out the book Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World by Homa Sabet Tavanga. I personally grew up in a town where not much diversity was present, but having the family that I did—with my little brother having special needs and being taught to take time in learning about him and the way he interacted with the world—I drew that near to my heart, and it ignited a passion in me. I became intrigued and embraced any and everyone that came across my path that was unique. I developed a love of human beings of all kinds and a thirst for learning through their anthropology and befriending people in all realms. I immersed myself in books from other countries, I watched movies, read magazines, and had a notebook of all of the places I wanted to visit. I was pinteresting before Pinterest existed. In high school I attended a leadership conference and learned of study abroad opportunities. This idea was so foreign to me, and I needed to be a part of it. At 18 years old, I ventured to France for 4 weeks. I was at a disadvantage because the elective language I took was Spanish, but I actually think that not knowing the language forced me to interact with my surroundings differently and have a greater appreciation of nonverbal interactions. Connecting over commonalities such as food and art brought us together in a different way than I expected. I wanted more interactions like these. I had no idea that I would find a career that would have the possibility to provide these things on a regular basis.
Seeing the World Through Hosting You don’t have to move to Finland for your children to get 75 minutes of recess or live in Argentina to understand why kids eat so late and observe later bedtimes without some of the struggles we face. Isn’t it so intriguing that the average European 16
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teenager speaks at least 3 languages? If you are of a curious mind that enjoys learning about other cultures and see the value of raising children in a multicultural environment, then grab a cup of culture through reading this article and also check
WRITTEN BY AND PHOTOS COURTESY MICHAELA GULBRANSEN
Growing Up Globally:
I have always been known as the welcome committee within my friend group, my moms club, and even through the drivethru window at Starbucks where I spent time working and connecting with people through a love of coffee from all parts of the world. This is how I developed the idea of Cup of Culture which is my approach to my job and all of the extra hospitality my team provides to our families and students. These things include loaning bikes and beds to our students, coordinating ride shares, and voluntarily planning trips and excursions they can stay busy with. I started bringing coffee to my host family interviews. During those interviews I learned all about their cultural experiences, and we bonded over culture and coffee. I believe we can find a