My Global Nomad

Main Entry: zane
Pronunciation: zān
Function: noun
Etymology:
Old English, derived from Alexander (meaning defender of man); Hindi, Godly light; Arabic, goodness; Hebrew, God's gift (if anyone can verify the Hebrew meaning that would be great. I have had conflicting interpretations)
1: My breath of fresh air 2: one who always makes me smile 3: heaven on earth: personified


I’ve been feeling a bit homesick as of late. I don’t necessarily miss the United States. I miss family and friends and feeling familiar more than anything else. I keep busy so homesickness doesn’t overwhelm me as it did the first time I moved overseas. Life is also much easier for me here than it was in the States so I am better off here for now. Mohamed was always off traveling five days a week commuting between New York City and Europe. I was left to my own devices trying to manage work, home, Zane, bills and whatever else came my way. Whenever I do feel a bit nostalgic for all things Americana I remember the primary driver for our big move back: Zane.

He won’t ever miss the U.S. or New York City the way I do. He won’t know it the way I do. He’ll be raised in Dubai, a welfare state with censorship. It is seemingly a utopia where social ills appear to be absent. You never see homeless people or drunks on the street. You rarely hear of crime. Everyone here drives expensive cars, has a live in maid, and vacations in exotic locations. He won’t know what it is really like to celebrate American holidays like Thanksgiving. (We missed it this year because it is not a holiday for Mohamed and he had to work.) However, he will know all about passports, visas, border control and immigration. He will know his geography well (hopefully) and experience cultures from a unique perspective.

My little global nomad is quite well traveled. At four weeks old we ventured to Quebec, Canada and London, England. He spent the first few months of his life in Switzerland and he has traveled to Germany as well. He vacationed in Mexico and has lived in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Our next stop is Alexandria and Cairo in December which should be fabulous. I want to take Zane to the pyramids and the sphinx. He’ll ride camels and boat across the Nile River. He probably won’t remember it but I will have lots of pictures to remind him of his time there. It will be a life-like history lesson. We would like to visit India and Malaysia next year as well. Maybe we can do some volunteer work there so Zane can see first hand how a large percentage of the world’s population really lives. I don’t want him to think that everyone lives like this – rich and spoiled.

Zane will start nursery school in January for three days a week. I’m traumatized by the idea that my little boy is leaving me. He won’t care or miss me. He’ll run off to be with the teachers and other kids and leave me alone. He will also start swim lessons once a week in February when the weather warms up a bit. It is still quite warm here actually. It’s been in the mid-80’s and while the ocean has cooled off a bit it is still pretty warm compared to summer at the beach back in the States. Last weekend we saw a family celebrating their child’s birthday at the beach. It was a great idea. Although Zane was born in June and it is really hot here that time of year. So, we’ll have to celebrate some place with good air conditioning.

One great part to living in the Middle East is that children are really valued here. I often felt that kids are perceived as more of an annoyance back in the States. It often feels as if Americans don’t value children because they aren’t productive members of society yet. Life is child centered here. Every place you visit will have something to accommodate children.


All malls and most restaraunts have a separate room in the women's bathrooms with leather chairs and sofas for women to privately breastfeed. Unlike the States, where you get publicly ostracized for breastfeeding in public when most places don't provide a private place for you to do so. The changing stations are quite nice as well. Some facilities have granite counter tops with cushins and baby wipes. There is a full time attendant dedicated to keeping the room sanitary. Most bathrooms have sinks lowered so children can reach without their parents having to carry them. Grocery stores will often have baby shopping carts so your child can push as you shop and fill the cart. Stores will have monitored play areas for children so their parents can shop undisturbed. People will offer to help you with your bags if you are with a child. There are parks everywhere. Every mall has an indoor play area that is also monitored (some are free). Restaraunts and malls all provide high chairs for children that are usually kept quite clean and in very good condition. People welcome children here. They smile at them rather than roll their eyes. When Zane screams people usually give me an understanding smile rather than a look of disdane.

I went to the grocery store this morning with Zane and gave him one of his own baby shopping carts. He annoyed the hell out of me because he wouldn't stop driving it around and kept running into people. Mind you, he also had no shoes on because we just left a friend's house who had a pool and he jumped in with his clothes on. I had an extra change of clothes on me but not an extra pair of shoes. So, some people stared at me because my son was running around a store aimlessly with a renagade shopping cart and no shoes on while other simply smiled or laughed. Some of the people that worked in the store tried to help me keep him in line. But, mostly people laughed.

There are some things about Zane that are typically American. He's loud for one. He is also open and overly friendly the way only an American can be. He'll dance in the street when he hears the street workers playing their Hindi music. He will yell hello as loud as he can when he hears someone's phone ringing. And he will approach just about anyone for a hug or a handshake.