Third, or fourth, culture kid?
I grew up in Okinawa, Japan, a small island off the coast of Japan, but I am in no way Japanese. I am a blonde haired, blue eyed, white girl. I moved to Okinawa when I was seven, moved back to the United States for 13 months, and then back to Japan until three days after my 19th birthday. Although I am not Japanese, I call Japan home. It is where I have lived the longest, made the majority of my memories, and learned a great many life lessons.
The dictionary defines a third culture kid as someone who has grown up in a culture other than what is on their passport. I am by all definitions a third culture kid. However, arguably another culture has been added on top of that; the military culture. I grew up in a military community and until starting college this year, that is all I have ever known. I have a 24 hour clock on my phone, I say "yes ma'am" and "yes sir," I have grown up standing for the national anthem before every movie at the base theater and at 1700 every day, no matter where you were on base. I grew up traveling for free on space-a flights. I grew up with people from all walks of life, people of all ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds.
It was not until I started college in a predominately white state that I realized that this world is not as diverse as the world I grew up in. Nor have many of these people had the life experiences I have. Now, I am not trying to sound egotistical, but many have not, but it does not make me any better than anyone else. Many of the people I go to school with have not been out of the country, much less the state. I grew up in Okinawa, Japan, I spent a part of three summers in the Philippines, I spent two weeks in China in the middle of the school year, I went to Korea twice - once for fun, once for a conference- I spent weekends in Tokyo with friends and family, spent a week in Osaka, visited Mt. Fuji, chilled in Guam with my family, and went to Hawaii six times, for free.
I went to a Department of Defense high school on an airbase. Our sports traveled off island to Korea, Singapore, Guam, or mainland Japan for games or tournaments. I remember going to a few of my brother's wrestling tournaments and football games in mainland, I spent a week almost each year of high school in Tokyo at an art competition (ya girl won her senior year btw), I went to Korea for Harvard Model Congress Asia for a week (Seoul is a blast, 10/10 would recommend). I was around 13, and visiting family in Oklahoma, and remember asking a friend if they traveled to Mexico or Canada for sports, she looked at me like I was crazy.
I started school this year, and felt completely lost. I felt like I had almost nothing in common with anyone. I felt like a complete outsider. I thought that this is what it must feel like for international students. However for me, it seemed different. I'm American, people expect me to know what they're talking about. Yes, I grew up around Americans, but even to my military friends who grew up in the U.S., I was a little off. It is something that is difficult to explain, so bear with me. It is a completely different culture. Yes, it is other Americans, but everything seems a little bit detached from reality.
I learned what Costco is in my AP government class my senior year of high school, (s/o to Ms. Engel) and I am still very anxiously awaiting the day that I get to step inside one. Our grocery store, the commissary, is much smaller and has a much smaller selection than even the smallest grocery store I have been to in the U.S.. Fighters, helos, osprey (#noosprey lol), humvees, kevlar, and men and women in uniform were so common that it is all too strange to not see any of that, but seeing the occasional ROTC kid in a uniform makes me feel a little bit more at home. I called, and still call, the U.S. the America, as if it is a foreign place.
Although I still struggle and miss home, and the completely unique culture, I am starting to understand the culture and figure out my place here in the America. My friends are beginning to understand that they may need to explain some things to me. Change is good, and being in a new place experiencing a new culture is good because it is expanding my worldview, even if this new world experience comes from the motherland. I have always viewed life as an adventure, and will continue to do so. Growing up in Japan made me a third culture kid, growing up military made me a fourth and it is something that I will always be grateful for.
