Princesss

[madelise]

Since you're here at the moment:

I've always been curious. You've posted you've been in China, in Singapore, rode Harleys, and have been all over the map.
Were you a military child? I'm so confused; a few times I thought you were multiple people! I couldn't keep your story straight, lol!!
How does one get around the globe so much?

 

[princesss]

Hahaha, nope, not a military kid, but I lived a similar lifestyle - my dad got a corporate expat gig when I was 11 and moved the family overseas (to Thailand) and my parents haven't lived in the US since. Like many military kids (and missionary kids), I'm what's called a Third Culture Kid - my internalized culture is not purely American (my parents' culture, and the one I was born into) or purely Thai or Singaporean (the two other countries I lived in when I was growing up). The two types of cultures (parent and host/adopted) merge and produce people like me - cuturally confused, but mostly harmless. So as my family has bounced around the globe after I graduated high school, I've gone "home" for Christmas to 6 different countries (I graduated 8 years ago, if that gives you a reference point for how frequently they were moving for a while - though one was a Christmas at my grandmother's while my family was mid-move). Though I've never been to China - not yet, at least! It's on the to-visit list (but basically any country I haven't been to is on that list).

As for Harleys - heck yes, I've ridden them! My dad and my uncle both ride, and I got a motorcycle safety course as a high school graduation gift and I have my license, though I don't have a bike yet. The last place I rode was on The Palm in Dubai - it was a fun Christmas ride with my dad before I came back to the US to get back to work.

And how I get around the globe so much - well, having parents that value travel and exploration helped. I remember when I was studying in Spain with my ex, we hopped over to Morocco for a weekend and I was on the phone with my dad telling him we had a visa run booked (my student visa ran into some issues - apparently you can't apply from a country you aren't a resident of, even if your family members are residents), and I could hear him roll his eyes when he asked if we were going to Switzerland. When I told him we were going to Marrakech, he said, "That's my girl!" So yeah. Travel is a family value. Plus most of the trips I've taken, even as an adult, were family financed since that was the only way to see them for the holidays.

And now you can add the international BF into the mix - met in NZ, he lives in England (but he's Welsh), I live in the US (but am trying to get out asap), and we're trying to figure out where the heck we'll live/settle down - assuming I am capable of settling down. Right now we both like the idea of moving to NZ, but when we were talking about it the other day, he gave me this adorable look and said, "Okay, but can we explore the world first?" I'm currently swooning over a grad school program in Scotland, and he's said that if I get in he wants to take me on little weekends away and we'll explore Europe that way. Then I want to move to Cape Town and explore Africa, and then maybe we could do NZ.

TL;DR - I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

ETA: I'm actually heading off to a coffee date with a friend, but if you have any more questions, let me know! I can talk travel and my crazy, crazy life all day long.

 

[madelise]

Wow, interesting. You've had such a rich life! Sorry, I actually left the house about an hour after posting this, so I wasn't even around when you answered . You are very lucky. DUBAI!!? My image of you couldn't get painted properly cus your stories weren't lining up in my head. Lol, now I've got Princesss correct in my head!

So, of all places you have lived, where have you loved the best, and why?

 

[princesss]

Yeah, my story is a bit convoluted, haha. Trying to explain to people where my family is and why is challenging, especially when they just kind of ask to be polite and then it turns into this whole big conversation.

Hmmm...to grow up in, I think Singapore was my favourite. Tons of freedom, I could go anywhere and do anything and my parents were confident I couldn't really get into trouble so I basically had the run of the island. The only thing I would have hesitated to do without asking was leave the country, but I left the island to go to another part of the country a few times and that was no big deal.

But for where I'm at in life right now I fell HARD for Denmark. Granted I was there over the summer and summer in Scandinavia is GLORIOUS, but I loved the pace of life and the fact that if I wanted to get somewhere I had to walk. I loved that processed food was MEGA expensive, so cooking fresh was the only thing to do. But I think a lot of it had to do with loving the group I worked with - I was surrounded by people from different countries and it was like high school again - hang out all day at work, joke around and have fun and get things done, and then go hang out (and drink) with the same people after work most nights of the week. Plus I was only an hour ahead of my BF instead of 5 hours behind, so we could talk a lot more than we do now.

But who knows what next - Edinburgh, I hope, but we'll see what happens. If I don't get into that program (or any program, I'm applying to a few), we'll have to figure out what our next step is. Whatever it is, hopefully it does not include me ringing in 2014 from the US.

 

[madelise]

Yeah, my story is a bit convoluted, haha. Trying to explain to people where my family is and why is challenging, especially when they just kind of ask to be polite and then it turns into this whole big conversation.

Hmmm...to grow up in, I think Singapore was my favourite. Tons of freedom, I could go anywhere and do anything and my parents were confident I couldn't really get into trouble so I basically had the run of the island. The only thing I would have hesitated to do without asking was leave the country, but I left the island to go to another part of the country a few times and that was no big deal.

But for where I'm at in life right now I fell HARD for Denmark. Granted I was there over the summer and summer in Scandinavia is GLORIOUS, but I loved the pace of life and the fact that if I wanted to get somewhere I had to walk. I loved that processed food was MEGA expensive, so cooking fresh was the only thing to do. But I think a lot of it had to do with loving the group I worked with - I was surrounded by people from different countries and it was like high school again - hang out all day at work, joke around and have fun and get things done, and then go hang out (and drink) with the same people after work most nights of the week. Plus I was only an hour ahead of my BF instead of 5 hours behind, so we could talk a lot more than we do now.

But who knows what next - Edinburgh, I hope, but we'll see what happens. If I don't get into that program (or any program, I'm applying to a few), we'll have to figure out what our next step is. Whatever it is, hopefully it does not include me ringing in 2014 from the US.

Oooh, my godsister is living in Singapore at the moment. I looked into the area when she made the move, and I can definitely appreciate the country. I wish I could have had the opportunity to live abroad, at least for just one year. I'm so envious (but happy-envy) that you've had such BIG wonderful experiences in such a short time. I've always been regretful that I did not go study abroad for a long period of time. Vacationing is one thing, but to actually become a part of their society is another. All the luck in the world that you get into your top choices of programs, Princesss!