Third Culture Kid

 

Some Thoughts

Once day, my brownie troop was going on a field trip to the market or souk.  Here you could find everything from the most mundane to the most extravagant.  We were taking the bus, which became an adventure in itself.  In Jeddah, women have to ride in the back of the bus which is separated from the front.  Additionally, the space is much smaller.  We were cramming twelve girls and three adults into a very small area which already held some Arab women.  We were sitting on each other's laps.  I remember feeling how unfair it was that the handful of men in the front wouldn't make room for us.


Spending five years growing up in Saudi Arabia has shaped the way I look at people.  Living with people from so many places showed me the differences we had but also the similarities.  My friends all fought with their siblings the way I did.  We didn't always do what our parents told us to do.  I got to travel the world and see how things are in other countries.  It's always made me appreciate how good we have it in this country despite the problems we face.

Social media has allowed me to regain contact with so many old friends who shared this experience.  We all say what a special and wonderful thing it was for us all to come together for that brief time.

For more information on what a third culture kid is, I suggest checking these out.

http://www.tckworld.com/useem/art1.html

http://www.amazon.com/Third-Culture-Kids-Growing-Revised/dp/1857885252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373331765&sr=8-1&keywords=third+culture+kids