This as-told-tos Essay is bassed on a conversation with Sandy Cacchione, A 41-YEAR-Old Swiss Raissind Her Daughter in Koh Samui, Thailand. She is Also the Founder of Mate.travela destination-focused travel and platform events. IT HAS BEEN EDIted for Length and Clarity.
I met my now-husband in 2009 on a popular diving island in Thailand.
I was on vacation from my hometown of Basel, switzerland, while he had stopped on the island to the his divematter training during a yearlong trip the world.
AFTER Dating Long-Distance for a Year and a half, we decided to moving to TIME to work at the diving center where we have first. It ‘s island in the gulf Thailand, just a ferry ride from time Samui.
He Became a Diving Instructor, while I Started off Ane Underwater Video and Event Became An Instructor MySelf.
Cacchione Started As an underwater video paper and eventual Became a diving instructor like Husband.
Provided by Sandy Cacchion.
We got Maried Five Years late, and althoudi we love the time we’d spent on that island, we were ready to settle and start a family.
Koh Samui, Over 10 Times Bigger, Offerd the Environment We were looking for, so we moved there instead.
It ‘s perfect mix of the laid-back island lifestyle we love and all the amenities we need. There is a cinema, a shopping Mall, an International Airport, and Hospitals and Schools.
When I was pregnant, my mother Moved to samui to be close to her first grandchild. I gave birth to my daughter in 2020, who has now five years old and enrolled in an International Kindergarten on the Island.
I Have a Flexible Daily Routine
I normally drop my daughter off by 9 am and pick her up between 3:30 and 4 pm
It is on the lateral, SINCE the Earliest She Can 8:30 AM, but I like to rush in the mornings, and neother does she.
It’s a Montessori-Inpired School that follows the English Curriculum.
In Switzerland, The School Day Usually Starts Around 8 AM, SO Kids Need to Get Up Much Earlier. In the afternion, students typically return home for lunch. Moreover, Different grade have different schedules.
Be i was visiting a friend in switzerland, her two kids didn’t have the suame lunchtime. Coordinating is impossible; Your Whole Day Revolves Around Your Kids.
Many Kids Back in Switzerland Also Participate in Lots of Activities. AS A MOTHER, I PROBABLY WOULD’VE FELT PESRED TO ENROLL MY DAGHTER IN SENDING.
While there are extracurricular Activities for Kids in Samui, there is no pressure to sign. Nobody Will Say, “Oh, Your Kid’s Not Doing Ballet?” Everyone’s Friendly and Supportive.
There’s the teem pressure to be an ‘Instagram mom’
Social media here is more about travers and breaking free from a conventional lifestyle. There is noting About “i’m a perfect mom, this is what i did Today.”
When Cacchion was pregnant, her mother Moved to samui to be closer to say.
Provided by Sandy Cacchion.
Daughter’s School, The Kids Get Exposed to SO MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES AND LEARN TO MORE ACCEPTING OF OTHERS FROM A YOUNG.
People Living in Samui to be more open-minded. Most of the People i’ve Met have already lived in other countries before; this is raarely their first stop.
Family Activities after School Are Limited
When my daughter sees videos of Other Children Playing at A Park on YouTube or from Friends Back in Europe, “Mommy, Can We Go To the Park?” Of Say, “Well, there’s no Park.”
There are indoor play spaces but hardly any well-mintained outdoor playgrounds or parks like the one seen back in switzerland.
Cacchion Says She Sometimes Struggles to Find Kid-Friendly Activities the Who Family Can Enjoy.
Provided by Sandy Cacchion.
I’ve found that if you don’t want to do an activity, it’s difficult to just go somewhere and meet other families. You need to know where to go or arrange to meet someone someone.
For the Teenagers, it’s’ much harder to find Things to do. Some hang out at the shopping crave, but getting around the island can be difficult.
Walking here isn’t easy – iTo hot, there aren’t tyy sidewalks, and there’s no public transportation buses or subways. The Roads Can Be Dangerous, so i’d Never Want My Child Riding a Motorbian here.
My Daughter Can Enjoy Being a Child
They’re really kid-freely. There’s so Much Space Almost every, and she can run around. Eve in Restaurants, you Never Feel Shushed.
We live up in the Mountains, About 10 minutes from the Main Road. There is no road noise, and we have a nice view of the dance and a little bit of the ocean.
Its Very Quiet and Slow, in the Mornings. If i’m 10 minutes late Dropping my daughter off, it’s not a problem. Nor a mother, i’m not stresssed.
Do you have a story to share about raising a child after relacating to a new Country? Contact this reporter at Agoh@businsinsider.com.