Raising Global Nomads

Robin Pascoe
Expatriate Press: €26.99

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Expats and their offspring enjoy gilded lives in many ways, and few would argue that growing up in a foreign country and experiencing life in other cultures brings with it enormous advantages that last a lifetime.

But there is a downside and anyone who’s moved overseas with a partner or parents will understand the intense psychological upheaval that is part of the package.

When it comes to trekking across the globe with two children in tow, Robin Pascoe (the Expat Expert) knows more than most and Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an on-demand world is her homage to the rest of us who are still feeling the way.

As the wife of a diplomat she experienced firsthand the effects that overseas postings can have on the whole family and particularly the difficulties felt by wives and children.

What looks like a wonderful existence on the outside - with many material perks, can easily begin to eat away at the fabric of family life and shake the emotional wellbeing of everyone in it, if warning signs are not recognized and situations not handled correctly.

With chapters that deal with the move itself, living in a state of culture shock, international schooling and perhaps the most underestimated and ominous of all, repatriation; Raising Global Nomads is an excellent guide for rookie expats and gnarled old hands alike.

Much like Pascoe’s A Moveable Marriage, Raising Global Nomads offers a veteran’s advice plucked from her family archives with plenty of self-deprecating anecdotal tales, and some excellent practical advice.

Shelley Antscherl
shelleydutchnews@me.com