Little Travelers – Our Adventures With Kid(s)

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Last week, after returning home from some grocery shopping in our neighborhood, our 5-year-old steps into the house and declares, “I’m bored with this city.”  Amused, I promptly put it on Facebook and two out of the first three responses were “Where did she hear that?” or something similar.

That wasn’t what I expected.

Daughter #1, showing her hands, black with volcanic sand and the Osorno Volcano in Chile. February 2011.

Daughter #1 Showing her hands, black with volcanic sand & the Osorno Volcano in Chile. February 2011.

She is a kid that has always been on the move but we’ve never said that we’re bored with a city. NEVER.

That is something out of her own head.

In my opinion, it does show that she is comfortable moving around and wants to explore this great world of ours.

While in Minnesota, we lived in the same house for 7 years and sold it when I was 6 months pregnant with dear daughter #1; the same daughter with the charming quote above.

That got me thinking how much we have traveled and what we have all seen in her 5-1/2 years (4 of which have been in South America). We lived in a few places in Minnesota leading up to our move, then in Montevideo for 18 months, Bariloche for 5 months and now Córdoba, Argentina for just over 2 years (where our second daughter was born in 2012).

We have seen many other places in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, all without a car of our own. We’ve rented cars, traveled with friends, hired a driver once (okay, twice) and taken a variety of planes, buses, boats and trains.

Exploring at Atlántida beach, Uruguay. March 2010.

Exploring at Atlántida beach, Uruguay. March 2010.

In Uruguay, we’ve visited:

Colonia, Piriapolis, Punta del Este, Punta del Diablo, Cabo Polonio, La Paloma, Minas, Salta and through many more cities on the way.

In Argentina, we’ve visited:

Buenos Aires, Rosario, Mendoza, Bariloche, El Bolsón, Villa la Angostura, Concordia, Iguazu, Villa Carlos Paz, Villa General Belgrano, Cosquín, Capilla del Monte and others.

In Chile, we’ve visited:

Puerto Montt, Chiloé Island including Ancud and Castro, Osorno, Villarrica, Pucón, Puerto Varas, Santiago, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and others.

This also included two over-land crossings of the Andes mountains: One from Bariloche, Argentina to Puerto Montt, Chile by car and another time from Mendoza, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile by bus.

 

On a bus to Capilla del Monte, Argentina. November, 2012.

On a bus to Capilla del Monte, Argentina. November, 2012.

I can’t forget the three trips to/from the United States since we’ve been living in South America. We are pretty well traveled with our kids. We like adventure (it was even in our wedding vows, “Through Adventure and Adversity”) and we encourage a love of adventure and adaptability in our daughters.

We’re not planning another move anytime soon, but we DO have some interesting travel plans we’re considering. As you may have guessed, we’re also not the type to travel WITHOUT our kids.

We’ll see where our next big adventure takes us – as a family.

Pros and Cons of Argentina: Part 1 of 2

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After our last post about the Pros and Cons of Uruguay, we of course had to follow up with our perspective of Argentina. We were in Bariloche for 5 months and now in Cordoba for 2 years. We love it here for many reasons and want to tell you about it.

This one has been a much tougher list to write. Why do we love it here? Argentina has some very distinct problems and some of the country’s economic challenges are getting worse by the day. The Uruguay list was relatively simple. We’ve been away from it for over two years. We’ve had time to reflect and consider our lives within that context.

It’s like we can’t see the forest through the trees right now.

And, our standard disclaimer: There is no perfect place and not everyone will agree with the following, but here’s our take on Argentina.

I am addressing each point in the same order so show the switch from an Uruguay Con to an Argentina Pro for us. Hope you can follow my madness:

PROS:

  • Argentina is (Relatively) Cheap.  Where we were renting a 2 bedroom/1 bath house in Pocitos (Montevideo, Uruguay), we are now paying a little more than half to rent a 3 bedroom/3bath house with a pool in Cerro de Las Rosas (Cordoba, Argentina). Unfortunately, prices keep going up. Argentina does have 20% inflation, although they claim it is much lower. Since we are making dollars, Argentina is still much less expensive than Uruguay was for us. Kids items and electronics are still pricey (same as Uruguay) but housing, services and utilities are much less. 
  • Dry. We’re in Cordoba which is at the eastern side of the Sierras Chicas, a small range of mountains that run north-south. We have hot and slightly humid summers and dry, mild winters. It is glorious and we love the climate here. Like Uruguay, we walk everywhere so weather is a huge factor for our day-to-day comfort and we have to plan accordingly. I have never paid so much attention to the weather before we moved to South America. 
  • No Sickness! Maybe we got through all of our ‘Expat bugs’when we were in Uruguay but we haven’t had more than the sniffles here- and that is with one kid in school. We had our share of sinus infections and flu in the past and are super happy to report that in Cordoba, we have not been sick at all (Knock on wood!) 
  • Residency Process Was a Cinch. We were amazed that after a 4 hour appointment in migracion (1 hour of which across the street at a cafe, waiting for them to process paperwork) We had our temporary DNI papers in hand and were waiting the official cards in the mail. The cards came within 2-1/2 weeks and we are thrilled to now be permanent residents of Argentina. We did have a little help because of our infant daughter, who is a dual citizen because she was born here but we also know people here who are foreigners and have gotten their residency within just a few visits to migracion. MUCH faster than the 2+ years it has been taking in Uruguay. 
  • Incredibly Welcoming. We’ve met so many wonderful people here, from introductions in the park, coffee shops and school. We are invited to peoples homes for asados, birthday parties and baptisms. People are so genuine and really mean it when they offer to help. It is a wonderful community.  
  • Walkable Residential Neighborhoods: We are in the Cerro De Las Rosas area of Cordoba, about a 20 minute drive NW of the city center. The houses are more typical suburban, but still connected to create higher density. We live 4 blocks from one main shopping street, 10 blocks from another, 8 blocks from G’s school and the larger grocery stores have online ordering and delivery for what we can’t get within our neighborhood. We get lots of exercise, put many miles on our stroller and walk nearly everywhere we need to go. If we head downtown, we take the bus (Diferencial line), which is plush and airconditioned :) (Disclaimer: this is the nicest bus line and costs double what the standard busses here do- about $1 USD)
  • Easy To Get Further. We have never owned a car in South America, so we walk, take public transportation and the occasional taxi all through the city and surrounding areas. We’ve also taken busses to Carlos Paz (just over the Sierras from Cordoba) overnight busses to Buenos Aires, Mendoza and on to Santiago, Chile. We’ve also rented a car, but transportation is really easy without a car of our own- even with two kids.
  • Goods & Materials. There is a wide variety of items available here, mainly because it is a much larger market than tiny Uruguay. Clothing is not the best quality all the time, so you have to be choosy where you shop. If you know what you are looking for, stay out of the malls and shop in the center of town, there are some good deals to be had. Not quite like shopping USA good deals (for clothing especially) but it’s all relative. We’ve also found a great variety of imports, organic and specialty food items. You just have to know where to shop and maybe make a trip across town once per month or so to get them. :)  
  • Many ‘Mixed’ Families. We love the fact that there are so many expats here that have married Argentines. In fact, all of our expat friends, with the exception of a few missionary families, are Argentine/foreign mixed couples. They live here and are invested in a way that most transient expats are not. This give a great perspective on the ins and outs of the country and culture through people on the inside. In Uruguay, the expats we knew were like us – both members of the couple were from elsewhere. We really value all that we have learned through our local and expat friends throughout our journey.
  • Variety. There is a great variety of larger cities (Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Cordoba and Rosario) and a huge variety of climates/landscapes in a country as large as Argentina. From sub-tropical jungle in the northeast to semi-desert in the northwest, to mountainous ski-mecca around Bariloche and sleepy coastal beach towns on the east coast- all with the wide-open pampas inbetween. Argentina has a city and a landscape to fit nearly every preference.
  • Healthcare. I feel like I have won the healthcare lottery. I have Type 1 Diabetes, which in the past has made acquiring health coverage difficult at best. In Cordoba, we found APROSS, which is the provincial plan. Not only was I insurable through APROSS, coverage started from day 1 for both diabetes and pregnancy and also has 100% coverage of all of my Medtronic Insulin Pump supplies. The big deal: I pay $390 pesos per month for me and the baby. That’s it. So, as of posting this, it is about $48 USD per month if you’re using Argentina’s  blue rate of exchange. More about this and other countries take on healthcare at a previous post, Healthcare in the Rest of the World. Since signing with APROSS, Argentina has past a law stating that people with pre-exisiting conditions can no longer be banned from coverage by private insurers, although they can be charged more. I have such amazing care and inexpensive coverage, I wouldn’t dream of switching.

All that being said, I’m going to leave you with rainbows and sunshine and happy feelings about Argentina. Not all the case though, as we’ll address the negatives in our  next installment. Stay tuned for the dark side of Argentina, plus a few things that are just plain bothersome. :)

 

Reflecting on Argentina

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I’ve been working on the Pros and Cons list of Argentina but it is proving much more difficult than the previous Uruguay list. It was stressing me out so I took a break, enjoyed a great, long Easter weekend with my family which is continuing until Wednesday April 3rd. (Today and Tuesday are also Argentine federal holidays, making this a 6 day weekend. It is on my Cons list. You’ll understand why.)

So, the Argentina Pros and Cons list is long and has been very difficult. Maybe it is that we are still too close to the situation- since we are still here. Maybe it is just that Argentina, by nature is more complex. I’ve decided to split the Pros and Cons into two lists. Even then, I don’t think my little lists will do justice to such a complex and varied country as Argentina.

At Iguazu Falls "Garganta del Diablo" March 2013

At Iguazu Falls “Garganta del Diablo” March 2013

So, here we are enjoying the variety of life in Argentina (definitely on the Pro’s list). In March, we spent one weekend at a friend’s farm near Ascochinga, one at Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian border which I must write about in a future post, one weekend home (whew!) and this weekend with the XL Easter tourism weekend. Its been a busy month and made even busier contemplating, writing and re-writing the Pros and Cons of Argentina post.

It’s coming. Promise.

Pros and Cons of Uruguay

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Uruguay list graphic by LisaWe get a lot of questions about Uruguay. Fair enough- we lived there for 18 months and wrote a lot about it while there. We’ve been in Argentina now for two years and to tell you the truth, we much prefer Argentina.

There is no perfect place and not everyone will agree with the following, but here’s our take on Uruguay.

CONS:

  • Uruguay Is Not Cheap. Maybe it was 5+ years ago and maybe it is for those coming from New York or LA, but prices in Uruguay, from housing, to electricity, to personal and kids items, were astonishingly high- even when we got there in March 2009.
  • Humid & Rainy. Much more than I ever thought, Montevideo weather was brutal. Its coastal location means hot and humid in the summers and damp, dreary winters.  Those damp winters created indoor mold and bone-chilling cold.
  • Everyone Was Sick. Expats seem to be sick more often the first year as they are exposed to different ‘bugs’. In Montevideo, it seemed like everyone was sick, all the time. Maybe it was the climate, the indoor mold potential and/or the fact that everyone shares mate (pronounced mah-tay, it is a traditional tea-drink that is shared in social settings). People always seemed sick with one cold or another.
  • Residency Process Is Not Fast. We have friends who just got their UY residency after 2.5 years of paperwork and waiting. This used to be a much faster process (6-9 months) but we gave up waiting for ours after a year. The exception to this still seems to be with the purchase of property in UY, you can get residency much faster.
  • Friendly But Not Welcoming. We met lots of nice locals, but those people were not as welcoming into their homes and social circles like we have found in Argentina.
  • Hi-rise Jungle.  Particularly Pocitos and surrounding areas are losing much of the gorgeous traditional Architecture to make way for more high-rise apartment/condo buildings. This is really a shame and I remember crying over at least one demolition of a beautiful home that was tucked between highrises surrounding a park.
  • Goods & Materials. There were many Uruguay-made items, and imports from Brazil were prevalent, but if you are really interested in the same items that you are used to in the USA (or other country) you may be hard pressed to find them. The larger upscale grocery stores had import food items but there were not many.

URUGUAY PROS:

  • Strong Expat Community. Depending on your perspective, this could be either a pro or con. When we were there, it was a definite pro. We made some incredible friends who are now at all corners of the globe. They helped ease our transition and for that we will be forever grateful.
  • Easy To Get Around. We walked, took public transportation and the occasional taxi all through the city and surrounding areas. We took the bus to Piriapolis and to Colonia. Once we rented a car, but transportation was easy without a car of our own.
  • Ferias. Oh, the wonderful ferias, how we miss them! Montevideo had the best open-air markets that set up in the neighborhoods on select mornings. Our neighborhood had a feria on Sunday mornings where we bought all of our fruits, veggies, eggs, cheese and the occasional fish or cleaning products. There is a little of everything. It was amazing!
  • Governmental Stability. Uruguay is known to be a stable government and the current president, Pepe Mujica is a breath of fresh air. Even if you don’t like his policy, you have to agree that he is a president like no other.
  • Green Energy Initiatives. Uruguay is making huge strides to add wind energy as a source for electricity. To read more, see this recent article.
  • The Best Daycare/Jardin. We still rank Caminito as the best daycare/jardin experience that we have found. Hands down. It was perfect for us and it was completely worth the 20 minute walk each way from our house in Pocitos. I wish we could find something as good in Cordoba for our second daughter.
  • Grass-Fed Beef. Uruguay and Argentina compete for which country consumes the most beef per capita. In Uruguay, the majority of the beef is grass-fed and it is not all allocated for export, like it is in Argentina. You can see fields of grazing cows if you drive east towards the coast from Montevideo.
  • The East Coast. Upon visiting, I fell in love with the wild coastal villages of Punta del Diablo and Cabo Polonio. Both very different, they were fascinating, lovely and a complete, welcome change from life in the city. I can’t wait to go back for a longer visit.

So, those are a few of the pros and cons from our perspective- in no particular order. Montevideo was an excellent jumping off point for us and we liked many aspects of it but as a place to live, we have been much happier with Cordoba Argentina, which has exceeded our expectations in nearly every way. More on that in our next post, the pros and cons of Argentina. We’ll see how they stack up!

 

Healthcare In The Rest Of The World

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html

A simple link. Read it.

There is so much wrong with healthcare in the United States and this article from the Washington post discusses the system in the USA compared to other countries, specifically Japan, Germany, France and Canada- although others are mentioned as well.

Here in Argentina, we have incredible healthcare at a fraction of what we paid in the USA. Our current costs are 390 pesos/month for me, the type 1 diabetic and our baby using APROSS, the provincial plan and 970 pesos/month for the other two members of our household (using MET, a private insurer and their most expensive plan). Total: 1360 pesos or $203 dollars/month at a 6.5 exchange rate.

With APROSS, there is a copay of $10 pesos, which is $1.54 dollars for my appointments (all baby appointments are without copay) and APROSS covers all of my Medtronic Insulin pump supplies with no copay. It is wonderful.

Enough said about how great the healthcare is here. Read the article:

 

By T.R. Reid — Five Myths About Health Care in the Rest of the World

New Year’s Eve in Cordoba

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The lanterns New Year’s eve is different in a country where it is summer rather than winter on December 31st. Last year was our first New Year’s eve in Cordoba, after living through it in Montevideo and again in Bariloche. Bariloche was quiet, but then again, nearly every day in the country outside of Bariloche is quiet. Why should New Year’s be an exception?

Montevideo and Cordoba are decidedly NOT quiet on New Year’s eve. They are the exact opposite of quiet. They are loud, obnoxious and extremely dangerous with every single person (or so it seems) lighting off fireworks. It’s similar on Christmas eve where we had about 30 minutes of fireworks last week but we are bracing for a lot more tonight.

The thing is, it’s not just one house or one fireworks display in the distance. It is coming from all around you. We live across from a park, so much of the noise comes from there, too. Seemingly every house lights off fireworks and there are pyrotechnics pop-up shops around town for the weeks leading up to the holidays.

We tend to be on the more reserved side and want to keep up the South American traditions, but also celebrate in our own way. Last year we purchased large paper lanterns that fill with hot air after lighting a giant wick on the bottom. They float away until the wick burns up (or burns the lantern). We lit paper lanterns like this when in Thailand many years ago and it was a peaceful way to celebrate while not contributing to the noise- unless you count the medium-sized-one crying. She did NOT like to let go of the lanterns last year!

We’ll be sending off paper lanterns again this year. After releasing the lanterns, we’ll lay in the backyard to enjoy the neighborhood display and our lanterns floating away peacefully in the not-so peaceful night.

Lets just hope the huge cracks, pops and bangs throughout the neighborhood don’t wake up the baby. Who am I kidding, they will. That’s okay, it’s New Year’s Eve. :)

Happy New Year everyone! Make it a safe and beautiful celebration, wherever you may be. Wishing all your dreams come true in 2013!

What Makes Our Story Unique

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Our goal for continuing this blog is to share our experiences living and traveling abroad as a family. We want to inspire people who may be considering the same and show that it is possible. You can follow your dreams and make living abroad a reality.

Although there are many other families who have lived abroad with many different circumstances, we think that our story is kind of interesting:

  • We are both from the Midwest of the USA. We are not a split-nationality marriage.
  • We’re 30-something Gen-X-ers that have started our own businesses.
  • We are in South America by choice. No job transfers, no family here.
  • We’ve lived in 3 different houses, in 3 cities in 2 countries. Lived on the coast in Uruguay, the mountains of Bariloche and the edge of the pampas, in Cordoba.
  • Hubby is a vegetarian living in the land of beef
  • I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for the last 10 years and use an insulin pump
  • We have two little girls now (started this adventure with one!)
  • Had a baby in Argentina (An unexpected home birth. We’ll get to that story :)
  • Our 5-year old that is completely bilingual.
  • We speak English at home and Spanish everywhere else.
  • Traveled with two Pugs from the USA and into Montevideo, Bariloche and Cordoba. Our oldest, Pablo, died this past June.

So, in addition to traveling with kids and pets, balancing work online with sometimes sketchy internet/electrical connections, a maze of doctors and insurance options and a rich family life, we want to continue the story and create an open dialogue for comments and questions.

Are you considering moving to a foreign country? Just in the dreaming stage? You can do it and we’re here to inspire you with our story.

 

Halloween 2012

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Halloween in Cordoba is not a big holiday. It is not like the USA where you all eat dinner early so you can get the kids out for trick-or-treating, only to come back and gorge on a huge bag of candy. It is not like Mexico that celebrates Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos). Oh no. Halloween in Cordoba, Argentina is something like Halloween-lite. For good or for bad, holidays and customs from the USA are slowly infiltrating the calendar here in Argentina — not that Argentina needs any more holidays, its calendar shows the most public holidays of any country in the world. For real.

Some of the jardins (pre-schools) have dress-up day for the little kids, the major malls will  have an event but for the last two years, we have only had about 8 trick-or-treaters each year (and in 2011 they came by our house on Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st!)

Our friend who lives in Villa Belgrano and was born in the USA organized her neighborhood to have group trick-or-treating and graciously invited us to join. It was the first year for this activity and she sent out fliers to her neighborhood and had the kids meet in a park at 7 PM. As usually happens, some of the houses are friendly to the mob of trick-or-treaters and some are not. The ones that were didn’t have much candy to give out and on several occasions, the little kids were pushed to the fringes of the mob and didn’t get anything. It was fun nonetheless and for the first year, it was a great turnout. The group had a huge majority of witches, along with our WonderWoman (Mujer Maravillosa) and our friend’s daughter, a beautiful Princess.

Afterwards, we ventured home, put out our two small jack-o-lanterns and had one group of kids come for candy. It was a good night and we tried to stress the fun and excitement of the night instead of the differences from what we know.

One of my gripes is that I really miss the chocolates in the USA for Halloween: mini candybars, Milk Duds, Tootsie Rolls and Reeses Peanut Butter cups, just to name a few.  Here you have caramelos, which is a blanket term and encompasses hard candies, starburst-type square fruity candies and other various assortments of individually-wrapped candies. Not bad but not as satisfying to this North American as a handful of mini candybars! We do have several of the same US candybars here, but they are the full-size options. You have to be committed. Somehow 5-6 of the little ones doesn’t feel as ‘bad’ as eating a full-size candybar does!

If we’re still here next year, we’ll continue to carve whatever pumpkins we can find. I really like the green, bumpy calabazas here because I like the color contrast between the skin and the flesh, and they look spookier to me.  Check these guys out:

We might try something else for trick-or treating next year, maybe check out one of the mall’s activities. Halloween seems to gain momentum here every year so who knows what our options might be to celebrate the season next year.

 

Tren de las Sierras

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Saturday October 13th we took the Tren de las Sierras for a ‘Saturday Adventure Day’ and we were pleasantly surprised by the entire day.

The train station is near-ish our house and although we’ve walked to Dinosaurio Mall (next door to the station) before, we didn’t have the time nor did we want to expend the energy before a potentially long day. A $20 peso taxi ride and we were there. The station was dated but fine, looking like a traditional train station that you may see in any small town. Tickets from the Rodriguez del Busto station, which is the start, to the final stop in Cosquin were $5.80 pesos for each adult and $3.30 for G, with the baby traveling for free. That totals about $2.50 USD total for our tickets for a 2 hour ride!

 The trains were really nice and much more modern than we were expecting but thankfully I asked ahead of time and there are NO bathrooms aboard the trains. We chose our seats (after a quick stop in the bathroom) and within a few minutes we were on our way. The route took us west out of Cordoba Capital, through the sierra mountains, along a small   river to Lago San Roque (where the town of Villa Carlos Paz is along the lake’s southwest shore). Then northwest to the town of Cosquín.

Now this is not a high speed train and it makes frequent (although fast stops) along the way. Our goal was the experience and the adventure rather than the end location. The plan included riding the train to the end of the line in Cosquin, stopping for lunch, playing at the park for a while and turning around to ride the train back again. On Saturday there are only two outbound trains and two inbound so we were sure to check on the times each way. There was one longer stop en route where there were vendors on the train platform selling bottled beverages and homemade goodies. We bought a round handmade brick-oven flatbread for $5 pesos. It was the heaviest bread ever and must have had a full kilo of flour used to make it. It was perfect.

Once in Cosquin, our plan came together perfectly. It was a sunny and slightly breezy day with warm temps and it was comfortable to be out during midday.  We had a relaxing walk where we found a cute local restaurant for lunch and stopped at an arcade afterwards for G. Then a quick stop for ice cream (yum!) and off to the park to run around a bit. After a while, it was time to walk the 3 blocks back to the Cosquin train station.

This train station was undergoing repairs and the building itself was closed. There was a ticket booth along the back of the building and port-a-potties that were thankfully well serviced. Sorry for all the bathroom commentary, but with small kids, you have to pay attention to these things!!! The train was nearly full when leaving as it was the last of the day but we got there early so we had no problem finding seats.

After a total of 4 hours on the trains looking at beautiful Argentine countryside and about 3 hours on the ground in Cosquin, we were tired, but happy for a successful and inexpensive Saturday Adventure Day in Cordoba Province.  Many more to come!

 


 

I Would Ask My Grandparents…

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My Grandparents immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in 1955 with their 8 children. My mother was 2nd born, the oldest girl and at age 12 (almost 13), had a good perspective on the journey to the USA and the transition to life in the midwest.

Throughout our time in South America, I’ve often thought of my family’s journey in 1955 and what I would ask my Grandparents if they were still with us. My Mom has been a great resource for answers to some of my questions, but the perspective of an immigrant child versus that of an adult can be strikingly different.

On a recent trip back to the USA, over lunch with my cousin, we talked about this very thing and it never fails to make me cry (tears welling now). I would ask my Grandparents:

  • What were their goals (for their family, themselves and their children)?
  • How long it took them to really feel at home in the USA?
  • When did they start speaking English at home instead of Dutch?
  • Did they feel like they had options of where to live or was the USA their only choice?(Many Dutch also came to Argentina during that era, including the family of my Mom’s classmate)
  • What would their alternate future in the Netherlands have been?
  • Did the USA meet their expectations?
  • What were those early years like for my Grandmother in particular (In the rural Midwest, with young kids in an old farmhouse)?
  • What would they have done differently, if anything?
  • What were the strangest things to them in the USA (food, customs, English phrases, etc)?
  • What is their perspective on our move to South America and our abilities to live/work virtually anywhere?

Our experiences, while similar in some regards, are very different given the 50+ years that have passed. Theirs was a permanent move where we have much more flexibility. They left the Netherlands not knowing if they would ever see loved ones again, where we have had 3 trips back in the 3.5 years we’ve been in South America. My Grandmother went to the mailbox every day hoping for a letter from home. We have frequent Skype calls with family and can share photos and video easily online.

In fact, I just called my parents via Skype and asked my Mom if she would email some photos for this post. She has been wonderful recounting the experiences of her family as she remembers but I wish my Grandparents were still alive. The discussions I would love to have with them as an adult! I miss you Oma and Opa…

We now have the flexibility and options that come with a technological world. It has never been easier to move to a different country. In fact, we have friends all over the world that are in near-constant motion (as singles, couples and families). After a few years, it is time to move on or move back ‘home’, only to move again shortly thereafter. Is this the start of a nomadic generation, all thanks to technology?

On the days that are hard, when the cultural differences seem too great or the distance just too far, I have to remember my family history and the strength of my Grandparents and all of the other immigrants around the world.  Today we have it easy. We have the world at our doorstep. We are thankful for those who have made the tougher journeys before us.