Fab 5 Friday...

This week has had its fair share of ups and downs...and now I'm sitting here worrying about Blaine's knee - which is definitely a down. He's been having swelling and pain for the last couple of weeks and this morning he finally went to the doctor. An MRI is scheduled for tonight at 6 p.m. and we're hoping it is just the sutures that have pulled out. (Please say a prayer or think good thoughts or do a little dance or whatever it is you do - that this is the case!) He has a follow-up tomorrow morning with the surgeon to get all the results.

But, truly the ups and downs of this week are not the topic of my Fab 5 today. I really had no idea what I was going to write about today and then I thought about a conversation Blaine had last week with a guy in his company who was considering an ex-pat assignment. He wanted all the lowdown...the scoop. And, that's not always easy to give because location plays a big part on what your ex-pat experience will be like. An ex-pat assignment in Paris is definitely different than one in Kuala Lumpur or Rio de Janeiro.

Kuala Lumpur is our first overseas assignment and all I can say is that this is the best decision we've made for ourselves and for our kids. And here's why:

1. Friends. You make AMAZING friends when you are abroad. And you make them quickly. And, they become extremely important to you. After all, you have a bunch of people who are all in a similar situation - far from home, no family nearby, one spouse working and, most likely, the other spouse not - and you all know what it's like to be the "new person" or the "new family." And they/you welcome you/them into the group with open arms. You have drinks together, share holidays, go on vacations, take care of each other's kids. And you know that when you move on, you will miss these people dearly, but that you/they will have new places to visit around the world.
And, we have made tremendous Malaysian friends. My "local" friends are kind and generous and make me laugh on a daily basis. I cherish their friendship and hope that when we leave one day, they know they are always welcome to come visit me.

2. Travel. This is a no-brainer. You get to T-R-A-V-E-L! And it's fantastic! I'm excited to plan each and every long weekend or school holiday. And the places we've seen...well, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to these places - at least not at this stage in my life. And the fact that my kids are at an age where they will remember riding quads in Cambodia or visiting Mickey Mouse in Hong Kong or playing on the beach in Thailand...yeah, just no words.

3. Patience. When you live abroad you learn patience. You have to...there's no getting around it. Life here in KL is full of, well, let's just call them annoyances. And, while these "annoyances" still bug me, I'm so much more patient than when I arrived. I now plan to wait for contractors who will never show up at the scheduled time. Waiting in lines at airports...no biggie. Meals that come out at all different times...my kids know that's "just the way it is here." And, we can deal with it.

4. Global Children. I don't know how to exactly describe what being abroad has done for my children, but I call them my little "global" kids. They are independent. They are thoughtful. They are adventurous. They are welcoming. They are patient. They have a funny accent - especially Caleb. I believe they would've developed all of these things (well, not the funny accent) at some point as they grew up, but it seems to be accelerated here. It's not to say they are these perfect little children - far from it. And trust me, they are rarely all of these things at once. But, I see these qualities in my kids - and in other ex-pat kids - and I know that being abroad has, at the very least, enhanced these things.

5. Strong Family Bond. There is nothing like being abroad to know what your marriage/family is made of. For some, living in a different country is a recipe for disaster. Divorce is common. But, for our family...it's been an affirmation that we're in it for the long haul. And, it hasn't all been sunshine and margaritas while we've been here (contrary to my Facebook posts!). We've had a major surgery and recovery to deal with, deaths in the family, days where we absolutely hated living here, job frustrations. But, we rely on each other and talk openly and honestly and things always get better.
 

I'd be curious to hear what my other ex-pat friends would add to this list! What has living abroad given you and your family? Why did you choose to be an ex-pat? What would you tell someone who was considering an overseas assignment?