Marieke Nijland Wereldburger

Being a world citizen; enriching or disturbing?

Being a world citizen all by yourself is great! So many things to discover, to explore and it’s a big adventure. And if you can do this together with your partner, then it’s even more awesome….but how is it to be a world citizen with your family, with your kids?

Let me tell a little bit about myself and share my story of being a world citizen this far :). My name is Marieke Nijland, I am from the Netherlands and I have been living in Bali since 2007, more than a decade already. I’m still amazed how time passes by so fast.

From the moment I first arrived in Bali until the end of 2018 I have been active in the non-profit sector. From 2010-2018, together with two co-founders, we have been running our own NGO named Sukacita Foundation.

Sukacita Foundation The aim was to spread awareness and information about children with an intellectual disability through workshops, writing books and giving practical guidance to parents, teachers and other professionals. It was a great journey and I have learned so much from it as well!

In 2012 I met my (Balinese) partner and since 2015 we have been married. In 2017 our daughter Nina was born and from here I started a new journey, the one of motherhood.

So to sum up, the past decade I have been seeing quiet a lot of facets of Bali and Indonesia. I have been learning about culture & religion, about education and health care system, about politics, about the family structure of the Balinese and so on. And of course the past 2 years about how it is to raise your child in an environment which is so different as the place that I have been grown up myself. This has been wonderful… and disturbing at the same time. Let’s start with the wonderful part first :). It gives so much freedom to be in a different place, to do things different as the people back home and to take a new path. To learn that there are other ways to do things, to have a new perspective and to just see what works. The ‘disturbing’ part is also there, because we have to figure out everything by ourselves; without social security and my family to help out, with a totally different educational system as the one I know from back home, with different medical procedures as in my home country etc. And this is what I guess most of the families who choose to live somewhere else as their home country are also dealing with. It’s a challenge to deal with all those new aspects without feeling out of balance. 

You want to give your child this great experience of living in a new place, a different culture and a life of freedom, but what if they don’t seem to take it well?

In Bali, and especially Ubud, for adults there is a lot of opportunities to develop yourself, to get support in many ways, like retreats, experienced healers, workshops, therapists, sharing circles etc etc. So if you have something to deal with, you can find someone or something to help you with this. And you are willing to give it a try, right?
But how about if there is something with your child? If they are not happy, or showing behaviour that you can’t explain or if you just don’t know how to deal with it anymore? You are much more cautious and careful to who you will go to seek help. Often you don’t know where to start to get advice or (professional) support or in some places there are not even facilities to get help or support. 

certified Child in Mind workerThe last 6 months I have been in the Netherlands to get my certification to work with the Child in Mind method (in Dutch Luisterkind). Through a Child in Mind attunement I make contact with a child (or adult) on a distance. By tuning into the ‘frequency’ of the child, I can communicate and talk to them and hear what really needs to be said. After the attunement, there is often the feeling of relief, because the important issues are named and the problem is solved or the solution is within your reach. To read more about the Child in Mind method you can click here.

How can a Child in Mind attunement help your child?

I think in a lot of situations a Child in Mind attunement is a very helpful and and important start to hear what your child needs and how things can be changed. But espcially if you are a world citizen family, without your secure network, it is a gentle and easy accesible method to take the first step to Change.

So if you are reading this as a world citizen mom or dad and you are worried about your child and you don’t know where to go? Maybe your child is suddenly showing aggressive behaviour or start withdrawing themselves from social interaction? Or all of a sudden your child starts bedwetting again, or they feel unwell for an inexplicable reason?
In all these situations an attunement can help to listen to what is going on and what your child needs at the moment. 
For an attunement you don’t have to travel, your child doesn’t have to meet at stranger, you can just stay in your own safe space. 

I wish for all families who are spread out over the globe that your children become happy world citizen and feel totally attuned to their environment. This new generation will definitely give the world a much needed boost of newness.

And of course, feel free to contact me if you want to know more about a Child in Mind attunemten or click here to request an attunement right away.

With love, Marieke Nijland
Child in Mind worker

 

PS. If you are still wondering if I find it enriching or disturbing to be a world citizen, I give it 90% enriching and 10 % disturbing….So I definitely won’t be pakcing my backs to go home yet 😉

Marieke Nijland Luisterkindwerker

About Marieke Nijland

Hoi, ik ben Marieke Nijland. Luisterkind-werker, leerkracht speciaal beweginsonderwijs & oprichter van Stichting Sukacita. In 2019 heb ik de opleiding tot Luisterkindwerker gevolgd bij grondlegger Diana Hendriks - van Beaumont. Luisterkind is een prachtige en zachte methode om écht te luisteren naar wat iemand te vertellen heeft. Een methode die iedereen een stem kan geven, ook diegene die het zelf niet goed kunnen verwoorden. En door één belangrijk moment een luisterend oor te bieden, er volledig zonder oordeel te zijn voor iemand, kan die persoon nieuwe stappen zetten en nog meer uit het leven te halen. Een mooie samenwerking, toch?

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