Some of us have grown up living in the same house, seeing the same people and going to the same school district for our entire lives until college (sometimes, not even then).
And then, there are those of us (gypsy kids) who were too busy refining our packing skills to worry about building lifelong friendships. Here are a few clues that you may have moved around a lot when you were younger.
1. The question, "Where are you from?," can put you in an awkward place.
"Well...I was born in Maryland, and then we moved to New York where we lived in about three different neighborhoods, but I attended middle school in Georgia, before we moved again to Hawaii where I graduated high school. Now I go to college in Missouri. So I guess the easiest answer would be that I'm from America."
2. You're experienced in the art of adaptation.
In order for one to survive living in so many places with different climates, demographics and landmarks in such a short time span, the ability to readjust to new situations (and quickly) is a must.
You can immerse yourself in a new area while still keeping bits of the other places that make you, you.
3. You're a pro when it comes to making new friends.
As part of that ability to quickly adapt, someone who moved around a lot as a kid would have also learned the ins and outs of fast friendship. Although zip codes and topography change depending on the area, people are people. When you never know how long your family's stay in town X is going to last, it's best to skip the awkward "new kid" phase and make the most of it.
Gypsy kids are more likely than not the people who initiate friendships.
4. You take it harder than most when people you love move away.
As a gypsy kid, one becomes accustomed to picking up roots and moving to new and exciting places. Sure, you'll miss so-and-so, but adventure awaits!
However, when the tables are turned and a close friend or significant other moves away before your time there is up? It can feel like death by a thousand cuts.
For you, each place you live is defined by the people you spend it with, and when someone leaves, it can be a lot like the foundation of your temporary house shifting: foreign, scary, and accompanied by the gut-wrenching feeling that you're being left behind. This, you're not used to.
5. You have a disulfide level attachment to your family.
Your siblings were your best friends, you know the intricate details of each family member's life and you're secure enough in your familial relationships to be able to catch up on an irregular basis without feeling detached.
Moving from place to place, there was only a small group of people that was by your side through it all–those people being your immediate family. Despite the fact that you drove each other crazy, and may have attempted to seriously harm them at one point or another, they get top marks simply for being there.
Sure, you know that you'll eventually get used to the new place, but it helps to be able to come home to something familiar. Everyone needs a support system, even gypsy kids.
6. You know who you are.
Because you've seen so many places and faces, who you are isn't necessarily tied to any one place or group of people.
You knew who you were in Kansas and California, and you'll know who you are on that journalism internship in Belgium, and it's because you have been able to practice. The culmination of your experiences across state lines and over oceans has contributed to your self-discovery in amazing and unexpected ways.
It may not have been on purpose, but all of those trips have given you a solid sense of self that many people don't have until much later in life.
So there it is, if you identify with four or more of these points you may be a modern-day gypsy kid. Whether it's due to military ties, a parent's job or the random whims of adventure—you can be at ease knowing that you aren't alone, and that it isn't a bad thing.
