Foreign

Living as a foreigner in someone else's country is surreal. You are suddenly aware of all the things that make you stand out ... white skin, loud voice, tank tops, the confused look on your face, getting ripped off around every turn....

But no difference is more glaring than the ones that pop out as you parent your children alongside those in your host culture. Ben is in India now, and I laugh as I hear his stories, and now have enough perspective not to pass judgment, and just smile at the ways we raise our kids.

He had dinner with some good friends who have a 7 month old baby. While my 7-month-old ate pureed carrots and oatmeal, they hand their baby a chicken bone to chew on! Seriously. He goes to bed at midnight! No wonder people thought we were crazy when we insisted we had to get home to put our little guy to bed at 7:00 - that was before dinner!

I love it - the differences. How the things that I do because they are "right" make me look crazy in someone else's eyes. Maybe not crazy, but definitely Foreign.