In November 2012 we were asked to make a move to the only part of the world we said we never wanted to live. After much prayer and consideration we decided to turn that unwanted opportunity into an adventure!
The articles below are from our lives as expatriates (expats). Our experiences are filled with discovery, laughter, alternate perspectives, and deep thoughts about how that unwelcome invitation continues to teach us about life and leadership.
If you are contemplating life outside of your own country, we highly recommend it. And we warn you that you will grow in ways you can’t begin to imagine. Your perspective will change, your understanding will grow, and you will never be the same.
I was facilitating a workshop for students. The goal was to help everyone identify the bubbles they live in, and to encourage them to strategically pop those bubbles.
I asked questions that encouraged laughter:
Then questions that would help them think about their courage:
Since our return home from Saudi Arabia, (A place I once feared and had zero desire to move to.) I have been facilitating a series of workshops for students – sharing what day-to-day life was like while emphasizing critical life, leadership and people skills that they will need throughout their lives.
In each workshop students are given a visual of a natural process that will happen the rest of their lives – as they decide if they have the courage to leave their comfort zones or the grit to survive when life hands them circumstances they can’t control.
Some of the questions I’ve been asked about Saudi are worth sharing:
When my husband said we were asked to move to a giant sandbox on the other side of the world my stomach churned so hard I had to sit down.
How was this possible? We said we would go ANYWHERE in the world except – THERE! Scenes from movies and the news melded with my own fears and questions were fired off so rapidly my husband could not reply.
A “yes” wasn’t possible if I could not change my thinking:
One of my expat friends recently moved back to the U.S. to an area she has never lived in before.
When we spoke recently she shared how hard it is to develop friendships with people in the area.
When she is out walking and greets her neighbors, they look at her like she is from another planet.
When she meets people at her children’s schools and they learn that she was recently living overseas the conversation ends quickly.
As a society we tend to label and categorize everything into the smallest, tiniest little box so it seems more clearly defined but is it always necessary? We always want to clarify with adjectives, adverbs and descriptors so there is no margin for error in what we are talking about.
About a month ago I got a note from Jane Perdue with an invitation to write a guest post for her blog with these questions as thought starters…
Do you ever wonder what women, men and society need to do so that…
I struggled with this topic for a month. I was so torn but my heart and most recent experiences led me to a very eye opening conclusion. One you may be surprised by.
Read more at: Braithwaite Innovation Group Why our world needs FIRSTS – LeadBIG
