Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Third Culture Kids

You know those lists? "You Might Be From South Carolina If..." and so forth.

Well I found a blog this morning, La Vie en Rose, written by a self-descibed Foreign Service Dependent. And she has one of those lists for third culture kids. It is pretty funny. And true.

Some examples:


- You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?" (And when you do, you get into an elaborate conversation that gets everyone confused and/or makes you sound very spoiled.)

- You flew before you could walk.

- You have a passport, but no driver's license.

- You think VISA is a document stamped in your passport, and not a plastic card you carry in your wallet.

- You've woken up in the middle of the night to watch the Superbowl on cable.

- You go into culture shock upon returning to your "home" country.

- Your life story uses the phrase "Then we moved to..." three (or four, or five...) times.

- The thought of sending your (hypothetical) kids to public school scares you, while the thought of letting them fly alone doesn't at all.

- You are a pro packer, or at least have done it many times.

- Your passport has more stamps than a post office.

- You wake up in one country thinking you are in another.

- A friend talks about their dreams of traveling to across the world to a secluded country and you can give them all the best restaurants and places to visit. You're like the traveler guidebook.

- The MSGs become your favorite people because you see them all the time and everytime you call your parents you talk to them first.

- You learn that jet lag is easier going West around the globe.

You can read the entire list here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to let you know that I linked to you today:

http://bit.ly/9hR7dc

Don't hate me! Just trying to be funny!

Emily said...

The world is small. The author of that blog is a girl that lived in Russia the same time that I did when I was a teenager. Interesting.
I can totally relate to this list, and I love it. There so many fascinating aspects (especially for children) of the FS life. My dad worked for the government, not State Department, but nontheless, we moved all over the place. I am grateful to my parents that I had such a unique childhood, and I am grateful now, that my kids will have a similar opportunity. I just hope that my kids will feel the same way.