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Jul 25, 2024

On "cousin camp" and the lack of summer support as an expat family

One of my first expat friends here in Japan has long since returned to her home country (the United States), but we still keep in touch via social media. I saw this week that her parents are hosting what they call "cousin camp", where all of the cousins below 12 head to their grandparents house for two weeks and engage in a whole bunch of fun activities. There are beach days, craft days, nature-based days, movie days – basically, a whole lot of fun for the kids, connection for the grandparents, and a couple of weeks of rest and relaxation for the parents.

On "cousin camp" and the lack of summer support as an expat family photo

I won't lie, I've felt a twinge of jealousy upon seeing her posts lately. Of course, I'm happy for her and her kids, since it looks like such a fun time – but I'd love two weeks of sleep-ins, no specific meal planning, time to catch up on things around the house, and uninterrupted thoughts while knowing my kids were safe and having a blast. Summer holidays feel exceptionally tough sometimes, since it's the hottest time of year, I'm juggling things I need to do alongside keeping kids entertained, and I'm just snowball-effect tired. 


I'm sure I'm not alone and other expats here have had those same thoughts/feelings of jealousy from time to time, when friends or family back home are able to have extended breaks because of a solid support network. 

genkidesu

genkidesu

Love to travel, interested in J-beauty products and consider myself a convenience store snack aficionado. Navigating the ever-present challenges of expat life, particularly about my TCK's (third culture kids).


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