Thoughts of a Third Culture Kid

Happy Summer!!  (or winter, depending on which hemisphere you're in)  People here (in Portugal) keep telling me: "oh trust me, it'll get warm soon!".   ....yeah.  This is still colder than my winters (back in Tanzania).  Some co-workers took us to the beach one day and this is what happened. What's wrong with this picture?? (I'll give you a hint: that's a hoodie) Yes, I sat on the beach in a hoodie.  And no, I didn't get in the water.  After growing up in Africa, the weather here was just one of the many differences that I had to get used to.  (I'm not quite there yet, as you can see)  Moving is hard enough, but changing cultures, countries, and continents adds a different dimension to the struggle of transition; you now have to rethink your entire way of thinking, living, and even speaking. I'll be the first one to say that Third Culture Kids (TCKs) go through more than most kids their age.  However, that doesn't mean we h

Why are we called Missionary Kids?  Are we supposed to play a part in our parent's ministry?  I mean, some of us didn't exactly sign up to go to the mission field...   Am I, as a parent, required to combine my family and ministry?  What if my child doesn't want be involved?  I don't want to ruin their childhood by coercing them into missions... Kids in missions.   The most reoccurring dilemma on the mission field.   What do we do with them? You know what?  No one has an answer.  There's no cookie cutter kid; no predicted reaction; no singular situation on the mission field.  That's why there's no "How Your Child Will Adjust to Missions" handbook sitting on the library shelf.  For example: My father and his two brothers were MKs in Papua New Guinea.  Guess what?  All three of them became missionaries when they grew up.  On the flipside, I've met MKs that have told me, in these exact words:  I am never going to be a miss

I don't remember much of the first move I had.  I was four.  I mean, there were those cool moving sidewalks (escalators), I got to watch a lot of movies on my own little screen in the seat, and I guess it was a lot hotter when we got off the magic flying contraption.  But hey, it was all good. As I got older, I started putting two and two together.  I developed a dislike for the "drop-off" points at the airports, you know, right before you enter the building.  I had a hatred of that little spot right outside the security checkpoint.  Those were the "good-bye" spots to a ten year old.  Those were the spots that Mimi and Papa couldn't pass, those were the places where the whole family stayed for the next five minutes, waving sadly.  To me, those were the boundary lines between my two worlds.   I remember when my sister and I travelled down to Missouri one last time before we headed back to South Africa.  My grandfather walked us to the boar

Hey, So, these few weeks (months) have been a whirlwind.  Packing, saying goodbye, exams, more packing, etc... I'll admit, these months have been some of the hardest ones I've had in a very, very long time. My best friend and I spent our last week together binge watching the tv series Sherlock, and decided we should have some pictures with what we call the "Sherlock pose" (Benedict Cumberbatch really milks that show for all it's worth with his dramatic poses and pauses...) And then of course we have our own little drama queen... We've moved continents (again), and are now in Lisbon, Portugal.  Yes, it's freezing.  And yes, I do know it's summer. I am currently in fluffy slippers I bought yesterday (which is like the coolest thing ever cause I haven't worn slippers in years) and wrapped in a big, fuzzy blanket (which I also bought yesterday). I could make this a really sad post about how much moving hur

Mambo!  I am so sorry, I haven't posted something in what feels like forever!  We are back in Tanzania, busy with absolutely everything under the sun, from meetings and exams ICSA football tournaments and basketball games with rival schools. This next post is something that is super hard for me, because there is so much that could be said on this topic, and not enough space!  I'll guess I'll go ahead and jump right into it. As the name implies, Third Culture Kids do not belong to one single culture or country that they call home.  They just have a jumble of multiple cultures and selective traits, characteristics and outlooks from each one. The official definition of TCKs (according to Wikipedia, of course) is: Children raised in a culture other than their parents' (or the culture of the country given on the child's passport, where they are legally considered native) for a significant part of their early development years.  For example, I lived in A

Hey!  I hope you enjoyed my last post!  I had so much fun writing it, and I do hope you put at least one of those authors on your "must read" list.  :)  My hope for this next post is a tad bit different.  This post is going to be an explanation of sorts, and I hope an eye opener for some. American culture and most African cultures are polar opposites.  Because of that, there are multiple barriers that stay strong and steady between the cultures.  Since I've been crossing "enemy lines" for ten years, I have been able to stand in "no man's land" and view the crossfire coming from both sides at a different angle. Isn't this adorable?! Are you ready for the first big barrier?  This one is probably one of the largest cultural differences between most African cultures and American culture, and it might be surprising. ~Time~ In America, time is a commodity, a tool, something to be used wisely.  You see people rushing around, tryin

I'm gonna let you know right off the bat: I am a complete and total bookworm.  I will stand by the phrase that books can be someone's best friend.  Soooo, this is a post I've wanted to do for quite awhile.  I hope you enjoy it...but if you're not a book lover, I apologize.  Because me talking about books is kinda like: #1~ Ok, my all time favorite series (like, seriously) is the Hunger Games.  Please, let me explain myself before you completely shut down.  I know many people are opposed to them because, well, it sounds like they're all about killing.  And I can assure you, there is a lot of killing in them.  But I loved the books despite it, and I'll repeat some of the reasons that I gave to my friends when they stubbornly refused to read them. Suzanne Collins is one of the very few authors who wrote a trilogy that managed to keep readers interested and hooked the entire way.  Most trilogies kinda lose their forward momentum, at least the ones