Culture Shock in the Parking Lot
Oct 14, 2019 11:28:58 AM Sarah Rymer interesting people, Life, Living Overseas, Lebanon, Culture, Transformation
Lebanon is a small country, and I used to live on the outskirts of Beirut, which is overpopulated. People were friendly and curious about others, especially when their new neighbor was the only Asian-American in that area.
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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Facing Your Fears
Jul 8, 2019 12:48:46 PM Sarah Rymer Life, Living Overseas, Volunteer, work
What do you most fear? Failure? Rejection? Loss? The unknown? How do your fears prevent you from pursuing your professional goals?
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, ...
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.
How to Leave the Land of the Familiar
May 13, 2019 2:31:21 PM Sarah Rymer Life, Living Overseas, travel, Learning, Culture
Leaving the land of the familiar sounds like traveling to me. Stepping into the unknown, the foreign. Leaving the known, the familiar.
How to Grow in the Grief of Childhood Transition
Apr 8, 2019 2:23:56 PM Sarah Rymer Hope, IDEAS projects, Life, Living Overseas, Learning, Culture, Transformation
There is loss in leaving, and adults come to know it quickly. Experienced overseas workers learn how to make immediate friendships, grieve good-byes, and move on to the next wave of arrivals. There is a cycle, and most of us are transient. You get used to it.