People never fully understand the reason you want to leave, and sometimes neither do you. All you know is that you have to.
Being an international kid is like being born with a cureless disease.
People never understand the reason you want to leave, and sometimes neither do you. All you know is that you have to. From the moment you leave the comfort of your house and embark on the plane, many times alone and even clueless, the sadness of leaving your home is overpowered by the adventurous feeling of curiosity that is inherent to all travelers. You feel like a part of the world.
But every rose has its thorn - and this one has many. When the temporary house becomes a permanent residence, or whenever you are away for too long, you finally understand what people mean when they say that international kids are brave. Wishing happy birthday to your Nana via Skype, missing the first words of your nephew, witnessing on social media all the fun your friends are having without you. You are brave for leaving, yes. But was it worth it?
You then remember of that time you saw the sun rising at that beautiful lake in Rhode Island, or of when you went rafting on the cold waters of Maine. You remember the class president who became your best friends or the crazy indian girl who changed your life. Weird American traditions, tasteless peanut and butter sandwiches, very odd prep school parties, crazy red socks fans, boarding school kids. You think about that day you went cliff jumping and thought you were going to die (and almost did), and about when you were in a snowball fight for the first time. You are brave for staying too. It was worth it.
Being an international kid also is taking a little bit if your country wherever you go - sharing your culture and answering questions people ask you. It is saying that not all Chinese people are good at math, that Jamaica isn’t in Africa, that Mexicans don’t have pet donkeys, that all Brazilians do not live on the Amazon rainforest. It is letting the domestic kids aware that there is a world beyond stereotypes and prejudices - and it is freaking awesome.
When international kids meet, the connection is instantaneous. It’s always good to find someone who reminds you that although you can sometimes feel lonely, you are not alone at all . You understand that you’re not the only one who has AP credit on airport knowledge, who loves to show off your passport stamps and who is used to being the one who goes away.
Being an international kid is like being born with a cureless disease. If you have it, the consequences are inevitable: you spend half of your time googling cheap plane tickets and the other half thinking about ways to get enough money to buy them.
A true international kid never forgets where they are from. And regardless of how long you’ve been gone, there will always be those melancholic nights when you would give all you have just to go back home, even if just for a little while. On the other hand, you will never lack amazing, epic, book-worthy adventures that make your life look like a best seller fictional story. While most just read it, you live it.
So here’s to the brave international kids who leave their homes without knowing for sure when they’ll be back, but who do so while enjoying, without restrictions, the best life has to offer: the entire world.
