Broccoli, Opera and Team
Team. Like the words “opera” or “broccoli”, say it in a room of Global workers and you will be met with a spectrum of reactions. Not unlike the word “brother” in my house right now. As I sit down to write this, my 15-year old son is throwing plastic coasters off the balcony at the […]
Cheering One Another On
If you’ve ever seen Chariots of Fire, then you are probably familiar with the scene when Eric Liddell, the famous Scottish Olympic Gold Medalist, throws his head back as he turns the last corner of the 400 meter dash. In slow motion, you watch him lift up his head, smile and heave his chest forward […]
Finding a Team
A friend and I had a discussion where she admitted believing that one loses friends as they age. Her statement moved me because I couldn’t commiserate. I would have had similar feelings 5 years ago when my family first started our cross-cultural journey. We began our life overseas on a 10-month internship. It was just […]
This Week’s Theme: Welcome to Team
We’ve welcomed you to the field. We’ve introduced you to the Velvet Ashes community and chatted about what it is like to walk the culture shock journey. This week we’re wrapping up our series by welcoming you to the beautiful beast called “team.” There’s nothing quite like the joys or the headaches … I mean, […]
Are You the Happy Honeymooner, Indignant Idealist, or Arm’s Length Army?
Hello there Newbie, I want you to image that I’m showing up at your door right now with a drink and a snack. You smile brightly as you open the door, but you hesitate to let me in. I know what you’re thinking. You don’t have time for a visit. You have unpacking to do, […]
What You Need to Know About Connection Groups
Connection Groups are just around the corner and many of you have been around this community long enough to have a solid understanding of what these groups are. We are also happy many of you are new arrivals. You possibly don’t know what we are talking about or what to expect. If this is your […]
Welcome to Team! Again . . .
After spending four years huddled in close quarters with small, close-knit teams on the twentieth floor of a concrete apartment block on a college campus in one of the largest cities in northeastern China, our family moved to a different “one of the largest cities in northeastern China.” The cities were vastly different as were […]
Five Ways to Succeed on a Team Overseas
Growing up when I heard of overseas workers, they were the greatest adventurers I had ever heard of. I heard of people getting on ships and later planes, living among people who were all unlike them. As I entered this world, I heard ‘war stories’ from 30 year veterans who told of their first years […]