The life of a third culture kid may not always be the easiest to live, but it’s certainly unique. While all TCK lifestyles have similar elements, each person has their own distinctive story. Given that American Thanksgiving is right around the corner, let’s take a moment to reflect and be thankful for the opportunity of a TCK experience.
Be thankful for living in amazing places
Most people don’t get to travel the world in the way a TCK gets to — moving every few years to different states or countries, immersing themselves in various cultures and exploring landmarks most people only read about in history books. In fact, many people even live in the same city for their entire lives and don’t give much thought to leaving. A TCK may not have roots in one specific place, but that’s just because the world is their home. And that’s something to be thankful for.
Be grateful for meeting extraordinary people
When you move and travel a lot, you meet lots of new people, each with their own exciting stories, backgrounds, and outlooks on life. Some may be natives of the area you’re in and others may be TCKs, too. Take time to get to know these people — you’ll feel thankful when they share hidden histories of the culture, teach you new traditions, and expose you to a fresh way of looking at the world.
Welcome the experience of exciting new cultures
With each new place comes new ways of doing things. Different countries or regions have varying religions, traditions, foods, languages and more. Be sure to experience everything you can — become bilingual, try a dish for the first time, attend a service — and carry it with you the rest of your life.
This is just a sampling of things TCKs can be thankful for, things that shape them into the people they grow to be. Life is an incredible thing. Live each moment, and remember to give thanks for the journey.
I really enjoyed the part of your article where you said that “the world is their home” I’ve heard of the term “global citizens” but this is the first time it really made sense to me. I think it’s really important for TCKs to find what they can be thankful for that comes from their life experiences because it frames cultural fluidity in a positive light and gives them space to reflect which is just as important around the holidays.
Amazing article! I love how you took the time to write about TCKs and how they are often overlooked. Experiences are necessary to understand different cultures across the globe and cultural food is one of the best ways to experience other cultures.
This is a great article showcasing the lives of TCKs in a way that is easy to understand and appreciate.
I relate to every one of these awesome aspects of TCK life! I grew up as a Domestic TCK and often had a hard time seeing all of the amazing things I was experiencing for all of the good they brought me. Thank you for highlighting all of these great benefits of being a TCK!
I loved this article as I grew up as a TCK and loved reading how all TCKs should be grateful for how we grew up. I liked how she mentioned that TCKs are often overlooked as I personally relate to this this aspect. I also loved how she said “The world is our home”. Great article, makes you think how lucky we are to have grown up this way.
This is a nice article because as a TCK you may get to experience other things most kids might not get to do and that’s incredible.
I am not personally a TCK but this article was very informative and interesting to get a personal look at what life is like growing up as a TCK. It also seems very relatable for readers that are also TCKs.