An Open Letter to My Sisters --

And Anyone Else With Children

Over New Year's, I traveled with my good friend E, also known as TC3, to visit her brother in Tokyo. Yes, both TC3 and her brother are expatriates. At one point, the conversation turned to what it is that brought each of them to their respective countries. Brother told this story:

When he and E were children, their parents hosted an exchange student. The student was from Germany, and it brought all of the outside world to their rather provincial Saskatchewan town. Here was a person who spoke differently, ate differently, dressed differently, and wore funky socks (why is it that Europeans wear crazy socks?). And he was an active guy, so this six-year-old boy suddenly had a big brother to play soccer and hockey and any other game with. Brother was, to be honest, in love. In the way only a six-year-old who idolizes a teenager can be, of course. The love and wonder of the experience was still evident in his voice 30 years later.

His parents sponsored a number of exchange students over the years, and they were all wonderful experiences, fraught with the occasional argument or tension though they were. Each exchange student brought his or her own unique perspective to their small(ish)-town.

And as they grew up, both he and E became exchange students themselves. It was his experiences as a high-schooler in Japan that brought him back to the country to study and then live and work as an adult.

I'm not sure, really, what brought me only own expatriate adventure. I always find it difficult to put into words. We had an exchange student, once, for a few months. It was a good experience, but aside from the odd reference to rubbers, she was an Australian, so it wasn't such an eye-opening experience. She was a lot like just one more big sister.

But I do know this: my world is definitely bigger for living in a different culture. I admit I'm pretty hard-core. Not everyone, especially not everyone with kids, is prepared to pick up and face the challenges and the unknowns of life in a foreign land. But exchange students are out there, and you can bring the world to you.

More importantly, you can bring the world to your children.

P.S. This post was not sponsored by my friends who work for exchange student companies.