I was chatting with a mother from the kids' school not long ago. She spoke with an interesting accent, so I asked her where she was from.
"Well," she replied...
"My mother is Tunisian, my father is American. I grew up in Paris and I have lived in Germany for several years now. My ex-husband is Austrian."
Wow.
"What language do you speak at home with the boys?" I asked.
"English. And sometimes French. They speak German with their father." she added.
One of the great gifts of living here is a feeling that the world is a smaller place.
There are certainly places in the US where multiple languages are spoken. Larger cities and university towns are great places to hear different languages. I simply notice it more here.
I'm grateful to have the opportunity for the kids to be in a school with multiple languages spoken. English and German are the primary languages, with other students speaking Japanese, Hungarian, Chinese, Spanish, Greek, French, and a few other languages.
It's a symphony to hear. It's beautiful to watch children learn, especially from each other.
I like to use one of Kate's classmates as an example. I'll call her Mary. Mary's parents are Mexican. They speak Spanish at home.
Keeping a strong command of a mother tongue is highly encouraged at the kids' school.
Mary went to German Kindergarten, so German is her second language. She's learning English at school. At some point in the day, a lesson in class is delivered in English. Mary is struggling to comprehend what is being said by the teacher. Mary can lean over to her German speaking classmate to ask for help translating.
This is encouraged.
Mary uses German as a bridge to understand a point. Once she gets the point, she continues the lesson in English.
And the day goes on.
We're lucky enough to attend an international church as well. A former pastor liked to talk about what great practice this would be for heaven, with 40 different nations represented.
American married to a German.
Zambians living in Germany teaching their daughter English.
Mexicans, Koreans, or Malaysians married to a German.
German missionaries living in Zululand in South Africa teaching Sunday school in English.
British couple living in Germany working for German company.
American military families living in Germany and moving on to Japan or Oman.
Where are you from?
I still consider myself Texan. I value that sense of place, though I have not lived there for over 20 years.
I wonder how our children will answer this question 20 years from now.
There are real benefits to growing up in the same place, year after year. With grandparents nearby. With a best friend who lived down the street for 15 years. With a long term view of investing in a home, building projects, or serving in the local community. Putting down roots.
There are real benefits to growing up in different cities, different states, or even different countries. Developing adaptability. Travel opportunities. Handling ambiguity. Challenging fears. Making intense friendships.
What I do hope, above all, is that our kids will value a sense of family. Grounded in our faith.
Learning from each other, loving each other, and leaning on each other.
Wherever we are.
Learning from each other, loving each other, and leaning on each other.
Wherever we are.
