Oh my goodness, I was just thinking to myself huh, I’m about to write my 104th blog post (yes, I am a nerd and I track it in a spreadsheet)… that must mean I have been posting on my blog for around 2 years? And would you believe today is the 2 year anniversary of my first post!

Serendipity? Maybe. 

My first post was sharing an article about how living abroad provides a greater sense of self, and can lead to greater life satisfaction. And interestingly I don’t feel like my focus has changed much since then. 

Although in 2 years there have been many changes!

The physical changes, we have moved countries again. We are now living in Auckland, New Zealand. We have purchased our first ever family home! I know, we are like proper grown ups and stuff 🙂 

The girls have blossomed into beautiful young ladies, and they are truly thriving in their new environment. I’m reading a super interesting book at the moment about brain development, and it had an analogy about the child brain which I loved. It suggested that a child’s brain is like an orchid, it needs love and attention to blossom and without this it will wilt. However, if your child has a good dose of resilience, they’re like a dandelion and they will thrive anywhere! This is our girls, we have been able to pluck them from India, into China and Taipei, and now they are in New Zealand they are literally thriving! By thriving I mean they are happy, they are creative, they are community minded, they are making great friends, they are trying new things, they are shaping their own lives and telling me what they want to do. It definitely helps that they have each other, that they are so close and they support each other. But they are thriving nonetheless!

Over the past 2 years, you will know that I have been focusing on my own behaviour as a mother and how I interact with the girls, and while I’m still not perfect, we definitely have a wonderful relationship where we can sit and chat about all sorts of things – some a little brow raising! But I can put my hand on my heart and say 2 years later, I am definitely a better mother – I don’t lose my sh*t very often, I rarely raise my voice at the girls and our relationship has really developed into one of mutual respect.

I think I have grown as a person over the past 2 years. I feel the connections I make are more meaningful, and I feel that my friendships are so valuable to me. Family has always been important to me, but with dad’s diagnosis earlier this year (and good news, the treatment is working!) I’ve also realised that I love my family without guilt or regret. And right now, that grounding and understanding is priceless. 

The past 2 years has seen the development of an idea and the subsequent creation of my business, Expat Parenting Abroad. From my original concept to what I am doing now, things have morphed and changed a lot. But I absolutely love the work I do, and I love working with my coaching clients. Through supporting them, I learn more. Through connecting with my clients, I discover more about myself. I think in all my career experiences, the work I am doing now is my proudest.

So the past 2 years have been incredible in so many different ways. But through all these changes, the thoughts this article provoked in me, are still very similar. Yes living away from home you have amazing experiences, yes you experience different cultures, and yes you meet amazing people. But at the core, you experience greater overall satisfaction!

How about you? What have the past 2 years held for you?