A friend of mine posted this video on facebook. If you're a dual citizenship person, if you have moved countries in your childhood. This might be you. A 3CK.
Third Culture Kid.
It's totally describing me: Restless. Over friendly. Empathic. Prone to depression. In love with the smell of jet fuel. And I have not nearly moved around as much as those kids.
I can ramble and ramble on about this subject. I won't. I definitely don't feel sorry for myself. I feel lucky.
After high school all I wanted was to get out. First Australia, then the UK. When depression and loneliness pushed me back to Stavanger all I focused on was to stay put. Not run.
I managed to, and am still put.
My family is my home. My identity. My anchor.
It is where I am me.
6 May 2011
Third Culture Kid
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Being a traveling child is hard later. I feel lucky for the experiences but at the same time I feel restless. 5 years in a house has been my limit since I was 7, and most times it was a change of city to. And even before 7 we traveled all over so that home was just a stopping place with a laundry room, not really home. I've lived in this house for 2 years and already I've started talking about where to go from here.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have found a stopping place. :)
Interesting! I didn't share this experience but have met many young people who have lived this way, and often mix in many ethnic backgrounds, too. It always seems to bring about a search for identity. It's great that you have found the place where you are you!
ReplyDelete"in love with the smell of jet fuel" - what a great line! i'm not quite there, but i do find airports comfortingly familiar, and i'm not a full-on TCK ;)
ReplyDeletei've been working with TCKs in Beijing for 6 years and they are AWESOME. (not that i'm biased). i think having family as an anchor is so important - that is one "place" that stays there, one group that has experienced the changes (or a lot of them) with you.