About: Kristina J. Adams

Name:Kristina J. Adams
2007-11-16 15:33:55
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I am an MK, who grew up in Austria, Turkey and Germany. I then spent all of high school in suburbs of Chicago, IL. After high school, I attended a year of school at Bodenseehof Bible School in southern Germany, back to Chicago for a year in junior college, and finally graduated in 1995 from Indiana Wesleyan University with an education degree. Married since 1996, my husband, Ryan, is a police officer, I teach exploratory German and Spanish at the middle school level, and we have two children, a girl (8) and a boy (2). I started writing for publication in 2003, when I was published in Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul (He Sees). Recently, I published an article in Among Worlds magazine (TCK publication) in September 2007 and will have another in December of this year. I also recently won a prize (1 of 25, nationally)for a photograph of my children having fun choosing milk (they were blowing bubbles). I won five chef prepared meals and a cookbook from the Got Milk? campaign...I was/am pretty excited about this, since it just happened. Glad to see all these websites/groups popping up for TCKs...cool for those of us "older" TCKs who grew up with snail mail!

Posts by Kristina J. Adams:

Parents’ Career and a TCK’s Self-concept

Ah, the decisions of parents and effects those decisions have on their children.  My parents were missionaries.  Even though we moved to various countries, I knew what was expected of me in each place…overseas from the US.  The problems began for me when we moved back to the States, and I thought my parents weren’t going to be missionaries again.

So…what was I now?  A “retired” missionary kid…at the ripe ol’ age of 14?

Have any of you had an identity crisis (no, wait, lemme finish, I’m going to be more specific…) over your parents choosing a different career path and the expectations that put (or didn’t put) on you?

Btw, they did become missionaries again, but only after I had survived(as best I could) the fires of US high school.  Which actually confused me even more, in some ways…

March 31, 2008 | Filed Under General Forum | 4 Comments 

Whose perspective do you consider?

When making a big decision, whose perspective do you think of when you are formulating your plan of action? Why? I have several:

My husband- obviously, he will be most affected, in most cases

My parents- the whole judgement thing…

My TCK friends with whom I grew up- well, duh, the TCK aspect

My 2 friends with whom I went to US high school- the “grounding” aspect…they were with me through some rough and formative times, and we’re still friends

My teacher friends- the educational view, plus they see me every day and know me

My husband’s co-workers with whom we socialize - they might be affected through my husband

My church friends- for the religious view (unhampered by familial past…my parents were missionaries)

February 20, 2008 | Filed Under General Forum | 5 Comments 

Name’s Kristina…where are you from? Ha, ha. ;)

Don’t you hate that question? Although I did spend all my high school years in Wheaton, IL, USA, and my parents are from Chicago, it feels very flat to just say, “I’m from Chicago”. I also grew up in Vienna, Austria (8 years), Istanbul, Turkey (3.5 years) and various parts of Germany.
I went to Bodenseehof Bible School in Friedrichshafen, Germany for my first year of college, then to a junior college in suburban Chicago, finally ending up at Indiana Wesleyan Uni in Marion, Indiana. I met my hubby at IWU.
I’ve been married for almost 12 years, and have 2 young children. My husband is a police officer (10 years) and I am a middle school teacher (7 years) of exploratory foreign language- it’s great to be able to share my experiences and get paid for it! :) We live in northern Indiana, where my husband grew up.
I’m a writer…first got published in Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul in 2003. The story is related to TCK feelings. Anyway, this year I’ve gotten involved in Among Worlds, the magazine for ATCKs. I just finished my 3rd article for the magazine…topics have been “transitions”, “gifts” and “grief”. I was looking on their website, when I discovered this website.
My goal as a writer is to write a memoir about the 2 months I spent in Pakistan in 1994. I have 4 chapters of 26 written, but I keep chipping away!
Well, that’s me. Look forward to checking things out a bit more on this site in the next couple of weeks, as I am off for Christmas break.

December 23, 2007 | Filed Under Introduction | 9 Comments 

A Missionary TCKs Outlook

Being an MK…Feeling knowledgeable, yet ignorant

Well traveled, but lost

Satisfied, but searching

Where do I belong?

Adjusting…

Takes patience and time,

Recognizing insecurities,

Identifying sadness,

Who will understand me?

Growing up…

Feeling part of two worlds,

Invested in my current one,

Seeing little of my formative one,

What heritage can I claim?

Being God’s child…

Accepted for myself,

Belonging where I am,

Focusing forward,

Glancing backwards,

Looking to Him for understanding.

Resting in God’s love.

November 16, 2007 | Filed Under Stories | 5 Comments