Welcome to Growing Up Global! I’m so excited to have the opportunity to share my personal experiences, ideas and everyday life with you through the world of blogging. To begin, here’s a little bit about me:
.My name is Carrie.
.My father is German; my mother American. My brother and I—and now my daughter!—are dual citizens.
.Until the age of 10, my family moved almost every year – from the US to Germany to England to Switzerland to Germany and back to the US. We even became such “experts” at moving that my mother co-founded a conference all about transitioning! It’s since “gone global.” If you’re interested in reading about Families in Global Transition, learn more here!
.I married my high school sweetheart. We started dating our senior year and (at times admittedly, barely) made it through 4 years at separate colleges!
.So far, he has indulged my constant need for moving and travel. We spent the first four years of marriage living in the amazing city of Boston, MA followed by Charleston, South Carolina and most recently London, England. And New England, southern Germany, Nicaragua and Thailand are just a few of our favorite travel destinations to date. (We have plans to see quite a few new places this year, so stay tuned for an updated list!)
.Though I loved my company, job and co-workers, I exited the corporate world in 2013 to “start something of my own.” At the time, I had no idea that vision would most immediately materialize in the form of becoming a mother (though I’m ever so thankful it did!). Today, I am thrilled to include this blog under that umbrella as well.
.In September of 2013, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl, E, and have loved exploring the world around us in a whole new way!
.I am energized by people, travel, being outdoors, and reading. In recent months, I have also found a new, deep joy in simply rolling around on the floor, playing pretend and listening to lullabies over. and over. and over again with my daughter!
.I am a “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) – officially defined as: a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. (Learn more about it here!) Though growing up this often made me feel out of place and labeled me “weird” as my experiences and understanding of the world differed greatly from those around me, I wear the title proudly today and couldn’t be more excited to be raising a TCK of my own!
As I hope you’ll see through the writings I share, each of these tid-bits has had an immense impact on the way I view and live life today. My posts will cover everything from adjusting to our new life as expats in London to raising our daughter, and the impact that living overseas has on her, to the fun and silly stories about exploring the world around us both at “home” and abroad!