by Melynda Schauer “How are you feeling about going to college?” My parents asked me in a crowded McDonalds in the Asian metropolis of Macau. Tears welled up in my eyes, the goodbyes after graduation from my international high school in Taiwan still stinging. It was hard to imagine starting all over again, in my … Continue reading 8 Ways Parents Can Help Their TCKs Prepare for University
“Why do you think it’s so hard for missionaries to say, ‘I’m not fine?’” I recently posed this question to author and Third Culture Kid expert Ruth Van Reken. Her answer came swiftly and without hesitation, an answer that can only come from deep, personal experience. “It can take your whole faith apart.” Ruth is … Continue reading Why is it so hard for missionaries to say “I’m not fine”?
Praying for Answers There was a time which seemed to last forever, a time when my kids got bullied. I wish I could say that, because of my spiritual and emotional maturity and love for our host country’s people, I had a good attitude about this. But I didn’t. Instead, when my kids were hit … Continue reading When Your TCK is Bullied
Sponges Has anyone ever referred to your Third Culture Kid as a language sponge? Maybe you picture your child’s brain effortlessly slurping up nouns, adjectives, and conjugations, lisping in perfect Mandarin or Swahili. That’s what we pictured. After all, my husband and I love languages. Our kids were born in the mission field. Why wouldn’t they learn? … Continue reading 3 Ways to Help Your TCK with Language Learning
by Gail Gorfe I hate the term home assignment. In fact, I think the term needs a complete overhaul. In recent years we’ve begun using the more modern “home assignment” as a replacement for the older idea of “furlough.” Furlough, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, is defined as “a temporary leave from work that … Continue reading The 7 Stages of Home Assignment Grief
“I have to go back home and work on my seminary degree. It’s an org requirement, and it will take me too long to complete online if I stay here. But don’t worry! Once I finish, I’ll be back.” Jacob* was resigned to the fact that he would be leaving the field for a while … Continue reading Where Are the Men?
I was nine when my family moved overseas. I still remember my last ice-skating lesson. I remember the moment my bedspread was sold at our garage sale to a lady with spiky hair. I still remember hugging my grandmother goodbye at the airport. I also remember comments from friends and church members during that time. … Continue reading “I am a Professional Pretender” (MKs and Their Parents’ Ministries Part 1)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:5 Outside of my window … Continue reading Seasons
by Chris Moyer Not fully in France. Not in America, Not by the Seine, Not by the Susquehanna. My belonging is mixed-up, Sam, you see. I do not belong fully here or there. I do not fully belong anywhere! If you are a Third Culture Kid like me, you may read the word “belonging” and feel … Continue reading Neither Here Nor There, I Do Not Belong Anywhere
Originally published in Brain Child Magazine, 2013 My kids are the ones who bring the weird snack to school. The other kids have pain au chocolate (if they are French) or half a baguette with Smiling Cow cheese spread in the middle (if they are Djiboutian). Mine are the ones with homemade granola or banana bread. Nothing … Continue reading What is an Expatriate Family?
‘Spiritual identity means we are not what we do or what people say about us. And we are not what we have. We are the beloved daughters and sons of God.’ ~Henri Nouwen My first cross-cultural experience was not overseas, but rather when I spent the summer in inner-city Kensington, Philadelphia. With a 90 percent … Continue reading The Tempest of Shifting Identities
by Laura Hope As a child, my parents moved often. We left Israel when I was 3 years old only to move from state to state in the USA for the next ten years due to my father’s work. When we came back to Israel when I was 13, I struggled with a sense of … Continue reading I Belong to You
