You might be an expat kid if......
 

I came across this while getting ready to packout. Goes along with the other thread about expat living. (I haven't included the whole thing)

You might be an expat kid if -
- you flew before you could walk
- you can't answer the question, "Where are you from?"
- you speak 2 languages but can't spell either
- you have a passport but no driver's license
- you're only a teenager but you're on your 2nd (or 3rd) passport
- you speak with authority on the quality of airline travel
- your life story uses the phrase "then we moved to...." five times
- you know how to pack
- the Travel Channel makes you homesick
- your high school memories include days school was canceled because of tear gas (or riots or terrorist threats)
- you watch movies filmed in foreign locations and recognize discrepancies between where the movie is supposed to be taking place and where it was really filmed
- you never take anything for granted
- you sort your friends by continent
- your grandparents send you peanut butter and Kool-Aid for Christmas
- you realize it really is a small world, after all
- you know the geography of the rest of the world, but not your own country
- you get confused because the dollar bills aren't color coded
- you have best friends in 5 different countries
- you are asked where you most enjoy just hanging out and you immediately think of happy hours spent in international airports

An excellent list. Thanks for passing it along.

Loved it! Thank you for posting!

I'll pass it to my expat daughter today, who is only 13 and who came home last month saying that her friend invited to spend a couple of week in Sardinia; and then this week she is asking if she can go for a weekend in Scottland. She is a true expat kid!

Grcxx3,

Great! Yes, I took my first international flight when I was five weeks old!!

I'll add a few:

You remember your history by country, as in "Was it in 1970 or 1972 . . . No, we were in xxx, so it must have been 1970."

Your passport had additional pages added.

Your flight tickets resembled an accordion.

You've been evacuated . . .

You speak perfect English but can't tell a dime from a nickel without looking at the numbers.

Fun!

s

Swandav2000 wrote "You speak perfect English but can't tell a dime from a nickel without looking at the numbers."

I failed nearly every other test (including being a kid) but I pass that one with flying colours.

Am I an expat kid?

Padraig - sure! What the heck!

Grcxx3 -- I noticed you are moving -- where are you going? I think I remember you are currently in Central Asia, right? How are you feeling about the change?

We packout in 5 weeks, so I can relate!

Good luck!

petitepois - Yes we are in Azerbaijan - but we are headed back to the US. We were all set to go to Moscow, but there is a real messy situation up there right now with my DH company and we just don't want to risk getting there and then having to leave - not with my sons in their last few years of high school. So - with that in mind (and the reality of aging parents) - we have decided to head back to the US. So as of July - we'll be back in Houston. Lots to look forward to, but it will be a big change for all of us!

Where are you guys heading?

Wow, back to the States -- that is great! I'm sure you will appreciate being closer to family -- not to mention a city full of American supermarkets and Mexican food! (I've been reveling in the nonfat dairy aisle for some 10 months now).

We are moving to Paris for three years and are very excited!!! Of course, after Paris we will probably be sent somewhere like west Africa, so we have vowed to appreciate every little thing. But before we go, we have a Mt. Everest-size stack of boxes to sort through in storage...

-you use the descriptor "packout" instead of "pack up" (as I do, as I am)

yup - I did the majority of our "packout" on Friday. They will come again in about a month to do the last little bits.