tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post377426709525243753..comments2023-06-12T07:37:39.026-07:00Comments on Thoughts From An Expat Mom: M is for....Mairinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412720057970893663noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-85163513384409979532011-05-08T21:27:36.632-07:002011-05-08T21:27:36.632-07:00Ha, we love McDonalds here. My kids could point ou...Ha, we love McDonalds here. My kids could point out the sign at 1. <br /><br />I love their mystery meat nuggets too. But I've never been picky. If it tastes good, I eat it.AiringMyLaundryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11051140760624657630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-15040029707512631172011-05-04T19:32:59.769-07:002011-05-04T19:32:59.769-07:00One more thing that I would like to point out abou...One more thing that I would like to point out about this post is that the reaction I get from most people is that they avoid the commercial advertising of the US by simply NOT turning on a television set, or only watching videos. My intent was to say that overseas, you CAN turn on a television without the commercials. <br /><br />Whether or not it is right for kids to watch TV, or how much TV they should watch, is a bit beside the point. I admit that my kids watch a moderate amount of television, because there are just some good shows on out there. So when we go back to the US, they do watch some TV, and the commercials are there. Overseas, they watch the same amount of TV, and the commercials are not there.Mairinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00412720057970893663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-33718801790899401152011-05-04T17:38:55.335-07:002011-05-04T17:38:55.335-07:00Lora- I would get Kaia a Skipper doll in a heartbe...Lora- I would get Kaia a Skipper doll in a heartbeat, but she is nowhere to be found in Indonesia! I have no idea what happened to her- where is Skipper??? It's a mystery...maybe I'll have my mom bring one when they come to visit. <br /><br />This warrants a visit to Amazon.com, thanks for the reminder of the lesser-known but just as awesome Barbie sister!Mairinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00412720057970893663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-37072648536859030972011-05-04T16:45:57.327-07:002011-05-04T16:45:57.327-07:00Hi Tara, it is nice to meet you! Hopefully we will...Hi Tara, it is nice to meet you! Hopefully we will get to meet in person, soon! Please feel free to ask me any questions that you guys have. <br /><br />You are talking to the wrong person- I know that giving a 5-year-old a Barbie is not the end of the world, as I also had Barbies when I was growing up and feel that I turned out relatively normal. It's her DAD who is not convinced. I believe in things in moderation, and I'm working on getting Jabiz to come around on that! We'll see how that goes...I think it's different for dads, because they don't have that experience of playing with things like Barbies and princesses when they are young and so it scares them a bit.Mairinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00412720057970893663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-15058464679438382872011-05-04T16:39:22.230-07:002011-05-04T16:39:22.230-07:00I appreciate your thoughts and comments, Keith, th...I appreciate your thoughts and comments, Keith, though first I must point out that I certainly do not feel that I have "escaped" the US. On the contrary, I LOVE the US- I am sad that I don't get to visit it as often as I'd like (though I plan to once the kids are older), and if we moved back, I would love living there. We would most likely gravitate to living in your neck of the woods, as well. <br /><br />However, at this point in time, we are simply choosing to live overseas and appreciate it, and that it what this blog is about- sharing the experiences of being a parent overseas. I hope I am not coming off as saying that living overseas is BETTER than living in the US, because I don't think that. I apologize if I sound that way.<br /><br />Believe me, there are many things about living overseas, especially when it comes to parenting, that drive me crazy, and often times I think, "This wouldn't happen if we lived in the US!" There WILL be plenty of blog posts coming down the line about these things, as well. Perhaps I need to work on being more balanced in my reviews.<br /><br />All of the things that you mention (food co-ops, walking around, indie toy stores, recycling) are the things that I miss when I live overseas. However, there are things that I also don't miss and that I appreciate about living in another country.<br /><br />Also, a lot of the things that I say are just coming from my personal experiences, and are not meant to be a social commentary about the US. I'm very glad that your personal experience is different!<br /><br />Though at the end of the day, right now, I just LIKE living overseas. Maybe one day we'll tire of it and move back to the US, but for now it's the choice that we are making. And while I don't necessarily NEED a big house, a nanny and international travels, I do LIKE it! I don't like having a driver, though- I wish I didn't have to have him. But that is for another blog post...Mairinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00412720057970893663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-82109710991795650722011-05-04T08:12:53.974-07:002011-05-04T08:12:53.974-07:00wow, i'm right in the middle -- okay, the nort...wow, i'm right in the middle -- okay, the northwest corner -- of the america you two are so happy to have escaped and i don't even really recognize the place you're describing. i'm as big of a critic of things like mcdonald's and advertising as anyone else -- to the point where i'm preparing to write a dissertation that relies heavily on critiques of consumer culture -- but from a parenting perspective this stuff is almost nonexistent (so far, at least and i hope it stays this way...)<br /><br />mcdonald's? our son has never even <i>seen</i> one. nearly all his food comes from the food co-op that is across the street from our apartment (fyi: 650 square feet, one bedroom, and just on-street parking for our one hybrid car).<br /><br />advertising? he's never seen a television commercial either because he doesn't watch tv. there is one streaming episode of barney ('purple dinosaur!') he watches periodically though, one which he started watching on an afternoon when risa couldn't nurse him and we thought (like good americans) that the television might distract him. it did, and he still likes to watch it and sing along.<br /><br />all i'm trying to say is that america, for all it's ridiculousness, has plenty of alternatives to unreflective consumerism and inner-city schools with metal detectors at the doors: risa's school is the bronx didn't even have those...and her low income school is in a new, 'green' building with (sometimes functioning) natural ventilation. we live in one of the densest neighborhoods on the west coast; our child walks, rides in the stroller, or takes the bus most of the time so he's hardly ever in the car; he gets his books from independent books stores (we walk six blocks to one, or across the street from his day care -- to which we ride the bus daily -- to the other); his toys come from an indie toy store (4 block walk away); we can walk less than ten minutes to four parks. so, yes, i too am horrified at the lifestyle of many americans, but you don't have to go to overseas to get away...unless you <i>need</i> a huge house, a nanny, and oodles of international travel on two 'poor teachers'' salaries.Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11866221694950688359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-48178508994587954052011-05-03T10:53:31.668-07:002011-05-03T10:53:31.668-07:00Hi! My name is Tara Ronzetti and I'm Jeff Nesm...Hi! My name is Tara Ronzetti and I'm Jeff Nesmith's wife. Well, not just Jeff Nesmith's wife...anyway, thank you for your blog, which I will be following closely as we start our process to expat-hood. I also forwarded it to a girlfriend who, along with her husband and kids, will start teaching in Shanghai in the fall. I look forward to meeting you and having our little girls play on the other side of the world. BTW-in terms of Barbie, I think Barbie becomes whatever way mommy portrays her. I was a big Barbie-phile and grew up to be a sensible and when warranted a strong feminist. Siena-Kaya likes to play princess in the yard. She "works" and then gets on the ground waiting for me, the prince to wake her. To my delight the first time we did this she sat up and said, "I'm not marrying you!" and ran away. To indulge myself and assuage my fears I gave her a sentence to add to that, that she uses every time she runs away--"I'm not marrying you, I'm going to college!!!!" Oh how much I love to play princess now! :)Taranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2798546769684499861.post-19406068701434260822011-05-03T10:13:44.598-07:002011-05-03T10:13:44.598-07:00This post made me smile! I love that you don't...This post made me smile! I love that you don't have to deal with all of the commercialism the US so freely spits out...very lucky! We have just chosen not to have a TV (we have one to watch movies on) but thanks to the internet mom and dad are able to get our fix of rotten shows and miss Elleah has stayed "immune" so far! Mike and I laugh because if McDonalds is ever mentioned Elleah says "McDonalds farm" or McDonald duck and goofy! ahh the innocents for a brief moment! <br /><br />I am quite envious of the travel and passport stamps! <br /><br />oh... and my only thoughts about the desired barbie are, try convincing her Skipper, barbies "kid sister" doll is a good choice! -she is the younger, flat chested, not so curvy, more realistic barbie. or better yet has she heard of La La loopsy dolls! 100% better than barbies and very cute in my opinion! They come in all sizes! Good Luck!Lorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17944943500831741486noreply@blogger.com