When we moved to Ecuador I was mid-30s...now as I near 40, I have become more reflective on my practices as a mom. I find myself enjoying my children more and my priorities shifting more to them from the focus I had before on my "work". I must admit that they were an overwhelming challenge when we moved here and the oldest was 2 and the youngest was 6 months old...I learned a lot of things in college about living in another culture, but nothing how to be a good mom of two boys...I should have signed up for that class!! At the same time, my own personal insecurities regarding my value as a person drew me to focus on my task list instead of my relationships.
Since then, I understand much more about the value of just being with people. I have learned about the tremendous value of family from the culture here and the value of just spending time together. Here we get together with people and cook instead of going to events or places like in the US. I can see my core and my focus shifting away from "work" to the importance of my family. I find myself being drawn to websites about health and nutrition, cooking, family and housekeeping. Many of these used to be on my list of things to get through quickly so I could move on to more important things.
