Ask Uncle!
Have you ever had any questions concerning your TCK-ness? Everyone has, and everyone wants answers. Now here’s a place where you might just find some.
Uncle Dan is infamously one of the longer running forum participants in the Facebook Group “Third Culture Kids Everywhere,” ever since he discovered the TCK terminology over a year ago. That experience (and the encouragement of others) has given him a level of insight into the variety of TCKs, as well as the title “Uncle”. He’s responded to hundreds of threads concerning the issues that TCKs regularly encounter, and thinks (with collective agreement) he’s pretty good at it. Is he perfect? Probably not, but at the very least he can offer some insight.
That said, this thread proposes to answer specific questions that TCKs might have concerning their issues in the large world they’re fully aware of.
Please place questions as comments to this thread, and these questions may be answered in new threads. Feel free to comment on these threads to offer your own insights because, as was said, Uncle Dan (despite claims to godliness), is not perfect and highly values every contribution to help another person adjust to life as a TCK.
Thank you, and let the questions roll!
Uncle Dan accepts only measured responsibility for psychological, emotional, or just-plain-psychotic trauma brought about by his advice.
Please send all complaints to Brice, where you will receive a lolcat for your trouble.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Dear Uncle,
I am a little lost. I have to make a major decision, and I’ve made a list, but I’m still unsure.
Uncle, what do I want for Christmas?
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December 16th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Dear Uncle,
What’s the easiest way to send postcards around the world? I’m sending Christmas cards to family and friends and I’m looking for a particular personalized postcard site. I remember using it a couple of years ago, but I forgot the url!
You could upload a picture, write a note online which will appear on the back of the postcard, enter their address and they will mail it for you. It was such an awesome and convenient service - I want to upload lolcat pictures and make postcards!
Do you know a site like that?
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December 16th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Something like this ! http://www.postcardo.com/
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December 16th, 2007 at 8:37 am
… Did you just answer your own question?
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December 21st, 2007 at 5:48 pm
dear uncle
on studying your your life chronicles in effort to get closer to you and all that makes you holy, i have several times stumbled upon a piece of your biography that puzzles me.
you have stated that you went to british international school in indonesia for primary and secondary school, you also mention that due to the schools rules (earlier on) to only accept students from commonwealth countries, there were no americans at the school and thus until high school or there abouts you were not around americans often.
but oh holy one, are YOU not american? how did you get in?
yours in awe
queen warona
*genuflects and kow tows*
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December 21st, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Uncle,
I feel rootless. How do I deal with never feeling a sense of belonging anywhere?
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December 23rd, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Uncle,
I know we were talking about this earlier; I just kinda started thinking, isn’t crying when saying goodbye not just a sign that you care, but also a release of emotions? As a girl, and a teenager, sometimes, it’s easier to cry no matter how pointless it is. So, what do you think?
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December 24th, 2007 at 4:59 am
The biggest indication I was a freak was not knowing what Bagpuss was (iconic pink children’s TV cat, apparently). Do any of you find that people think you’re stuck up when you’re not, you just genuinely don’t know what [insert normal person experience here] is like?
My boyfriend gets a lot of credit for sitting me down in front of You Tube and playing me episodes of various iconic TV shows he thought I should know about, so I didn’t feel left out of the conversation. Try it. It helped a lot. And my friends who felt uncomfortable with our lack of mutual experience really appreciated that I tried!
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December 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
So, I’ve noticed, Uncle Dan, that you haven’t posted much for a while… so I checked, and it seems you haven’t done anything since the 24th. Did you actually drop off the face of the earth for the holidays?
And secondly, is the TCK addiction to the internet and online communication the same as an average person’s addiction, or are we addicted for different reasons?
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December 30th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
I think he’s moving somewhere, or something, Matthew lol. I forget.. but it’s something to do with the holidays and grad.. I THINK. Haha.
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