And network, network, network. Try to find someone else in your profession who has traveled to the same part of the world. While You're Away Consider going back to school. And there are a wealth of specialized courses available to maintain or extend your training. Peterson's Guides , publishes The Independent Study Catalogue listing members of the National Univ.
Schedule trips home to coincide with professional conferences, seminars, or lectures.
Keep a notebook to document your attendance and what you learned. Try writing an article from your cross-cultural perspective for your newsletter or professional publication. As the world gets smaller and smaller, Americans need new and different skills to excel in the marketplace. An international perspective, the ability to function across cultures, and the mental flexibility to accommodate or overcome differences are lessons you could never learn in a conventional classroom. Today's career-minded wives can do much more than preside at dinner parties for their husbands.