Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?

At the moment I’m living in Jakarta the capital city of Indonesia. Having both parents from different Indonesian ethnic backgrounds plus spending large chunks of my life living around remote mining areas of Indonesia, it’s always tough when people ask where I really came from so in short, I am Indonesian. When I was married, I used to live in upstate- New York and in a small town called Dothan in Alabama before moving to China for a couple of months. I’ve been back in Indonesia permanently since 2009.

What language(s) do you speak?

Indonesian and English although I speak a tiny – emphasis tiny – bit of Dutch and if it can even be counted, I can say a few lines in Mandarin, courtesy of being there for a little bit.

When did you first become a mother?

I became a mother 5 weeks earlier than my initial due date thanks to my severe pre-eclampsia. My son was born on December 7, 2006 from an emergency c-section after a whole month of being bed ridden.

Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?

I was a stay-at-home mom after I had my son up until the end of my marriage. Now, I work full-time as an executive secretary.

Why do you blog/write?

Long before the internet era, I have always loved to write – if only I can find my old diaries – then came the internet and I’ve been blogging since 2004 mainly because I just love it. As a non-native speaker, it has helped me improve my English throughout the years. When I was still married, blogging was a way to connect with families/friends from both sides of the world. Going through divorce, blogging has proven to be therapeutic and has helped me a lot.

How would you say that you are different from other mothers?

I think I have more similar things with other moms, that we all want what is best for our children. Being a single mom in Indonesia where divorce still has strong negative connotations already makes me different and to blog about my struggles, my victories, my journey might make me different. Also, my values in raising my son have been strongly influenced by my own mixture of being Indonesian and Westernized at the same time.

What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?

To raise a strong, independent child who still has roots in their cultures with an open mind to accept and process all new things in his life while remaining true to himself. My son is mixed Indonesian and American so I think it is quite challenging to be able to combine and take the good and the bad of two cultures then mold it to be his own, to be something that he can be proud of.

How did you find World Moms Blog?

Thank God for Twitter! I saw someone Retweeting a post and I thought WOW this is something. Where have I been? I think it’s such a brilliant way to channel moms voices from across the globe.

This is an original, World Moms Blog first-time post from our new writer from Indonesia, Tatter Scoops.

The photograph is attributed to the author.

Maureen

Founder of Single Moms Indonesia, community leader and builder. Deeply passionate about women empowerment.

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