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But there is another question I think we could ask more often: How is it? How is it for an employee to be living away from their parents? How is it for a partner to be separated from their own family? How is it for a child who used to see their grandparents every week? And how is it for grandparents who suddenly have grandchildren living on the other side of the world? International mobility doesn’t simply relocate an employee. It changes the geography of a family, sometimes leaving important relationships thousands of kilometres away. And this is not necessarily something that settles once the relocation is complete. Family circumstances change. Children grow. Parents age. Grandparents may become more dependent. What felt manageable two years ago may feel quite different today. This is one of the reasons I believe the question “How is it?” is worth returning to throughout an international assignment. For those of us working in global mobility, it is a useful reminder that behind every relocation is a family – often spread across generations, countries and cultures. Perhaps alongside asking how the employee is settling in, we might occasionally ask: How is it for the whole family? BOOK SERIES NEWS What’s Next? Now that my book series is finished, I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked, “What’s next?” There are many more book ideas in me, but writing another book is not necessarily the direction I want to take, however interesting the adventure might be. If writing a book were simply a matter of putting 60,000+ words on paper, it wouldn’t be too hard. It’s all the other stuff: the months and months of editing, revising and fine-tuning. It is a solitary and, frankly, somewhat unhealthy stationary activity! And then there is the financial investment. Self-publishing a quality book costs in the region of $10,000 (USD5000+) each time. My husband and I have made a conscious decision to regard my work with Distance Families as a form of philanthropy, but that doesn’t make the investment insignificant. So, if you have bought one of my books, thank you! Right now, I am enjoying consolidating what I have created: talking about and promoting the book series rather than three individual books, sorting articles, tidying files and, importantly, having the time to enjoy opportunities to collaborate, contribute and volunteer within the global mobility sector. I often talk about the “seasons of life”. I’ve had many of them. Recent decades have included a “business owner season”, an “events volunteer season”, a “mature student at university season” and, most recently, my “researching and writing three books season". I’m not sure I have a title for this latest season yet. Perhaps that’s the point. For now, I’m enjoying the freedom to mix things up, follow interesting opportunities and see what eventuates. ON THE HOME FRONTAuckland Gets an Underground Years ago, when I was at university, a new lecturer arrived from Singapore. No doubt Auckland and New Zealand were exciting new surroundings for her, but we all laughed when she shared with us about Googling Auckland’s subway system and was presented with pages of sandwiches. Singapore is one of the most sophisticated cities in the world. I have visited many times, and navigating its public transport is a breeze. Auckland is not in that league. Our geography doesn’t make life easy. We have the Pacific Ocean and Waitematā Harbour on the east, and the Tasman Sea and Manukau Harbour on the west. Driving from the top to the bottom of Auckland can take an hour and involves two harbour crossings. A conventional ring road isn’t really an option. And, if I’m honest, we haven’t always been great at thinking big when it comes to public transport. This month, a brand-new underground section of Auckland’s rail network will open, including three new city-centre/fringe stations. To those of you living in cities such as New York, London or Paris, this may not sound like a big deal. But for Auckland – and for New Zealand – it is HUGE.
We don’t have a permanent population of tunnel-building experts here, so specialist skills and machinery had to be brought in from overseas. They have now been and gone, leaving us with three new stations beneath the city. Last weekend I went to the open day at one of them. It was sophisticated and classy and for a little while, it didn’t feel as though I was in New Zealand at all. Then the local council’s entertainment programme began. Local musicians performed, and the choir I sing with was there. Suddenly there were familiar faces, familiar voices and familiar songs echoing through this very unfamiliar space. Perhaps that is the best part of any new infrastructure. We can borrow the technology and expertise of the world, but then we make it our own. Take care until next time
Helen Ellis *** Not registered to receive this monthly newsletter? You may register on the right of this page *** *** Please forward this newsletter to others who may enjoy it. Thank you! *** *** Enjoy following more from Distance Families just click here for all the options ***
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