Meet Julia Simens, an international relocation consultant with years of experience under his belt. It helps families worldwide transition to new environments and new cultures.
Where are you, Julia? Why have you decided to move to Balikpapan?
I'm from Kansas, USA. The reason for the move was to follow my heart. I returned to the USA to get my M.A. in clinical psychology when I met and fell in love with Kevin. We love the adventure of living and working abroad as expatriates family. We lived on five continents, we both do jobs we love. Kevin took a display with his company to work in Balikpapan. We moved here in November 2012.
What are your daily activities in Balikpapan now?
Living in Balikpapan, I enjoy working in my garden. I grow herbs for cooking and flowers to share with your friends. I spend a lot of time working on the computer. I am currently doing speaking engagements worldwide. I am hired by schools, PTA and organizations to talk about transitions and what we can do to help our children in this global lifestyle and how to work in a school system to get the best for all the world.
What led you into the world of cultural adjustment board? Is it had been a passion of yours?
I've always loved children. When I got to college, I received a scholarship to travel around the world teaching children in 10 countries. I fell in love with the art of working with young children and their families worldwide. As an increasing number of children are raised in foreign countries, their parents are sent abroad by their companies or government agencies or they are people who want to see the world, I felt there was a need to help these families in global transition.
Julia Simens
What are the main issues to be addressed during the first displacement to a new country?
For me, the biggest challenge still appears to be to give up the stereotypes that you already have on the new location and to be able to truly understand what it is. There are lots of news and travel stories about destinations around the world, including Indonesia, but they usually focus on the best (ideal vacation spots, for example) or worst (places to avoid because of high crime rates, etc.). There is rarely a reality check of what is normal for this region, most of which would not be very interesting to watch people from afar.
For a family that is constantly moving, what should be their main "tool" to keep in mind?
sound connections. Parents can ensure social and emotional stability in their changing environment by mixing past and present. You must log in to both the new location and your past locations or at home. If you understand how relationships develop, then you will have more success as a global nomad. It is important for a family to cope with the emotional side to move, rather than let it swept under the rug. Any change is emotional, but that does not mean it must be negative.
What is your philosophy to overcome the overwhelming stress when dealing with adaptation to a new place?
A key psychological problem everyone faces is the need to belong. After we cover the basics - food, water, shelter and security - we need to find "our people." We need to connect. We need to belong to a family, a community, a unity, a race of people, tribe, a large school, a good job, etc. If we feel connected, we can feel happy and fulfilled.
How are these issues reflected adults? Are children who move a lot tend to keep the habit (or grow fond) as they age?
The people I work with are called TCK cultural or third children. TCK is a term used to describe children who have been raised in a culture outside the culture of their parents for a substantial portion of their developmental years. Adult Third Culture Kids are a very interesting group. Many who grew up in the least developed countries will want to come back to help others abroad. They choose a major in college that will allow them to return to this country to help their community. Then you have the opposite, the TCK adults who are eager to form roots. They could marry into a family that was in a community forever. This gives them the "root laws" or connection they feel they may have been missing.
Do you find children who were raised in Indonesia feel an emotional connection to this country and want to come back?
The children take on the roles and connections as their parents tend to value and care about. If an Indonesian family raises their child to feel an emotional connection to their country of origin, the child will tend to return to Indonesia or Indonesians to seek in the world to help and support. That's why I encourage families to the world of family traditions and rituals as they move through the world. This helps their child to be proud of their heritage and love of their culture.
Where did you live before Balikpapan? Do you have a child on a trip like this?
I am a monocultural person not of the flight until I hit the age of 19. After college, I taught in American Samoa and traveled around Oceania. Since then I have lived and worked in the United States, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Thailand. My speaking engagements and travel also has many places now included in the list.
Where have you traveled in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, we have traveled to many places in the Sumatra region. We loved the outside Thousand Islands Jakarta with Kotok Island is one of my favorite places. I really enjoyed my stay in Darajat. Sulawesi Watersports are true family fun. Ubud has been a success for our extended family, as well as temples and water activities in Bali. Lombok and the Gili Islands are beautiful. We made family outings on Java, including Yogyakarta. Now we see areas of Borneo and Kalimantan.
The emotional resilience and the book cover Expat Child
Tell us a little FIGT, an organization that you are involved in?
I sit on the board of directors for FIGT (Families in Global Transition). FIGT is the only US conference where representatives of the business, diplomatic, academic, arts, military and mission come to share cross-cultural adaptation strategies. This unique forum allows everyone to recognize the universal challenges of resettlement and strategize on new methods and research. http://figt.org
Tell us also a bit about your book, " The emotional resilience and child Expat: Storytelling Techniques which reinforce the global family ".
The book provides step by step guide designed to help a child become elastic and increase the emotional vocabulary of the child and of emotional intelligence. This workbook was created for parents and children to use together and provide the perfect place to connect. To illustrate this, I took the stories of our own journeys and emotion connected to each event. It is available in paper or electronic book on Amazon.com format.
In your opinion, is quite accommodating Indonesia when it comes to expat families? Is there enough support systems / organizations that facilitate good transitions for them?
My own global family lived in four places in Indonesia (Batam, Jakarta and Balikpapan Duri) and we found all the places in Indonesia to be friendly and accommodating for expat family. Many large companies are very good with packages for their employees worldwide, but rarely include support for global family. There is a huge difference between a family showing schools or houses available for rent compared to actually support them in their transition to the new location.
Which place / city do you consider your "home"?
I always say home is where my family is. My house is now Balikpapan; Mooreland, Oklahoma; Toronto, Canada and Golden, Colorado. I feel very comfortable and loved, even if I sleep on a futon from college or living room couch while I visit family.