Our International Education: Stories of Living, Teaching and Parenting Abroad

What makes a person pack up and move to another country? What does she or he hope to gain from the experience? How do children fit into the picture? Our International Education presents the stories of three American women, a university professor, a high school math teacher, and a high school English as a second language teacher, who move to Hungary for a year to teach. Each woman brings her young children and enrolls them in local Hungarian public schools though none of them speak Hungarian at the beginning of the experience. The autoethnographic stories that make up Our International Education weave together the personal and professional dimensions of life abroad, illuminating not only the realities of negotiating work, school, and family life in another country, but also the complexities of cultural adjustment and second language acquisition. First-person storytelling makes this book a compelling read for those considering a move abroad with their family, and an excellent supplemental narrative for those studying second language acquisition, acculturation, autoethnography, and international education. "These interconnected stories of three women and their children living in Hungary offer an alternately uplifting and heartrending look at what families face when overseas. The co-authors present a deeply personal and vivid account of their bold adventure, from the initial thrill to the gradual revelation that life abroad is not always the carefree romp that some might perceive. Our International Education masterfully demonstrates the unequivocal impact of cross-cultural understanding." - Eleni Kounalakis, United States Ambassador to Hungary 2010-2013 and author of Madam Ambassador: Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties, and Democracy in Budapest