strange American teacher who had just walked in.
Giving Birth Overseas. . .One of My Best Decisions
Jun 3, 2019 1:27:19 PM Sarah Rymer China, Children, Families, Life, Living Overseas, community
The first time I walked into JinXiNanFang Hospital I was eight weeks pregnant.
Signs of New Life
Apr 29, 2019 11:43:47 AM Sarah Rymer Hope, IDEAS projects, Love, Relationships, community, Transformation
This time of year I’m reminded of how life springs forth from the dry and barren ground and from trees that appear to be dead, like they will never come back to life. This reality reminds me that new life is always preparing to emerge unexpectedly from whatever loss or death I'm experiencing.
Why Should I Join IDEAS? Here's Why!
Apr 22, 2019 11:35:59 AM Sarah Rymer IDEAS projects, interesting people, Living Overseas, Organization, Relationships, Volunteer, work, Hospitality, community, Transformation
"So, why should I join IDEAS?" I love this question. In fact, I never get tired of it because it is the exact question a possible volunteer or long-term Associate should be asking.
What Is My Purpose? An Engineer's Response
Mar 25, 2019 12:50:29 PM Sarah Rymer Jordan, Agriculture, IDEAS projects, Living Overseas, Relationships, community
Why do I work? Am I having an impact? Is my work worth something? These are questions we all ask ourselves at some point in our lives. We want to know we are working towards something more than just a way to earn a living. That our work has some greater value. When I took a position in Jordan with IDEAS, I had no idea how important these questions would ...