Hellobee

Two and a half years ago when we still lived in New York, I wrote a post about why I loved raising kids in the city. I will always love the city, but I also get overwhelmed by large crowds and can feel claustrophobic at times. I didn’t realize just how much I had adapted to island life until a recent trip to Seoul, Korea, where the crowds due to summer vacation were overwhelming and exhausting. I had previously considered living there, and now I don’t know if I could! So I really appreciate this time living on an island where we have so much open space, quiet and simplicity. I mean I’ve never even heard Despacito once!

I’ve already blogged at length about what my kids have learned and how our lives are simpler, which are the biggest benefits of living on a remote island. But we’re in a unique situation also living as expats in Southeast Asia. So here are 10 reasons why I’m loving raising my kids on a remote island in Southeast Asia right now.

1) International travel is much easier. I never really thought about how difficult international travel was from the United States when I was living there. But the country is so big, and it’s only bordered by Canada on the north and Mexico on the south, which means flights to countries outside of North America are far and expensive. Living in Southeast Asia enables us to easily travel throughout many Asian countries, which are typically very affordable. Plus when you live abroad, any new place feels like such an adventure, unlike how comfortable I feel anywhere I travel in the US.

2) The cost of living is much lower. The cost of living in the Philippines is much lower than it is in the US. Because we have less we can buy locally, we also spend less. That means a lot of our disposable income can go towards travel. Traveling together is such a bonding shared experience and we are always planning our next trip!

3) We spend much more time together as a family. With the kids homeschooled, my flexible work schedule, and the relaxed nature of island life, we are very lucky to spend way more time with the kids now than we ever did. Back in the States they were in full-time preschool or public school, in addition to extra curricular activities. Here we travel together, play games, read books, go to the beach or pool and just hang out.

4) The kids have an excellent immune system. I read many years ago that growing up close to farm animals and being exposed to all kinds of bacteria helps kids develop a strong immune system. That’s why allergies and asthma are so uncommon in the Amish community. I attribute my super strong immune system to having grown up beside a pig farm and a dairy farm, and I even drank raw cow’s milk. Before having kids I would get sick once every 3-4 years. The first couple years of having kids in New York I did catch a lot of colds with the kids in daycare. But now both kids are healthy and very rarely get sick. We are the only expats we know that haven’t ever gotten food poisoning locally or while traveling.

5) They are the best of friends. Charlie and Olive were always close, but spending practically every waking minute together here they are truly the best of friends. They rarely fight, they are great at sharing, and they are very thoughtful towards each other. This was one of my biggest dreams when having two kids!

6) They get to experience construction, farming, gardening, boating, tides, and so much more up close daily. All things that would be very difficult or impossible to do in the city. Charlie gets invested in construction projects here where he can see the gradual progression, which is great for his impatience. And doing pretty much anything in nature has a positive impact on the kids!

7) The kids have become bookworms. While I don’t know whether they would have developed a similar love for reading had we continued to live in the city, I doubt that they would have spent as much time reading as they do now. With not much to do here, the kids read pretty much all day long… and the more they read the more addicted they become to reading. We just went to the island capital to stock up on books from the 2 used bookstores there, and came home with 94 books for $120!

8) They get to experience growing up on the beach. I grew up in Southern California going to beautiful beaches from Mexico to Northern California my entire life. It was one of the things I missed most when I moved to New York (east coast beaches just couldn’t compare!). As an adult I became an avid scuba diver. I love that I get to share my passion for the ocean with my kids!

9) We get to experience homeschooling. There are pros and cons to the American public educational system, and at times we have thought that it was too academically intensive for kids that were too young. We firmly believe that so much learning happens through play at this age. I doubt we would be able to find the time to homeschool back in the States. While we have a private teacher now, Mr. Bee would love to take over the kids’ homeschooling in the near future!

10) I’m a more present and patient parent. I always used to say that I could never hack it as a stay at home mom. But I’ve been with Charlie and Olive 24/7 the past 2 years for the first time in their lives, and I’m more patient and present than ever. Of course it’s much easier now that they’re older (5 1/2 and 7 1/2) than if they were babies or toddlers. But I’ve found that the more time I spend with them, the closer we get and the more patient I am. The kids in turn feel much more bonded to me and listen to me much better as a result… which in turn again makes me a better parent!

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In November it’ll be 2 years since we moved here. Adapting to living in a new place is never easy. But they say nothing worth having is ever easy!