NIGERIA:  Interview with Meredith

NIGERIA: Interview with Meredith

Where in the world do you live and are you from there?

I live in Lagos, Nigeria, and I have lived here for almost three years. My two children, husband and myself moved here in July 2009. I am not originally from here. I am from the United states and grew up mostly in Illinois.

What Languages do you speak?

Does Dora the explorer Spanish count??? 🙂 I am sorry to say that I really don’t speak another language other than English (and a few phrases in Yoruba). In my defense, I did take Spanish in high school and Italian in college.:) English has become such a global language. When I travel, I always make a point of trying to learn a few phrases in the native language. It never fails. I will ask a person a question in another (more…)

Meredith (USA)

Meredith finds it difficult to tell anyone where she is from exactly! She grew up in several states, but mainly Illinois. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana which is also where she met her husband. She taught kindergarten for seven years before she adopted her son from Guatemala and then gave birth to her daughter two years leter. She moved to Lagos, Nigeria with her husband and two children in July 2009 for her husband's work. She and her family moved back to the U.S.this summer(August 2012) and are adjusting to life back in the U.S. You can read more about her life in Lagos and her adjustment to being back on her blog: We Found Happiness.

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SINGAPORE: Interview with mamawearpapashirt

SINGAPORE: Interview with mamawearpapashirt

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

I live in the tiny red dot on the map called Singapore. (It’s the dot right next to Malaysia.)

I was born here, but my ancestors (that means great-grandfather and beyond) were from China. Based on my basic understanding of the Hakka people, my dialect group (which means “guests” in Chinese), we were a bunch of nomads, so I guess you can say I’ve got the travelling genes. I constantly bug the hubby to ship us off to somewhere. Still working on it (him) though.

What language(s) do you speak?

I speak English, Mandarin Chinese, Babblese, and Wifese.

When did you first become a mother?

On that fateful day in February 2009, when suddenly (okay, not so suddenly, it took nearly 24 hours) out (more…)

Mamawearpapashirt (Singapore)

June, born and bred on the sunny and sometimes rainy shores of Singapore, is a mother of two - a chatty 4 y.o. girl and a toddler boy who babbles. She works part-time as a communication consultant, and she is deeply passionate about family, writing, faith, and good old-fashioned love. She can be found on her blog, Mamawearpapashirt.

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PHILIPPINES:  Interview with Martine de Luna/Dainty Mom

PHILIPPINES: Interview with Martine de Luna/Dainty Mom

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

I’m from the sunny Philippines! I reside in the capital, Manila, with my husband and son. I was born here and I’m Filipino, though I spent my childhood abroad, as we were expatriated in 1985. I actually met my would-be-husband while in school in Singapore, during the mid-1990s.

What language(s) do you speak?

Despite growing up in Hong Kong and Singapore until I was in my mid-teens, I don’t know how to speak Chinese! (Then again, I went to British schools.) English is my first language. I learned to speak Filipino (Tagalog) when we moved back here; I was 15 then.

When did you first become a mother?

I gave birth to my son, Vito, in 2009. Friends, however, said I was “mommy material” because I liked kids so much (I used to teach in a progressive school), and because I (more…)

Martine de Luna (Philippines)

Martine is a work-at-home Mom and passionate blogger. A former expat kid, she has a soft spot for international efforts, like WMB. While she's not blogging, she's busy making words awesome for her clients, who avail of her marketing writing, website writing, and blog consulting services. Martine now resides in busy, sunny Manila, the Philippines, with her husband, Ton, and toddler son, Vito Sebastian. You can find her blogging at DaintyMom.com.

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CHINA: Interview with Taryn

CHINA: Interview with Taryn

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

In 2011, my two year-old daughter and I left my husband behind in Moscow (temporarily!) and moved to Beijing, China.  Answering the “where are you from” question is a bit difficult… I was born in Johanessburg, South Africa and moved to Canada when I was really young. Since then, I have lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Indiana USA, and finally had settled down in Ottawa before moving to Moscow in 2010.

What language(s) do you speak?

English, French, Mandarin, Tibetan. Does toddler-speak count as a language?

When did you first become a mother?

Technically, I became a mother in January 2010 when my daughter was born. But actually, I feel like I first became a mother the day I saw that plus sign on the home pregnancy test.

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

I work full-time, and often feel like I work full-time as a mom too! But I do so wish I could be a (more…)

Mamasgotwanderlust (China)

You could say that Taryn has travel in her blood: a South African-born Canadian, Taryn has lived in Toronto, Vancouver, and Indiana, and has travelled extensively to Iceland, Israel, Italy, India, and a few places that don't begin with the letter I. After a brief stint as a travel guide writer, where she realized that her dream job was actually a lot of work for not much pay, she gave in to the lure of a steady job (and pay cheque) and settled in Canada's beautiful capital, Ottawa.

In 2010, she embarked on her biggest adventure when her daughter Charlotte was born. A few months later, her hubby J. accepted a work assignment in Russia, and the family moved to Moscow. In 2011, Taryn accepted a work assignment of her own in Beijing, China where she currently lives. While excited about the opportunity to live in the world's biggest up-and-coming country (and to practice herMandarin skills), moving to China has meant leaving J. behind in Russia while he finishes up his work assignment before moving to Beijing this summer.

In the meantime, Taryn juggles career-dom, living in a foreign culture, and being a temporary single-mom to a spunky toddler. Taryn is also the blogger behind Mama's Got Wanderlust, where she writes about her adventures in travelling, parenting, and living abroad.

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KENYA: Interview with MamaMzungu

KENYA: Interview with MamaMzungu

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

We currently live in Kisumu, located in Western Kenya, Barak Obama’s ancestral homeland. (See here for more on the city). I’m originally from the Chicago-area but have lived in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C. My husband grew up in Southern Africa, as his parents moved around doing development work.

In an eerie coincidence we moved to Kenya when our son was 2, the same age my husband was when his family moved to Kenya. His father had landed a job as a Country Director, same title my husband now has.

What language(s) do you speak?
English, bad French and Swahili that my 3-year-old son sometimes has to correct.

When did you first become a mother?
I first became a mother relatively later in life but quite early in my marriage (2009 if you’re looking for specifics). Because I was a little older we thought we’d get a jump-start on trying, and were a bit surprised (more…)

Mama Mzungu (Kenya)

Originally from Chicago, Kim has dabbled in world travel through her 20s and is finally realizing her dream of living and working in Western Kenya with her husband and two small boys, Caleb and Emmet. She writes about tension of looking at what the family left in the US and feeling like they live a relatively simple life, and then looking at their neighbors and feeling embarrassed by their riches. She writes about clumsily navigating the inevitable cultural differences and learning every day that we share more than we don’t. Come visit her at Mama Mzungu.

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SINGAPORE: Interview with MadPsychMum

SINGAPORE: Interview with MadPsychMum

Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I was born and bred in sunny Singapore.
What language(s) do you speak?
I speak English, Chinese and a little Cantonese
When did you first become a mother?
In July 2010
Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?
I used to be a stay-at-home mom for a while when my girl was young but now I’m working full-time.
Why do you blog/write?
Because I enjoy documenting my little girl’s growth and wanna share things I learned about breastfeeding, weaning, child development that I have learned over the course of my journey.
How would you say that you are different from other mothers?
I suppose I’m not any different from other mothers. I’m just as protective, just as crazy about my kid, just (more…)

Madpsychmum (Singapore)

Madeline lives in Singapore, a tiny cosmopolitan island in Southeast Asia. She is a mother to a beautiful and intelligent little girl born in July 2010. Madeline used to be a stay-at-home mother while she was completing her graduate studies in psychology at a local university. On completion of her studies, she has now joined the workforce and is working in the Ministry of Education (Singapore). Madeline is passionate about children and education and hopes to make a difference in the lives of children living in Singapore. Also an avid traveller and hardcore advocate of breastfeeding, she regularly documents her overseas trips and nursing room reviews with incredible detail on her blog, MadPsychMum @ University of Motherhood.

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