Grace on Pace

Author - Jeff Grace

Netherlands Trip to Randstad Belt

August 3, 2015
Jeff Grace
Career, Travel
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Netherlands Trip to the Randstad Belt
Foreign Service Construction Engineer – Netherlands Trip to Randstad Belt

We can use Google to learn anything we want about world history and our country’s history, but our own personal history—which we really should know quite well—is often lost if we don’t make the effort.

I never knew my grandfather.  However, a few months before joining the Foreign Service, my aunt gave me a picture of him in uniform and his separation qualification record from World War II.  There is no doubt, my grandfather grew up in a world quite different from the one in which I now live, but it’s interesting that I now share such a close correlation. As it turned out, during the war, he was in charge of planning and implementing command posts across Central Europe.

At the end of last month, our paths aligned once more with a Netherlands Trip to the Randstad Belt for a New Embassy Campus project. With over 110 monuments and museums in the Netherlands, that commemorate America’s role in its liberation, I couldn’t help but imagine the possibility I could be retracing my grandfather’s steps.

Once again, I convinced Jennilou and Esmei to tag along to keep me company. While the majority of my time was spent working on the Embassy being constructed in The Hague, we enjoyed exploring the city and surrounding areas in the evenings.  Commuting to work by bicycle also allowed me to change up my route daily and witness WWII relics such as the bunkers lining the beaches, canals dug as tank busters, and the Clingendael estate confiscated by the Nazis.

During WWII, German troops bombed Rotterdam in what is now referred to as The Rotterdam Blitz. The city crumbled to the ground, killing nearly 900 Dutch citizens and leaving another 80,000 homeless. Holland surrendered after the bombing upon threats of an additional bombing of Utrecht. The neighboring city of Delft was one of our evening excursion highlights, as the city was essentially averted from destruction and able to keep its quintessential old European charm.

Post-war mentality in the Netherlands is best described as a postmodern progressive mentality, and these sentiments are reflected in movements for assisted suicide, tolerance of cannabis, and LGBT rights. This effort was on full display in Amsterdam the afternoon of our departure, as it coincided with the Amsterdam Gay Pride Canal Parade and its 500,000 spectators.

The event certainly reinforced that my grandfather grew up in quite a different world, but I am proud to have walked in his footsteps knowing he had a part in protecting and upholding the equality movement on display that day.

 


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American Parkour Beast Coast Jam 2015

May 24, 2015
Jeff Grace
Lifestyle
2 Comments
American Parkour Beast Coast Jam

American Parkour Beast Coast Jam

Gateway Park

1300 Lee Highway
Friday – Monday 5/22 – 5/25

The annual American Parkour Beast Coast Jam gathering of top parkour athletes from all over the world took place this weekend in gateway Park and other locations in the D.C. region.  The “jam” featured breakout sessions, informative seminars, and some incredibly talented athletes.  The main event featured American Parkour’s speed course, where 75 of the fastest people from around the world came to compete for the chance at winning over $2,500 in cash and prizes.

In between the scheduled events, the athletes free styled on a pop-up parkour park including bars, boxes, and fun walls.  After jamming from sunrise to sundown, the Beast Coast film festival was hosted, where videos from individuals, teams, and groups from around the world were showcased.  Attending and featured on the big screen where parkour legends Brandon Douglas, Collin Cooper, Jake Smith, Omar Zaki, Sam Blattner, Travis Graves, Yoann Leroux, Crazy Russians, and Dylan Baker.

We were lucky to stumble onto this experience and were so drawn by the live DJs, huge professionally-built obstacle set-up, community BBQ, parkour film festival, and explosive energy, we simply had to go grab our lawn chairs and make a day of it.

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Foreign Service European Bureau

May 17, 2015
Jeff Grace
Career, Travel
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Foreign Service Construction Engineer – European Bureau

My first three months working in the Foreign Service European Bureau as a Foreign Service Construction Engineer have been a whirlwind of on the job training and travel.  As a Construction Executive within the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations in DC, I focus on supporting Project Director’s in the field and representing the Construction Management division as part of the Core Project Team during design. A large part of my job is contract management, working with the Contracting Officers that issue and modify contracts. Whether it be a request to add work to the contract or an equitable adjustment to the contractor, we are responsible for all the technical requirements for the modification.  All of our projects revolve around supporting U.S. interests in the following European countries:

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Although we are not currently working in every country, the seven year average life span from design to accreditation has us working in many of them.  Most of the lime light goes to the large scale embassy’s and consulate’s under construction in our region pictured below, but the smaller projects tend to be just as much contract management work.

Oddly, my first trip as a diplomat did not take place in the European Bureau, but rather the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. As part of our on the job training, a colleague and I were sent to Suriname for a week to shadow a Project Director on a New Embassy Campus being constructed in Paramaribo. It was a great to finally see a project underway and experience what 400 workers can do in a day. Also, as an added bonus, our trip overlapped a milestone achievement and the corresponding topping out ceremony. To be honest though, one of the best parts of the trip was our layover in Aruba. Seven hours gave us just enough time to stash our bags and take a dip.

For my first real work trip, I traveled to Lithuania for a project I inherited from a colleague leaving for his first overseas post. The three-phased project is being implemented on an existing 10-acre site in central Vilnius, where site work of the major rehabilitation project included in Phase I was completed in 2010. Phase II, designed by Kling Stubbins of Washington, DC, includes the expansion of the Post Communications Center (PCC); heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and sprinkler system upgrades; and egress. Since it was going to be a long trip, I decided to book Jennilou and Esmei a ticket to follow along. Despite working six days a week for most of the time, we did manage a few evening strolls around old town.

The highlight of the trip was a weekend getaway for Jennilou’s first Mother’s day. After renting a car in Vilnius, we headed north to Latvia, with stops at Trakai Island Castle, the Hill of Crosses in Siauliai, and Rundale to visit its opulent palace – the Baltic’s version of Versailles, built by the architect responsible for St Petersburg’s Winter Palace.

After a morning spent exploring the dizzying array of of decorated facades in Riga, we skipped east to take in the crumbling castles in Sigulda before making our way back to Vilnius.

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Despite the small sample size, as far as I can tell, I’ve found my dream job.  My colleagues keep telling me the only downside was the administration work while living in DC during their first tour. If this is the worst part, I can’t wait to see what’s next.


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Foreign Service Specialist Orientation

February 13, 2015
Jeff Grace
Career
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Foreign Service Specialist Orientation – 136th Class

My first day of Foreign Service Specialist Orientation and government employment began at the Harry S Truman Building or headquarters of the United States Department of State. It was very professional and organized throughout the day. We recited the oath of office, filled out new employee paperwork, obtained our IDs, and received a variety of new hire briefings. I ended up sitting next to a Diplomatic Security candidate from California who had drove five days to arrive in DC. My new colleague was also fluent in Arabic. Everyone seemed to be happy, friendly, and extremely intelligent.

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On day two, and for most of remaining training, we attended the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC). The campus is the government’s primary training institution for officers and support personnel of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats and other professionals to promote U.S. foreign affairs interests overseas and in Washington, DC. The facility is on a beautiful 72-acre campus which provides over 500 training courses to more than 30,000 people a year.

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To sum it up, orientation was a fire hose of information designed to give us a starting point of what the State Department and Foreign Service is really about. At times it was an overload of information and things did not always apply to me specifically, but I can appreciate the need for a reference point as we assume our new roles. I had absolutely no free time in the evenings between homework (additional computer-based training), selling our house, finding an apartment, and trying to function as a whole with a 3 month in our temporary apartment at Oakwood.

One of the most exciting days of orientation is a ritual called “Flag Day.” As a tradition in the Foreign Service Specialist orientation class, it’s truly an amazing moment. Preceding the event, everyone in the class is given a bid list with potential posts to rank order. The Career Development Officer’s compile their lists and reveal the onward assignments by presenting a flag as we gather together with our families.  Some people jump and cheer, while others suffer temporary shock. For Foreign Service Construction Engineers, it’s a bit uneventful as we know our first assignment will be Washington DC or  Arlington Virginia and the following flag to be specific. However, after getting to know your colleagues so well over the orientation, it’s awesome to see them with their families so thrilled to finally know where they are headed.

Virgina Flag

An unexpected surprise from Flag Day was a folder containing the region I would be assigned to in Washington. We were told Africa and Near East Asia were up for grabs and with little preference for either, my colleague and I had simply flipped a coin and bid accordingly. However, when we received our envelope, I had been assigned Europe and she had received East Asia Pacific. If this sounds a bit confusing, below is a map of how the State Department sees and refers to the world.

Map

The culmination of orientation was a final swearing in at the Harry S Truman Building. The morning before the event, we were informed (S) would be performing the oath. I didn’t think much of it at the time, perhaps because I was so tired, but when I met Jennilou at the entrance to help with the stroller, she told me she had overhead that Secretary Kerry was presenting. Ohhh, the (S) at the top of the organizational chart, I realized embarrassed. We all sat a bit star struck as we recited…

I ________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Swearing In 3

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Shelley’s “Ozymandias”

January 30, 2015
Jeff Grace
Travel
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“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

A poem to survive empires

 

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert…Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these life-less things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words – appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
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Kid’s Travel Journal: My Trip To Egypt

January 22, 2015
Jeff Grace
Travel
4 Comments

Kid’s Travel Journal: My Trip To Egypt

By Layla (9 Yrs Old)

01/12/15

What we did today:

We are mostly traveling today.  We also went to see the pyramids and took 2 hours there and 1 hour back, so almost missed the plane.  I guess we had a good time.

Kid's Travel Journal: My Trip To Egypt

Some food I ate:

Burger King

What I liked Best:

Going from a bus to a plane and reversing that.

Kid's Travel Journal: My Trip To Egypt

01/13/15

What we did today:

We went to see the Temple of Isis and it was very big and we took a lot of pictures.  We also saw the high dam which is also cool and big.

Some food I ate:

Okra, bread, crepes, felafel, honey dew, muffin, veggie pasta with sauce.

What I liked Best:

The Temple of Isis.

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01/14/15

What we did today:

We went to see Abu Simbel.  This has the temple of Ramses II.  It was very large.  We have now seen our 2nd temple.  It also has the the Temple of Hathor.  It was big.  We now saw our 3rd temple.  When we got back, we went on a boat trip.

Some food I ate:

Hotel food, bread, water, snacks, cheese, a purple juice.

What I liked Best:

I liked going inside the temples.

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01/15/15

What we did today:

We went to 2 temples and a camel market.  I got to ride a camel in a circle, but we obviously didn’t buy it.  We saw the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu.  After that we had a good food at the hotel and went to bed.

P.S. We played the longest hop scotch at Kom Ombo.

P.S.S. We also searched for the God Alligator.  who I guess was rarely seen there for us.

P.S.S.S. Weekends are Friday.

Some food I ate:

Many things with bbq.

What I liked Best:

When we played hopscotch at the first temple.

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01/16/15

What we did today:

We saw 3 temples, 4 tombs and many statues.  We took many pictures and it was very fun.  We also had to walk a lot.

Some food I ate:

Fish and chips.

What I liked Best:

Seeing the temples best.

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01/17/15

What we did today:

We went to Luxor Museum and went to Karnak temple and left Luxor to Cairo.  Since we got first class we got a meal for dinner, even cake.

Some food I ate:

Potatoes and airplane food.

What I liked Best:

Going on the plane.

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1/18/15

What we did today:

Today I went to the Pyramids of Giza.  This has six pyramids and the highest is 450 feet.  We also went to see the The Pyramids of Saqqara.  These are 3500 years old and the oldest pyramids.

Some food I ate:

Street Chicken

What I liked Best:

Riding the camels.

1/19/15

What we did today:

Today I went to the Royal Mummy Hall and saw King Ramses the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th.  I also saw 1 Queen wrapped up with her baboon.  All of them had masks except for the ones who were entirely wrapped.  I went by myself to see it.  King Tut has 2 rooms to see his things.  he also has a very big tomb.

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Some food I ate:

McDonald’s

What I liked Best:

Mummies.

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Foreign Service Travel Orders

December 31, 2014
Jeff Grace
Career, Lifestyle
2 Comments
Foreign Service Travel Orders – Preparing For our Pack Out

Despite there being many signs before now that this change is actually “real”, receiving my official Foreign Service Travel Orders, meeting the movers yesterday for our pre-move survey, and working my last day at Sisler today, don’t get any more real.  In addition, a wonderful surprise farewell from the Harwood Youth Hockey Organization last night has made the last 24 hours very emotional.

As I sit here in my room full of boxes wondering if I am making the right choice, I have decided to research and write about the experience to get it on “paper” and hopefully be a little more at ease.   Apparently, going through this type of major life transition has five predictable stages.  The more I read and begin to understand what takes place in each of these stages the more prepared and appreciative I am that it is normal and is OK to have mixed emotions.

Involvement Stage – To an extent, I have been involved in the same community my whole life.  Despite going away to three different schools, I have always returned and continued to feel my friends, roles, responsibilities were here in Waterbury.  Vermont will always be home and I hope to continue my involvement here as much as possible.

Leaving Stage (Current) – Began the moment I was aware of my career change.  There has certainly been a separating and distancing from my roles, responsibilities and relationships.  All with mixed emotions – celebrations mixed with farewells.  Every conversation over the past few weeks with friends, family, and co-workers has been a bit sad as we prepare for being apart.

Foreign Service Travel Orders

Transition Stage – Starts the moment we will arrive in Washington DC. We expect this stage will be characterized by utter chaos. Everything will be new and different.  At first everything will probably be fun and exciting, but eventually things will begin to get on our nerves.  We will really need to focus on adjusting.  We will probably feel like we made the wrong choice and begin to think about coming home.

Entering Stage – Happens when we decide to finally settle in and become a part of our new place.  Most likely we will continue to have feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and ambiguity, but we will finally be committed to sticking it out and making it work.

Re-Involvement – Perhaps after visiting friends or family, when we arrive at our apartment and Washington actually feels like home.  We have our meaningful relationships, roles, and responsibilities back and we will finally know more than a newcomer.

After wrapping my head around the the five stages, I wondered about how the experience of moving compares to other major life events.  Apparently from the graph below,  I am at the highest (1st Child) and lowest points of my life (House Move) at the same time .  I still can’t decide if this is a good thing, but spending time with Esmei definitely cheers me up as I am packing up old pictures or deciding what to do with my crate of pucks collected since I was 9 years old.

Foreign Service Travel OrdersDeciding to undertake this type career, will certainly mean uprooting every few years.  My mom always tells me I read too much and can be a little bit too analytically, but for some reason I have always found comfort in graphs, statistics, and numbers.  One things for sure though, the next time we receive our Foreign Service Travel Orders I’ll have some real data on the experience of moving…

 

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Foreign Service Construction Engineer Appointment Offer

December 3, 2014
Jeff Grace
Career
5 Comments
Foreign Service Construction Engineer Appointment Offer
Foreign Service Appointment – Construction Engineer Position

I am officially in!

Yesterday, I received an official employment appointment e-mail and have decided to join the Foreign Service.  The training class will start on Monday, January 26th, followed by my initial post in Washington D.C.:

The Registrar’s Office is pleased to extend an appointment offer for the January 26th, 2015 – Foreign Service Specialist Orientation Class for Construction Engineers (Con Eng).

A little background of what I will be doing…

A Foreign Service Construction Engineer (FSCE) is an engineer or architect, in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations working specifically in the Office of Construction Management, responsible for managing Department of State construction projects overseas. The FSCE is a member of a U.S. Government team that ensures construction is professionally performed according to applicable plans, specifications, schedules, and standards. The FSCE must adhere to the highest standards of integrity, dependability, attention to detail, teamwork and cooperation while accepting the need to travel, to live overseas, and when necessary, to live away from family.

While extremely excited about the opportunity, there’s no doubt, it has been a tough decision. I can’t help having regrets about leaving my family, company, and community. I have lived here my whole life. My parents have lived here their whole lives and even my grandparents lived here their whole lives. I absolutely love Vermont and will always consider it my home. I love my friends, job, kids I coach, hunting, fishing, playing softball, and most of all my family. In the end, it came down to pursuing a dream. I truly believe, serving in the US Department of State will be rewarding career opportunity. It will allow Jennilou to pursue her degree choice at URI in International development while allowing Esmei to grow up with a world view that a child would not acquire in the United States.

For those interested in the journey, here is a timeline from the day I originally applied to the position:

  • April 30th, 2014: Foreign Service Construction Engineer: Accepting applications.
  • May 27th, 2014: Submitted my application online
  • May 28th, 2014: Vacancy Announcement Closed
  • June 11th, 2014: Foreign Service Construction Engineer: Accepting applications Again.
  • July 9th, 2014: Vacancy Announcement Closed
  • July 15th, 2014: Invited for Oral Assessment on August 18th, 2014 @ 9:00am
  • August 18th, 2014: Passed Oral Assessment with Score of 6.0 out of 7.0 (5.15 Passing)
  • August 21st, 2014: Submitted My Security Clearance Documentation
  • September 3rd, 2014: Submitted My Medical Clearance Documentation (Waiting for Jennilou to Heal and Baby to Grow Before Submitting Theirs)
  • September 17th, 2014: Received Worldwide Medical Clearance
  • September 19th, 2014: Contacted by a Security Investigator
  • September 21st, 2014: Interviewed by Security Investigator
  • November 4th, 2014: My Neighbor Called To Say He Was Interviewed by a Security Investigator (Last One of the 12 People That I Know Of)
  • November 10th, 2014: Received e-mail Indicating I have been granted a Favorable Suitability Clearance for the Foreign Service Register
  • November 10th, 2014: Received followup e-mail Indicating I am Placed #4 of 6 on the Foreign Service Register for Construction Engineers
  • November 26th, 2014: Foreign Service Construction Engineer: Accepting applications Again.
  • December 2th, 2014: Foreign Service Construction Engineer Appointment Offer

There is a lot to wrap my head around now that it is finally official.  All I can think about are the things that need to be done before we leave…

  • Train a replacement at my current job
  • Sell the house (Listing if you know someone interested)
  • Buy Suits
  • Neuter Timber
  • Decide whether to Keep / Store / Sell our stuff
  • Find A Place to Live in Washington D.C.
  • Be a good Husband / Father

However, before we leave, all I want to do is spend as much time with my family and friends as possible.  Maybe we need to organize another barn party!

Capture 4

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Our 10 Favorite Historical Places

November 20, 2014
Jeff Grace
Travel
4 Comments

Our 10 Favorite Historical Places Around the World

Everyone views splendor in different ways. What one person considers beautiful may be completely different to another.  Our favorite historical places are, in their own right, beautiful.  Consisting of everything from individual monuments and temples to entire religious complexes, they are some of the most stunning places on earth.

Favorite Historical Places #10 – Forbidden City – Beijing, China

The Forbidden City is the best-preserved imperial palace in China, the largest ancient palatial structure in the world, and the essence and culmination of traditional Chinese architectural accomplishment.  This might explain the hoards of people itching for a peek.

Forbidden City

Favorite Historical Places #9 – Luang Prabang, Laos

According to legend the Buddha smiled when he rested in Luang Prabang for a day during his travels, prophesying that it would one day be the location of a rich and powerful city.  The spectacle of the ancient temples is apparent at first glance; the unassuming nature of the locals, given the chance, will also leave a lasting impression.

Luang Prabang

Favorite Historical Places #8 – Copán Ruins, Honduras

The Maya site of Copán is one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization.  The lengthy inscription on the Hieroglyphic Stairway, the longest inscribed text in the Maya region, allowed archeologists to crack the ancient language.  The town of Copán, adjacent to the ruins, is a beautiful place paved with cobblestones and lined with white adobe buildings with red-tiled roofs.  Go for the ruins and stay for the town.

Copan Ruins, Honduras

Favorite Historical Places #7 – Hagia Sophia – Istanbul, Turkey

The Hagia Sophia is an architectural beauty and an important monument for both Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia has always been a jewel of its time.

Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey

Favorite Historical Places #6 – Acropolis – Athens, Greece

The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols that form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bestowed by the ancient Greeks to the world.

Acropolis - Athens, Greece

Favorite Historical Places #5 – Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines

Carved out of the hillside by Ifugao tribes people 3000 years ago to provide level steps where the natives plant rice, the Banaue Rice Terraces stretch like stepping stones to the sky, with some reaching an altitude of 5000ft).  It is considered one of mankind’s greatest engineering feats.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Favorite Historical Places #4 – Bagan, Myanmar

Tucked away in central Myanmar and home to more than 2,000 temples, Bagan’s beauty and historical significance is unsurpassed.  On the banks of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, the site home to the largest and densest concentration of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world, many dating from the 11th and 12th centuries.

Bagan, Myanmar

Favorite Historical Places #3 – Angkor Wat – Siem Reap, Cambodia

In 1860, missionaries came across the ruins in the Cambodian jungle and discovered a lost city twice as large as Manhattan.  Angkor Wat is actually just one of more than a dozen magnificent temples in the vast metropolis of Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries.  The temple complex is the largest religious monument in the world and absolutely incredible.

Angkor Wat

Favorite Historical Places #2 – Machu Picchu, Peru

An extraordinarily beautiful setting, it’s no wonder Machu Picchu is Peru’s most-visited site.  Dating to the mid-1400s, it’s a marvel of mortar-free limestone architecture perched on a high plateau in the middle of a tropical mountain forest.  Its giant walls, terraces and ramps cut into rock cliffs are the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire.

Machu Picchu

Favorite Historical Places #1 – Great Wall, China

To this day, the Great Wall continues to be the world’s largest military structure.  It is also, the greatest tourist attraction in the World and the goal of millions.  It will not disappoint.

The Great Wall of China


Our 10 Favorite Historical Places

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Birth of A Third Culture Kid

November 17, 2014
Jeff Grace
Lifestyle
1 Comment

Birth of A Third Culture Kid – The Steps

Find Out

We made a human!? It works! Are we having a girl or a boy?  And I’m done…………………

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Tell The Family

Time to share the news that we were pregnant.  For me, the idea of keeping the pregnancy a secret was simply unrealistic.  In fact, keeping the idea that we were trying was even hard.  Luckily, I have a very dry sense of humor, so most people were not sure whether I was serious or not.  We decided to pick Easter, because Jennilou was around 12 weeks and we could use a family gathering to add to the celebration, without taking the sails out of another gathering.  We hid some “special” eggs along with the others and had our nieces and nephews find them.  Telling them we be having a third culture kid came later .

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Set Up Security

Time to start preparing for our baby’s arrival!  From prenatal appointments to tests and baby proofing, baby showers, baby names, and babymoons, we hit our nesting mode.  However, without knowing for sure whether we would be raising a child in our current house or in another country, we didn’t go to crazy with the renovations.

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Dream, Wait, & Wonder

Full term meant the waiting game had begun.  It was a cool time for us, because we really seemed to simplify our lives.  We spent a lot of time together and did not undertake any new projects or big plans.  We took a lot of walks and talked about the possibility of raising a child in a foreign country, what to name her, and what type of person we wanted her to become.  Knowing it could happen at any time was one of the best parts of the experience.

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Carry The Load

The final days.  Being a few days overdue was a bit stressful.  I could see it was getting to be a burden and extremely uncomfortable for Jennilou.  I tried carrying a pumpkin around for awhile, but I decided to carve it after a few hours.

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Smile

What an amazing experience .  One thing we forgot to pack in our hospital bag, was a paper bag.  The last thing I remember was cutting the cord…then I woke up and spent the next half hour smiling into a bag hyperventilating…

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Pick A Name

Should our baby’s race affect our name choice?  Which ethnicity should we choose for the name?  Will the name have a negative connotation in another culture? Picking a name took up a lot of our time.  For us, it came down to wanting a cross cultural name, that reflects our child’s mixed heritage.  We finally settled on Esmei.  In the end it fit because she is Filipino (Spanish), Chinese, Anglo Saxon and born on Halloween, similar to Esme Cullen, the vampire matriarch of the Olympic Coven in the Twilight Saga. However, we chose a different version of the spelling, to reflect her Chinese heritage and the National Flower of the country.  When it came to the middle name, we chose Rooke, a bird that can be found anywhere along the east-west axis from England to China.  Plus, a name from the raven/crow family seemed to fit with her birthday.

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Introduce Them To Their Brothers & Sisters

Our first born child (Dog), was a little jealous at first.  Well he still is, but I am sure they will be best friends soon enough.

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Plan Their Future

Whether she becomes a hunter or hockey player, its way to early to tell, but deciding to join the Foreign Service as a Construction Engineer will mean raising Esmei as a third culture kid.  A third culture kid (TCK, 3CK) is a child who has spent an important portion of their developmental years outside their parents’ nation. Esmei will most likely build relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be integrated into her life experience, we hope her sense of belonging is in relationship to people in general, no matter where she may end up.

Birth of A Third Culture Kid
Birth of A Third Culture Kid

Birth of A Third Culture Kid – Famous People

Birth of A Third Culture Kid – Reading List





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