A Portable Identity: A Woman's Guide to Maintaining a Sense of Self While Moving Overseas, Revised Edition

A Portable Identity: A Woman's Guide to Maintaining a Sense of Self While Moving Overseas, Revised Edition, is written by two former expatriate spouses who are also counselors. The book educates and empowers expatriate spouses to take charge of the changes in identity that occur during an international relocation. The most profound change a woman will experience when she moves overseas in support of her husband's career comes from within herself, to her own sense of identity. With two, three, or more years of an overseas assignment, a woman faces the formidable task of creating a life for herself in an unfamiliar country. Unlike any other book about overseas living, this book explains with clarity, candor and compassion, how each stage of the move affects a woman's identity. A Portable Identity is an interactive book with practical exercises and inspiring stories. It is designed to be a companion and guide for the woman who wants to know how her identity is affected at each stage of the move, from pre-departure to arrival, and while living overseas. The book also explains why the thoughts and feelings she may experience as an expatriate spouse are normal within the context of so much change, and how she can use the steps of The Wheel to shape her identity in a way that honors her sense of self while living in a foreign country and culture, as well as during repatriation. A Portable Identity is essential reading for military, corporate, non-governmental organization, missionary, and foreign service spouses. By learning how to take charge of change, a spouse can make choices for a happier and more meaningful life overseas. The result is a more successful transition to life abroad and a more "portable" identity that can thrive away from home. A Portable Identity is also a valuable resource for professionals, including human resource managers, international relocation specialists, employee assistance professionals and therapists. The book provides them with critical information that they can utilize to better assist the accompanying spouse during an international move...

"A Portable Identity belongs in the personal library of every expat: it is a definite "must-buy"!" -- Jan Fischer Bachman, Managing Editor, Foreign Service Lifelines, Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide

"Unique workbook...to get back that person (yourself) you feel you may have lost in the move." -- Donna Ayerst, FLO Publications Coordinator, U.S. Department of State

"not just about coping with change, but how to get back that person (yourself) you feel you may have lost" -- Donna Ayerst, FLO Publications Coordinator, U.S. Department of State

"...A Portable Identity goes to the heart of the dilemma women face once abroad." -- Valerie Scane, Editor of Families in Global Transition’s Website, Writer and Speaker of Expatriate Issues

"...I wish I had this book when I made my first move!" -- Robin Pascoe, The Expat Expert, Author of Four Best-Selling Books on Expatriate Life

"...this carefully crafted book...gently guides the reader toward a knowledge of herself...to be comfortable in any environment." -- David R. Shlim, M.D., Medical Director, Jackson Hole Travel and Tropical Medicine, Jackson Hole, Wyoming