Description du livre
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.