AdventureDad

When I grew up I was not exposed to many people, nationalities, or countries.  It was a different time and I also came from a small town in the very north of Sweden where social interaction was anything but desired. But as I saw more of the world and met people with all kinds of backgrounds, I realized how important this was. Sweden is not exactly know for it's diversity although we do have quite a few immigrants.  But I'm very happy to see the diverse environment at the day care/kindergarten facility our children attend.  We have no less than 23 countries represented which is great for both kids and parents.

Annika's responsible teacher is from Afghanistan, Daniel's is from Australia, and we have teachers from many other countries.  There are many Swedish families at the school but also Colombians, Venezuelans, Chinese, Mexican, Spanish, Russian, UK, Americans, French, and Germans to name a few. It's like a little United Nations, except not as corrupt and utterly useless.

I often try to explain the importance of getting to know other cultures, traditions, and values but people often don't get it.  It's difficult to write down things learned and "greater perspective" sounds lame. Sadly, most people don't get it.  Even more sad is that people who desperately need to experience other cultures have no desire to do so since they already know it all.  Or at least believe so.

"I don't need to visit Italy, I've eaten Italian food" and "I already know France, I went to High School with a French exchange student" are two comments I've heard which sums this up well. Without exception coming from  people with no clue. Some wise person once told me "It's more important to know what you don't know than know what you know".  Think about that one for a second.

It's good to know there are other things out there, everything doesn't work like at home.   I've told my family about this 500 times but finding listeners is difficult.  I've begged my sister to give her teenage kids some experiences outside her neighborhood but she doesn't listen.  I might be a bad communicator but I think the message should be clear by now.

When I left Sweden over 20 years ago I was not ready for the world.  It lead to many situations that I could have been better prepared for.  I will try not to make that mistake with my own children as they grow older.  Our own little UN at school is a good start, my kids know the world is a large place, and it's my job to share as many of my own valuable lessons as possible.

Categories: Annika, Daniel, School
Tags: Family, features, perspective, Travel, UN