1. Nowhere ever feels quite like home.
It can be amazing to grow up as a Third Culture Kid, whether you grew up overseas or as a first generation America. At the same time, though, it can be rough. Because we grew up between worlds, we often feel like we don't have any true place to call home.
2. It takes a long time to explain where we're from.
It can be so hard to tell people where we're from. Our identities our often skewed and caught between cultures. We can’t simply say we’re from Appleton, Wisconsin. Instead we have to go through a long list of places we’ve lived and our backgrounds. It can take a while. That’s why I tend to say I’m from a lot of places.
3. We always miss someone.
Third Culture Kids usually move a lot. Now that may sound fun and intriguing, but it can also be heartbreaking. From a young age, most TCKs have said good bye to more than their fair share of family, friends and places.
4. We are statistically more likely to get depressed.
Due to more mobile lives and chronic cycles of separation and loss, Third Culture Kids are more likely to experience depression even if they have no family history of depression or other mental illnesses. As well as this, TCKs can develop depression because of layers of unresolved grief from having to say goodbye to people and places from a young age.
5. We spend a lot of our time online to stay connected with family and friends abroad.
With being a TCK, the internet becomes one of the only ways to stay in contact with family and friends around the world. It isn't a matter of staying in contact with a person who is only four hours away, but most likely family and friends who are thousands of miles away. It can be a juggling act.
6. People don’t get our jokes or we don’t get theirs.
Humor gets complicated when you're a TCK. There are so many times jokes go right over my head. All cultures express humor differently, and it is a big adjustment to get used to it. Sarcasm is a perfect example. I grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where sarcasm is expressed very differently than it is in the states. Even though I've been in America, now for several years, American sarcasm still confuses me.
7. Identity Crisis
It can be very hard to know where our place is in the world. I grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but I’m not Bosnian. I’m American, but I don’t feel like it. I don't fit the mold. At the same time, I know that if I went back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, now, after so many years, I wouldn't fit Bosnia's mold either. Instead, I’m left hanging in the middle questioning my own identity.
8. Sadly, our favorite food is almost always impossible to get.
One word. Ćevapi. It is my favorite Bosnian dish. I would give anything for ćevapi, but it is nearly impossible for me to get it in America. This is the case for most TCKs. It is so hard to get the foods we love.
9. Math is a constant in our lives.
I am constantly calculating time zones in Europe, the Middle East and in Asia so that I can schedule times to Skype with my friends. Even so, we always mess up the time.
Though it can be hard being a Third Culture Kid, I wouldn't give it up for anything. I may not have a particular place to call home, but instead the entire world is my home. I have connections almost anywhere. There are times when I wish I could change the way I grew up, because my childhood was hard. Then again, we all have our challenges that are individual to our circumstances, and we all have our blessings. I have known and seen great things that I never would have known if I hadn't been a TCK. I am glad to be who I am, even if it can be a little confusing at times.
