How being a new mom is a lot like being an exchange student

I spent my senior year of high school as an AFS exchange student in Belgium, with the incredibly warm and welcoming Visart family (hi, Visarts)!, and attended a local school.  Right after college graduation, I spent a summer living with another family, this time in Beijing.  So I'm a fairly experienced exchange student.  In fact, given that those two experiences add up to about 14 months total, you could say that I have more experience as an exchange student than I have as a mother.  But, as my friend N. suggested recently, maybe those two things aren't so different after all!

Presenting:  the 10 reasons being a new mom is a lot like being an exchange student--

1)  You have to learn a new language.
Don't believe this?  Then, if you're not a mom, please define the following:  ergo.  prefold.  glider.  let-down.  hindmilk.  lanolin.  colic (shiver.  that one's scary).  scatatastrope.  (OK, I made that last one up).


2)  Your wardrobe is probably no longer appropriate.
Just like my cargo pants looked out of place in skinny pants land (aka Europe), new moms find that they are suddenly desirous of easy-access tops and dark, spit-up hiding colors.