The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

J U N E 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 77 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT ing the annual cherry blossom parade and an annual holiday party. In a town of transients, it is a good way to meet others who are like you. And in what seems characteristic, wherever we go, we are always the most raucous and entertaining group. Yet it is also a very tolerant group. There is even room for the introverts. Not surprisingly, there is an interna- tional trend toward studying the effects of a global upbringing. As I was raving about the conference to a friend in London in an e-mail, she forwarded information about a similar seminar in London. This seminar was on how growing up outside of the passport country can have a tremendous impact on a child. “Whether the experience is for as little as one year living in one for- eign country, or for several moves between countries over a period of many years, the experience can change a child’s outlook forever,” stated the lit- erature for this seminar, led by a “glob- al nomad” who herself attended eight schools in three different languages before completing her secondary edu- cation. We are not alone. Almost word for word, the message is the same. This global nomad is now head of admissions at an international school in England. It seems that much like many clubs, one cannot leave the global nomad lifestyle even as an adult. And who would want to? I am already eagerly awaiting the next global village meeting in the Washington, D.C., area in October 2004. As one of the nomads said, “the hometown for global nomads is other people.” It will be good to be home again. Continued from page 74 As one of the nomads said, “the hometown for global nomads is other people.” It will be good to be home again.