The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

74 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 4 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT that the rigid Japanese education sys- tem did not bend for its expats. With the economic boom of the 1980s, Japan began to recognize that their urbane, English-speaking citizens were an asset — and hence Japanese nomads have a better situation now than they did 50 years ago. The conference ended with special interest group meetings for writers, counselors, practitioners, advocates, campus and local group leaders, edu- cators, coaches/cross-cultural trainers, researchers, conference 2004, GNI’s Vision, mission and action, healing arts practitioners, information technology, and a farewell lunch and speeches. Lastly, there was a marketplace featur- ing the different organizations for the globally active — careers, volunteer work and projects. Representatives from the fields of international educa- tion and international development, NGOs, entrepreneurial efforts, cross- cultural training and intercultural edu- cation were all available for consulta- tion. They also distributed material. A Hometown Club Attending a conference like the GNI conference is a great way to make friends, but also a way to realize that you are not alone in your “spe- cialness.” Most of the people at the conference speak three or more lan- guages, claim five or more countries as part of their identity, and many have several passports. It’s wonderful to be part of a club where every intro- duction is a laundry list of countries of residence. Once the background information is out of the way, the friendships can commence. Initially I was wary of the event — worried that it would be a bunch of hippies sitting around in a circle singing “Kumbaya.” While there was some of that, modern global nomads are less hippie and more hip. And there is room for both the hand-hold- ing and the applause. As a result of the conference, I joined the local chapter of Global No- mads International, Global Nomads Washington Area. (To join the list, send a blank message to gnwa-sub scribe@yahoogroups.com.) They function primarily as a social group and meet about once a month for brunches, movie nights, etc., includ- Continued from page 73 Continued on page 77 Most of the attendees claim five or more countries as part of their identity, and many have several passports.