Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
wonderful, romantic experience, and I feel lost and alone.
It's much harder to i nd work, to i nd apartments, than I
expected. My husband has no sympathy with my problems.
I feel like an innocent victim and it makes me angry.”
So many resources are out there, in addition to topics like
this one. So keep your spirits up and expect a learning curve.
There is a lot to sort out and it will start to make sense, in
fact, it will quickly start to be more desirable than the life
you left back home.
CHILDREN AND THEIR ADJUSTMENTS
Children are naturally more culturally adaptable than adults,
but when you i rst put them into a strange, new setting, they
are going to look to you as the model for their adjustment
attitudes. A positive approach to your new life in France,
taking it all as a new family adventure, will greatly help your
children adjust.
Clinical psychologist Paul Marcille, who works with family
adjustment problems in Paris, says that children mirror their
parents' attitude. Pushing kids to adapt to their new surrounds
on their own won't work. You have to stick together.
A child's needs will depend on his developmental stage in
life. A very young child will be more concerned about losing
his favourite TV programmes, than his friends in day care.
He is still learning his i rst culture, mostly by observation
and repeating what you do, so he can continue the same
approach with the new culture.
An adolescent, who is normally trying to establish his
independence from parents and family, will miss his peer
group and will probably need your support more than he
is able to admit. Your sensitivity can improve your child's
adjustment skills now and for the rest of his life. Children rarely
have negative reactions to a new environment unless their
parents teach them by their own example. It has also been
proven that children who learn multicultural skills early in life
have a distinct advantage as adults in international settings.
Recognise the potential problems early, and seek profes-
sional help if you don't feel you can handle them. For helpful
sources, please refer to the Resource Guide on page 237.
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