Category Archives: Homebound Global

This category is for all the general Global from Home info.

A New Year of “Globalness”

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2013 was a momentous year in our family. We moved into a new home, our little girl, Eleanor Grace was born in August, and I started a new part-time position as a study abroad advisor at a small university in Oklahoma City. With all that was going on, I decided to take a year away from blogging. But now that I’m finally getting my little one on a schedule, I want to bring “globalness” back into our household. I’m sure my posts will be a little less regular than before, but I really want my daughter to be exposed to the world beyond our little city and for this blog to be a record of all we do together.

Eleanor got a B. Global Glowball for Christmas from her Auntie Karen. Now she's really got the whole world in her hands.

Eleanor got a B. Global Glowball for Christmas from her Auntie Karen. Now she’s really got the whole world in her hands.

I’m excited to get Global from Home back up and running and can’t wait to see what adventures lie ahead for Hubby, Eleanor, and me.

What “global from home” adventures did you have in 2013?

 

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My Thirty-One List

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Hubby is a very goal-oriented person. I admire him so much for all he gets accomplished and for achieving goals that most people would consider unobtainable. While I am not yet so skilled at goal setting and achieving, his example has definitely rubbed off on me. As today is my 31st birthday, I decided it is time to set some new goals for the second year of my thirties. I put them here for accountability sake and because many of them contribute to the goal of this blog – being Global from Home.

My Thirty-One List (in no particular order)

  1. Be thankful daily for all the dear family and friends who bless my life.
  2. Read 31 internationally themed books.
  3. Attempt to make scones from scratch rather than buy them from Whole Foods.
  4. Print and frame our travel photos for our new house.
  5. Plan our next trip. Mexico went so well, I think we need a repeat.
  6. Post a minimum of 4 times a week on Global from Home.
  7. Reconnect with friends that I’ve met along my travels.
  8. Begin renovating our 1934 house one room at a time.
  9. Read the Bible from front to back.
  10. Create my own visitors guide for Oklahoma City for all our upcoming house guests.
  11. Drink more water and less coffee.
  12. Host an international meal to raise funds for Spero Project.
  13. Call my big brother more regularly.
  14. Craft with the women from the local refugee community.
  15. Watch one foreign film a month.
  16. Start writing a book. It may never be finished but I want to start it.
  17. Apply and hopefully get into a PhD program with a focus on international education.
  18. Practice my Italian more often.
  19. Try 31 new international recipes.
  20. Learn to use Photoshop.
  21. Be a kinder and more considerate spouse to my wonderful Hubby.
  22. Join the YMCA and start Zumba.
  23. Dine at 31 new restaurants (as many international ones as possible).
  24. Run a 5K (maybe 10) for a cause that means something to me.
  25. Help start a study abroad returnee conference in Oklahoma.
  26. Learn more about my German heritage and traditions.
  27. Attend as many cultural festivals I can find in OKC.
  28. Invite the international students from my university over for dinner.
  29. Attempt to eat broccoli and like it.
  30. Find 50+ new blogs for my Abroad Blog of the Week series.
  31. Honor God with my time, talents, and treasure.

Whew! That’s a lot of goals. Fortunately I can start working on number 19 tonight. Hubby is taking me to Japanese steakhouse to celebrate.

 

Global from Home Makeover

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Over the next few weeks you’ll see some changes on Global from Home. Now that the blog has been up and running for 6 months(yay!), I’m planning to do a bit of reorganizing to make it a little easier to find ways to explore culture from your front door.  Here are the new categories you can expect to see pop up soon:

  • Abroad Blogs of the Week – ABOW is definitely my favorite post I write each week so this one will be staying. However, I am hoping to get more recommendations for blogs to highlight. Nominate a blog today by clicking here.
  • Cultural Crafting – find posts on decorating your house, unique ways to use your photos, and plenty of craft ideas with an international theme.
  • Doing Global Good – this will be the home for a new series coming up called Global Giving, as well as posts highlighting do-gooders around the globe.
  • Ethnic and Tasty – this category will also be staying. Check here for recipes, restaurants, and foodie penpal posts.
  • Foreignly Entertaining – from You Tube to books to movies and any other entertaining tidbits on culture I can find, this is where to look.
  • iGlobal – with so many great tools on the web, this new category will put all of the ones I’ve found in one place.
  • International Neighbors – this category will include my stories and tips on meeting people from around the world in your own hometown.
  • Study Abroad and Beyond– as a study abroad advisor, I have lots to say on studying overseas. Check here for info on how to get a job in international education and other great info on studying, working, or volunteering abroad.
  • Worldly Events – finds posts on international holidays, festivals, and other fun events with a global theme.

Have other ideas to be global from home? I’d love to hear them!

Living from a Suitcase

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When Hubby and I moved to San Diego last July, we weren’t sure how long we were going to be there. I didn’t have a job and he was completing a one-year fellowship. With so much uncertainty, we put all of our life in a storage unit in Georgia and signed a 13-month lease for a fully furnished apartment. We drove across the country with whatever would fit inside or on top of our car. For the past 15 months we have lived out of 6 suitcases and 12 boxes (most of which are hubby’s medical books). The opportunities for us in San Diego were so great, it was worth putting our lives in a box and living from a suitcase for a while.

Yep, that is all of my life in 10×15 foot box.

As I write this, I think of all the other bloggers who are currently abroad and living from a suitcase. Like Megan from Soulshine Traveler who has jumped around South America, lived in Russia, and explored Europe. Or Ashley and Justin from This Parallel Life who moved from their New York apartment into a storage unit in Denver while they seek adventure traveling the globe for a year. Or my dear friend Mary from Mary in Haifa who has split her furniture between her parents and friends while she takes a year away from her career to complete her Master’s degree in Israel.

For each of these bloggers, they have put away their material possessions to seek something they cannot achieve at home. Whether it is adventure, culture, education, or just a change from the norm, they have prioritized the experience over their belongings. From personal experience, I can honestly say this is not easy to do. But looking back on the last 15 months, I can say it was worth it.

Hometown Tourist: Oklahoma Home Decor

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After looking at over 30 houses in OKC and roaming through various furniture and decor stores, I have discovered that my new hometown has some very specific style ideas. I’ve gathered all my pictures and just had to share.

Sport Team Themed Rooms

Okies love their sports teams! There was actually one more of a large OU football helmet painted in a kid’s room but I forgot to take the picture. Darn.

Livestock Decor

With the stockyards here in OKC, horses and cattle are a big deal…especially in home decor.

Animal Print Everything

Animal print is definitely the most popular trend in home decor that I have seen here in OKC. It is everywhere!

We actually had an offer on this house. It didn’t work out but if it had, the leopard print carpet would have to go!

Disconnected

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Although it was only 10 years ago, studying abroad has changed a great deal since I went to Italy in 2002. iPads and Facebook didn’t exist. We didn’t travel with cell phones or laptops. Generally, we went to the pay phone to call our parents once a week and to the internet cafe when we could fit it in. We even wrote our papers by hand due to the lack of computer access. To be 100% honest, I loved the lack of technology. I loved being disconnected with few expectations to communicate outside of those who were with me abroad. I was able to focus on exploring Italy and building relationships with the other students. Being abroad was relaxing and re-energizing without the constant ring of the phone and the tiny red flags in our school email indicating unopened messages.

This past weekend I took the same mentality from studying abroad and disconnected. Hubby and I flew to Minneapolis on Friday afternoon to join family and friends for a weekend at the lake in central Minnesota. When we arrived Friday evening, I quickly realized my cell phone received limited service and the internet was patchy. My first inclination was to be frustrated. How was I going to blog? What if our realtor called? But then I looked around me. I was surrounded by a beautiful landscape with family and friends I’ve known since I was a small child. Why would I want to spend my time on a computer when there were so many other things to enjoy? So dear friends, I disconnected this weekend to enjoy all of this instead:

One Lovely Blog

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A big thanks to Brilliant London for nominating Global from Home for the One Lovely Blog Award. Now that we are moved and I’m feeling slightly settled in OKC, I am ready to bestow the honors to others. So here are the rules:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you (thank you, Brilliant London!)

2. Paste the award image on your blog, anywhere.

3. Tell us 7 facts about yourself

  1. When my Hubby is out of town, my meal of choice is cheese and crackers.
  2. My favorite trip was to El Calafate, Argentina with my best friend. She threw up on me after eating bad sushi but it only made the trip more memorable.
  3. If I could go any where in the world right now, it would be a toss up between Cambodia and Egypt.
  4. My mom always taught us, “Where there is a will, there is way.” The older I get, the more I agree with her.
  5. I have pictures of me with two celebrities: Jimmy Carter and Oscar the Grouch.
  6. Currently I am applying for a PhD program in higher education and hope to start classes in January.
  7. I have read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice at least 6 times.

4. Nominate 15 other blogs you like for this award (this is the fun part)

  1. William Penn University Study Abroad Blog – it is so much more than just a study abroad blog. Karolyn amazes me daily with her creativity.
  2. Turkish Musings – Haley is headed to Istanbul in just a few weeks
  3. Mary in Haifa – Mary is a study abroad professional heading back to school…in Israel
  4. Parallel Life – one of my favorites blogs of a couple traveling the world together…I think they’ve been nominated for this a bunch but I don’t care…so good
  5. French Paintings – an expat artist in the South of France learning and painting the landscape
  6. Postcards Wall – this simple blog shares one of my passions: postcards and stamps from around the world.
  7. You Bloody Tourist – a British student ramblings and adventures in Australia and beyond
  8. Salaam Y’all – a new Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia
  9. Will Travel with Kids – with her two young daughters by her side, this blogger explores the world around her
  10. Freedom Abroad – Katie is spending a year abroad and exploring all she can do for free
  11. World Lit Up – reading a book from each of the 194 UN recognized countries
  12. News from a Broad – Benne’ is an art therapist who has moved her life to Merida, Mexico
  13. College Forever – a great blog for anyone considering a career in higher education
  14. Travel.Culture.Food – a fantastic blog to help plan your travels. She even takes requests!
  15. Partners for Peace – another one of my favorites, Mari and Paul are Peace Corps volunteers in Ecuador

5. Post a comment on each of your nominees’ blogs telling them about the nomination

I promise to have this done in the next 24 hours

Hometown Tourist: Oklahoma City National Monument

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You may have seen my post earlier this week on 100 Ideas to be Global from Home. Included in the list are many ideas that I haven’t tried yet myself. For example, I’ve never had an international potluck, never learned an international card game, and I definitely do not know the names of all 194 UN-recognized countries. I do hope to remedy these, but I want to tackle some earlier than others, like #33: explore your own city like it was a foreign destination.

When I travel, I tend to visit the well-known stops but it is often the little things that I get the most excited about. In Rome, while I enjoy the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Capitoline, I much prefer the quiet and less visited Roman Rose Garden, Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, and Palazzo Colonna. But when I’m at home, I never even think about going to a museum or reading the placards in parks or taking pictures of a monument unless I have out-of-town guests. Well, new city, new me. I hope to explore OKC just like it were Berlin, Bangkok, or Bogota, visiting the famous landmarks as well as the hidden treasures my new city has to offer.

It just so happens that I came to this conclusion yesterday morning after dropping Hubby off for a 7am meeting. I was to meet the realtor at 8am and with time to kill, I went downtown, parked and began walking the streets with camera phone in hand. It wasn’t long before I realized where I was – at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the monument in honor of the 168 who died in the OKC bombing in 1995, as well as for the survivors and rescuers. As the sun came up in Oklahoma, I believe this was the best place to start my journey of exploring my city.

100 Ideas to be Global from Home

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Now that I’m 100 posts in, I’ve discovered being Global from Home isn’t as difficult as I thought. If you are looking for ways to explore the world from your front door, here are 100 ways to get started!

  1. Volunteer with the local refugee community
  2. Read a book that takes place in your favorite global destination
  3. Try a new ethnic restaurant and ask the waiter for the most authentic dish
  4. Send postcards from home
  5. Donate to a scholarship fund to help students study abroad
  6. Get a pen pal
  7. Make a plan to practice your foreign language and keep it up!
  8. Go see a foreign film with a good friend
  9. Become a local guide for your city
  10. Find a language partner
  11. Host an international potluck
  12. Make a reading list that transverses the globe
  13. Live vicariously through other bloggers who are abroad
  14. Shop at an Asian market
  15. Take a walk down memory lane looking at old travel photos
  16. Pin past and future travel spots on Pinterest
  17. Buy internationally-themed holiday gifts
  18. Talk to strangers
  19. Try different coffees from around the world
  20. Go to the opera
  21. Join Postcrossing
  22. See a Shakespeare play
  23. Take a sushi class
  24. Buy a molcajete and make some real Mexican dishes
  25. Include your global experiences on your resume
  26. Practice how you could answer interview questions with what you learned abroad
  27. Consider a career in international education
  28. Find a place of worship with an international focus
  29. Eat with your hands at an Ethiopian restaurant
  30. Have a cup of coffee with international visitors in your city
  31. Visit cultural districts in your town like Little Italy, China Town, or the Asian District
  32. Live out of a suitcase for a week…from home
  33. Explore your own city like it was a foreign destination
  34. Make origami
  35. Check out Meet Up for internationally themed events
  36. Watch international sporting events
  37. Buy country-specific children’s books for your kids or for gifts
  38. Decorate your home with pictures and art from your travels
  39. Make a recipe each week from a different country
  40. Learn a card game played abroad
  41. Do a little international house hunting for fun
  42. Make your own hometown cards
  43. Turn your pictures into jewelry
  44. Take a siesta
  45. Celebrate your birthday with traditions from around the world
  46. Research and make your travel bucket list
  47. Nominate an Abroad Blog of the Week
  48. Borrow an ethnic cookbook from the local library
  49. Join internationally-themed groups on Facebook
  50. Do a little pottering
  51. Share your favorite spots and itineraries with friends planning travel
  52. Get a subscription to National Geographic
  53. Start an international book club
  54. Go to cultural festivals
  55. Shop at online fair trade stores
  56. Start planning your next trip whether it will happen or not
  57. Collect international stamps or coins
  58. Host a 20×20 party
  59. Search You Tube for videos to help your language skills
  60. Watch a documentary about a culture you know nothing about
  61. Go to a flea market
  62. Swap travel books with a friend
  63. Do a presentation on your travels for a local elementary school
  64. Listen to a lecture on TED from scholars around the globe
  65. Reread old travel journals
  66. Learn to make Belgian crepes
  67. Donate to an international organization that is doing a project you really believe in
  68. Make a list of what you learned abroad
  69. Get certified to teach English as a second language
  70. Celebrate a new holiday popular in your favorite abroad location
  71. Invite international friends over to your house for the holidays
  72. Fundraise for a good cause by hosting country-specific dinners
  73. Keep a vocabulary journal
  74. Read fairy tales from different cultures
  75. Be global on vacation, no matter where you are
  76. Make a love lock
  77. Sponsor a child abroad
  78. Host a foreign film night
  79. Take afternoon tea
  80. Retell a funny story from abroad
  81. Learn the names of all 194 countries
  82. Follow the elections of your previous host country
  83. Laugh at your travel blunders
  84. Share your own culture
  85. Take a course with a global focus at your local community college
  86. Rate hotels, restaurants, and attractions from your travels on Trip Advisor
  87. Download popular songs from your previous host country and sing along
  88. Laugh at all the things you said your first time abroad
  89. Play bocce ball
  90. Host an exchange student
  91. Download music sang in a language you don’t know
  92. Follow international fashion trends
  93. Empower kids to see the world
  94. Visit your local zoo and find out where all the animals are from
  95. Hang a map with all your past and future travels
  96. Use an online language tool
  97. Skype with friends who are still abroad
  98. Find your favorite adinkra symbol
  99. Read online newspapers from your previous host country
  100. Follow Global from Home

Note to my Non-American Readers: If any of these are from your local culture, replace it with some American Southern cooking, play a game of American football, or read one of my favorite American novels: Wench, The Secret Life of Bees, or Rules of Civility.

In the end, my advice is to just start. You’ll find you enjoy home so much more when you add global to it. {Photo courtesy Of the Fountain}