Being exposed to multiple cultures can greatly alter ones perspectives.
This is even more true for children who are not sheltered in years of geographically specific thought patterns. When our kids were born, my wife and I decided that it was one of our core family values to introduce them to as much alternative culture as we could. So we found a local Montessori school that specialized in Mandarin immersion.
At Tong Le Montessori School in Baltimore, MD, our children found a small but extremely diverse student population.
From Mongolian to Ethiopian, Israeli to Dutch, Spanish to Hindi, our children were exposed to far more than just Mandarin. The children learned Mandarin in the classroom, spoke English on the playground, and when the families got together after school, it was a hodgepodge of all the languages, and it was beautiful.
As time went on, our children grew and through COVID, we found ourselves moving closer to family.
We spent the first year in our new location acclimating to “Island Time”, and learning this new culture of South East Georgia. It is one of sand, sun, and learning to listen to the wind. It is a markedly different pace from everything I knew – coming from the North East where if you stand still, you just might die.
To stay true to our family value, we are importing culture into our home.
After exploring our options here and in nearby Jacksonville and Savannah, we’ve decided to bring some of that foreign culture into our home with an Au Pair.
Giving our children an immersive experience in their own space will help them learn about the world outside, and continue to give them broader perspectives.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
St. Augustine