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April 28, 2015
My First Interview Featured on Expat Blog!
A few weeks ago, Yuliya from Tiny Expats posed a few questions for me to answer and since them, I have promptly forgotten all about it the moment I hit sent in reply to her questions.
Last weekend, however, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Yuliya has tagged me in one of her tweets in her latest article. Here’s an excerpt from her blog:
Expat parents already have quite a lot to worry about when it comes to their kids β new friends, new country, new language. At the same time, you donβt want your kids to forget where they are coming from as well. But what if you add to that parents with different backgrounds, coming from different countries? How do you help your children stay in touch with their multicultural heritage?Β
Awesome questions right! And definitely some food for thought there. And it’s so cool that I’ve been featured in an interview for an Expat Blog! How cool is that! π
Here are my answers to some of the questions which Yuliya posted:
![Untitled](http://grubbsncritters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Untitled2.jpg)
What languages do you use at home?
Primarily English. My husband speaks mostly Dutch to the kids and I’m picking up the language along the way. Although, I also try to speak Malay to them …smattering – it’s so broken, it’s embarrassing!If asked, where they are from or about their nationality, what would you usually say?
Hmmm…this one usually comes out as a mouthful. Nationality-wise going by their passports, they are officially Dutch, although my daughter is Singaporean too. My son is not – and that requires a whole lot of explanation!How do you balance different cultures in your childrensβ lives? Do you try to invlove their heritage on the daily basis? (Languages, traditions, fairy tales, etc.)
Culture and heritage to us means family time. Doing things together as a family comes first above anything else. A big part of my culture revolves around food – that’s huge from where I come from and my husband’s family are also enthusiastic foodies so we have a good blend of food culture going on. We always make an occasion with food out of nothing!
Hop over to this link here to read the rest of the interview! Thank you Tiny Expats!
You’re very welcome! π thank you for contributing!
Awesome interview! Technically, our kids are “mulit-national” though only American/Canadian so there isn’t too much difference. I think because we live in Canada, my kids would identify as being Canadian. There aren’t any language barriers either π We keep in touch with our American family through Facebook and Skype. Really enjoyed reading your answers!
Thanks Eric! π I enjoyed answering them really. I wouldn;t think there’s a lot of difference between Canadian/American, but my Canadian friends would feel offended if they are being lumped as “Americans” or vice versa! Funny that! π
Expat parental reporting in. I support these messages. π
Good interview!
We are primarily an English speaking home living in Vietnam but my fiance is known to fall back to her native Romanian sometimes when one of the kids is being a brat. :p
Just being an expat alone can be a challenge. Throw a family into the mix and your world really gets shaken up.
Thanks Danny! I feel like a (phony) star! bwahhahaaa! *blush* blush* It does really, but I think it makes the family unit a little bit more interesting.:p I bet Romanian would have some colourful language! π You or your fiance would probably take up swearing in Vietnam in time to come. perhaps! LOL
In the US, the country is so big that when you move from one state to another, it feels like you are an expat….lol. Great post on this subject.
Now that’s a perspective I didn’t think about! LOL. Thanks for the kind words, Faraday! π
We’re finding it difficult to stick to my wife speaking Thai and me speaking English to our tot, but I’ve heard it’s important. And yay for food! We eat yummy Thai food and stodgy British food at home. Along with a bunch of other different types!
Oh yes! So important and I’ve seen the difference. Kids are like sponges. Spud has a friend her age who by now is fluent in 4 languages: Italian, Spanish, English and Thai! Beat that! It’s amazing and I’m jealous!! :p