American Mom Out of America

Annie O.

on her travels

You can take the mom out of America, but can you take the America out of the mom? The interview for today is, the always striving for the best, Annie Ozarac.

I had the privilege of working with Annie in Istanbul and really enjoyed collaborating both as workers and as mothers. She was well versed in kids' needs and had to really kick it in gear since she had double to kids to tend to for her first go at it.

Annie is one of the lucky ones who got to have twins. Two for the price of one.

Here are some of her thoughts about being a Mom overseas:

What is being an American mom like when living in a culture that has different ideals from America?

This is a hard one to answer because I am surrounded with people, regardless of culture, who have the same ideals as me. I don’t feel all that different living here. In fact, I feel more different when I go home since the expat life is such a “thing” and all of the English speakers I hang around are also expats and just “get it.” On my trips back to Seattle this fall, I felt a bit like Sting in his song “I am Alien.”

This difference really hit home when I was at the grocery store and I was fumbling around with the debit card, and the cashier stopped, looked at me and said, “You aren’t from around here, are you dear?” My reply, “Well, I used to be.”

What is it like when other mother's (and grandmother's) ideas differ from yours?

The only thing I hear differently is the whole “fear of cold” thing here in Turkey. There is a belief that a cross breeze will make you sick, and since I am from the NW, and love a good, cold cross breeze, I hear about this every now and then. I just ignore it though. Sometimes I say to strangers who make comments, that I am American and we like it cold and are used to it. They look puzzled, but they leave me alone.

Why did you choose to be a working mother? How do you feel it benefits you? Do you regret your choice at all? Would you ever stay at home?

I chose to be a working mom because I love my job. I am also lucky to have a five-minute walking commute to work (editor's note: best commute ever), and a great nanny who took care of our boys until this year when they started pre-school, which is a three-minute walk the other way from our home. I get the best of both worlds because I am able to be a professional and a mom. Being a mother, and especially a mother of twins, is a hard job for a variety of reasons, but one thing that I feel is the hardest is maintaining a sense of self. I easily get wrapped up in being a mom that I forget about my own identity. When I am at work, I can re-claim that sense of self, which I think makes me a better mom. Having kids also makes me better at my job, as when I come home, I have no choice but not to think about work, so I can also escape and decompress from work.

What is your favorite thing about watching your boys grow up?

I adore watching their personalities develop. I think they are hysterical. They are genetically identical, but so different in the ways they interact with their world.

How do you manage teaching your boys English in a Turkish speaking environment? Are you ever afraid that they will not be able to communicate with you in English?

This is actually the easiest part of being a mom for me. Raising bi-lingual children has been really, really easy. I speak English, Koray speaks Turkish, and Ali and Omer are fluent in both. It is that simple. As far as their English communication skills go, no worries there. It is like the inquisition on a daily basis.

What is it like having twins?

Having twins is like navigating through a swarm of butterflies and locusts.

Raising twins is like being Sisyphus, and liking it.

Besides being a mom, what else would you like to be known as? How else do you identify yourself?

A strong, reliable person who works hard and always follows through, who loves to cook and really, really wants to learn how to make a quilt.

What is your favorite part of being a mom?

Snuggles and smooches and watching them grow.

What snack do you like feeding your boys most and why?

Smoothies. We make smoothies after school and when the weather is agreeable, we sip them out on the patio. Ali, Omer and I look forward to this ritual, and they start talking about it as soon as I pick them up from pre-school. (editor again: Annie had the BEST idea ever when we were in Turkey - add some Spinach to those smoothies! The kids go crazy for it.)

What is your favorite toy for your boys (even though they might not play with it)?

There are two things. One is the original See-n-Say that I won in a bidding war on e-bay. I was so vehement about winning the bid because it was my favorite toy. The boys like it, but are not as into it as I was. Also, stuffed animals. We have a full blown exotic zoo of stuffed animals, but they only like three of them. (Me again: totally my world)

What is the best thing about being an overseas mom?

The travel opportunities. We get the chance to go to some cool places every year, one of them being North America. Our time back home is always precious.

Is there anything you miss from the US that you wish you had in Turkey or that you HAD to bring to Turkey because they didn't have it there?

Peanut butter, children’s medicine--you can get everything here, but I like the brands from home better--Gap/Old Navy socks and jammies (I swear by these) and Frenchy’s, an amazing thrift shop in Nova Scotia.

Thanks Annie for your thoughtful words. I am sure mothers who are not traveling the world will feel comforted to know that mothers have the same existence no matter where they live - to care for their young. Enjoy!