Here is a quick list of things that are awesome about traveling and being in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
1. Giving up control, traveling teaches you to adjust you expectations, you really are no longer in total control of your life and you have to be Okay with that. It's super hard thing to do, but totally a life skill worth knowing.
2.Different for different reasons. In America, I am different because I am NNT. Here I am different because I am an American. It's nice to (sort of) loss part of that identity.
3. Language Barrier. Here I have to rely more on the body language and customs, but because I am not from here, people are way more willing to explain it to me and I get a lot more chances to get it right.
4. Weirdness sometimes comes off as just being an American. Here, if I do something differently than my host family, they may attribute it to me being an American rather than me being different.
5. Traveling is awesome. I love being in a different country, I think that is has given me a really unique opportunity to expand my horizons and changed my way of thinking.
What is your most valuable travel expirence? How is it to travel with small NNTs?
Traveling with my 7 yr old NNT isn't really all that difficult. I have learned over the years that if is aware of the order of the daily activities that he is okay with not knowing the exact times of things. I do, however, have to remember to schedule some decompression time for him. Whether that be swimming in the hotel swimming pool, taking a long warm shower, watching a little bit of his favorite show in the hotel room, having some computer time, or buying a art project that he can focus on for a while. We cannot be go go go go...all day long, because that is an equation for impending doom, out bursts and meltdowns. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso...he seems to make HUGE leaps and bounds in development (Social skills, communication skills) when we take him on vacations.