Tom and I are back in Buenos Aires after flying from NYC to Atlanta, bumming around the airport for eight hours, then flying through the night to Ezeiza, the BA airport. Just before landing, we were all given surgical masks and instructed to wear them when we deplaned and throughout our time in the airport. Too bad they didn’t give instructions on how to wear them–many were inside out or upside down. There have been four recent swine flu (H1N1) ) deaths in Argentina recently and they are not taking any chances.

Or, well, not as many, any way. When we got off the plane, they had the scanner reading our body temperature. But once we hit customs, we realized that the other passengers from other flights did not wear masks. Hmm. Not such a consistent policy. Maybe it was only for those coming from the U.S.?

Who knows. Hey, it’s Argentina, and I love it. It’s good to be home.

Tom and I had a great time at WBUR’s studio in Boston yesterday doing NPR’s fastest-growing talk show, “On Point”
with Tom Ashbrook. It was live and is presented by more than 150 NPR affiliates across the country! You can listen to the recorded show here .

It was a great experience all around–the producers were so excited about our story and really made us feel welcome, and the host couldn’t have been more charming. The callers were beyond civil (perhaps the harsh critics were screened out!) and in fact, many just wanted to call and share their own story of students gone global. We just sat back and let ourselves be validated. Nothing like others’ success stories to reinforce the notion that going abroad is an incredibly beneficial learning experience!

I received many, many personal emails–some during the show!–including many from students who are very interested in going abroad but whose parents are worried about sending them. For many, the money is the perceived obstacle. Once we point out that it costs A LOT to raise a sixteen-year-old here in the US and that many families can actually SAVE THOUSANDS of dollars while their kid is having the most important year of their lives abroad, parents start coming around. Most parents who claim they don’t have enough money to send their student abroad make far more than we do (we’ve been firmly planted in the mid-five figures for several years) and have fewer kids–it’s more about priorities than cash. In addition, it’s important to note that many students in the book who share their stories about their exchange or college study abroad came from low-income families and received scholarships that funded their experiences.

When it comes to going abroad, the biggest obstacle is not lack of money–it’s lack of information and imagination. Learn the facts, imagine the possibilities, and then get out there and play!

I had NO IDEA that Greg Toppo’s article about my book in USA Today would be so big! The online version seems much smaller–you can read it here. But the paper version–it’s half a page!

Thanks, Greg Toppo and USA Today!

My book got a rave review in yesterday’s (Sunday’s) issue of The Boston Globe! It was described as “Funny, innovative and meaningful, ….a how-to guide with heart.”

Read the whole thing here

After nearly a year and a half of working together virtually, it was such a thrill to finally meet my editor, Heather Proulx! Tom and I had breakfast with her across the street from the Random House building and then went upstairs to check out the publishing premises–always nice to have a visual so I can picture her when we correspond in the future!

In this short video, Heather tells why my initial proposal was so compelling to her personally and shares her story of “swirling”–attending more than one college before earning a diploma. I’m a big fan of swirling and more importantly, paying attention to what’s not fulfilling. Cheers to you, Heather, for seeing your best education options clearly!

I’ve been having fun connecting with Amy Tiemann, author of Mojo Mom: Nurturing Yourself While Raising a Family. I’d been following her updates on Facebook and knew that her book had been rereleased recently, so I was interested in seeing how her book launch was going. It turns out we have the same agent!

Amy has a PhD from Stanford and was a science teacher for years before choosing to stay home as a new mom. She started writing the book she wished she had as a new mother–one that describes not just how to care for a baby but how a mother can care for herself as well. She wrote Mojo Mom to help other women reinvent themselves after becoming mothers.

In addition to her great website/blog at MojoMom.com, Amy offers podcast interviews of all kinds of interesting women. Last Friday, she posted an interview she’d done with me about The New Global Student along with her conversation with a woman who is reinventing herself in Tulum, Mexico.

Check out the podcast here.

And just to show what a fan she is (I am so honored!) take a look at my Amazon page
Amy’s the first one to write a review! And she’s very honest about her own educational journey (head down, PhD at 27) and how the book made her wish she’d taken a few little detours along the way….

Cheers to you, Amy!

In better times for authors/publishers, it was customary to throw a big party for the launch of a book. Publicists, contributors, friends–everyone was invited and the author was the center of attention with the hope of creating buzz about the book. These days, most authors are choosing to avoid the traditional launch party–especially now that they are more likely to have to foot the bill for it. Some are doing smaller celebrations, some are even doing virtual book parties with an all-day series of online toasts and other social network shoulder-rubbing.

I skipped the press-courting hoopla in favor of joining others who are launching themselves into the world. So, on Saturday night, on the rooftop of my oldest daughter’s Hamilton Heights apartment, I attended a fun launch party that celebrated several milestones–Taeko and several of her friends earning their master’s degrees, a 25th birthday, and the birth of my book.

There was great food, including a fabulous “grill” cake created by Taeko and her co-hort, Dan. There was great conversation about all manner of things. There were great people excited about what they’re doing, including researchers, community organizers, artists, musicians, and even a comedian.

This video captures a bit of the spirit of the gathering. Congratulations to us and to all who are redefining themselves and offering their best to the world in new ways.

Yesterday, Tom took this three-minute video as I met my agent for the first time and found my book on the shelves at Barnes & Noble here in New York. I navigated through the entire pitch-to-publication process via email while living in Argentina, so if you’re dreaming of publishing a book someday (the old way, with an agent and everything) I hope you’ll find this inspiring!