About: USAFinn
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Name:USAFinn
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- Well, I was born in Finland in 1988, lived in Germany for a year (when I was 1 year old, so I don't remember...does that count?) and then when I was 2 I moved to the US. I've lived in Finland for a year for a "foreign exchange" though I lived with my uncle's family, and I've spent a semester in China learning Chinese. (My fourth language, after English-of course, Finnish, German-studied for 6 years) OH! And I'm also a big anime fan, and I love Japanese, Italian, Finnish, and Chinese food. :)
2007-11-21 01:46:41
http://dark-raven06.deviantart.com
Posts by USAFinn:
Laura Chan’s Blog: Lonely Globetrekker
So, it’s 11:30pm on the eve of me going to Finland, my second international trip in 2 weeks. You see, I just got back to the US from China, where I spent 5 lovely months. I have been in the US for 2 weeks, during which I met with a Mono friend of mine (my best friend in high school) and realized how broad my horizons have become.
What this post is about is the fact that I feel incredibly lonely, even after such a lovely opportunity to spend my summer travelling. I mean, last year I flew US-Finland-China-back around again (i.e. literally around the world) in 3 weeks. I hated explaining to people here back in the US who knew I just came back from China that I’m leaving again for Finland. They all were joking about how lucky I am, and I could tell that they would LOVE to have the same opportunity. But it would just be nice to have someone *in person* to talk to about it, to travel with. This is why I decided to post this here, because you guys get how it is!
*off post-topic* I’m also thinking of starting a TCK/CCK/MK/Army Brat/Expat student org at my university, but unfortunately I don’t know any yet! ha ha! I’ve been thinking of just putting up flyers (fliers?) and just see who responds..
*back on topic ha ha* So, is this just pre-travel anxiety, that I feel lonely? how do you guys deal with it? And any suggestions about the TCK student org?
Take care, and see you next time!
Random Thread of the Week: Crouching Tiger…
…Hidden LOLcat.
Hello! TCKid host Laura here with another random thread! Though I tried to find a barack obama lolcat for brice, but I couldn’t find one. ha ha, enjoy!!
…Hidden LOLcat.
Hello! TCKid host Laura here with another random thread! Though I tried to find a barack obama lolcat for brice, but I couldn’t find one. ha ha, enjoy!!
Random Thread of the Week: Human Tetris
Hello Everybody!
Laura here, for another Host thread this week. It seems like just random amusing threads are what would be interesting, so here I go!
I scoured YouTube for some random, amusing things, and found this “Human Tetris,” it was either this or some random Japanese Game Show (I love those!). This video was made using stop-motion in an auditorium, part of a bigger project called the “Game Over Project” which includes Space Invaders, Pong, and Pole Position.
Enjoy!
Host Thread of the Week: Suggestions?
Hello again from TCKid’s Host, Laura!
I hope you all are doing well! I’m not, unfortunately. I’ve been battling a touch of food poisoning, so I apologize for no thread this week. I’m feeling a lot better already, but also, unfortunately, I also have final exams to take tomorrow and the next day. Ugh, Murphy’s Law, right?
My thread last week was about “International Music” (http://www.tckid.com/group/international-music-thread) got about 6 comments. Not bad, but we can do better, right??
So, here’s my question for you this week: What do YOU *cue Uncle Sam*, the forum member/visitor, find interesting? Do you want interesting TCK facts each week? Or would you rather have something totally random and funny? Please let me know, so I can make my weekly host thread that much better! 
because, after all, *cue Neyo* “It’s all because of yooou…”
Oh! Don’t hesitate to drop me an email either at: lauraahlgren@tckid.com
See you next week!
International Music Thread
Hello!
Being the new host of TCKid, I will be putting up an interesting thread each week. Seeing as this is my first thread like this, I was sitting here, listening to my iTunes library, wondering what to post about. Then it hit me! I was listening to iTunes and I have so many different kinds of music from all over the world, so though I would ask you guys this question:
Has being a TCK affected your choice in music? Does it make your “library” more diverse than most? What kinds of music/country’s music do you like?
As for me, I have music from the US (which is the majority of the music industry nowadays, in my opinion), Finland (which people kind of look at me funny when they hear it), China, Japan, and even a few songs from Portugal, Germany, Saudi Arabia(? it’s arabic, but I don’t know which country), and spanish-languaged ones (since there are so many countries that speak Spanish..). I think being a TCK has allowed me to be more open-minded about the music choices I like. Maybe that’s why I can’t really stick to one genre! There are genres I don’t like, such as hip-hop/rap/r&b, but even those have exceptions for me. I really like a band called Zen Cafe from Finland. They’re really poetic, and honest, also the lead singer who writes the songs can’t read a single note of music!! How cool??
I’m really looking forward to hearing your responses! See you next week!
Laura Chan’s Blog: Why I don’t like Parties.
Well, as some of you may know from a previous post (“Is Being Alone Such a Bad Thing?”) I’m a bit of an introvert. I really enjoy just sitting at home alone and watching movies (if there’s a few friends there, even better!), i.e. pretty relaxed. When I go out, I like to just sit and talk with friends rather than be bold and talk to strangers or to dance on the bar, etc. However, that has changed, somewhat, due to some really outgoing friends here in China who have really helped me to “come out of my shell.” Note: none of them were from the US, all from different countries across the globe.
NOW there are US Exchange students in my Chinese class, and they invited us to go out…on a Thursday. Alright, I went with a friend (a particular male friend with whom I enjoy his company…if you can catch my drift 
). So we had a drink, chatted with the Americans (I hate to use the term “American” because it could mean North or South America…but it’s easier!), and 11:15pm came around, I’m tired (I usually go to bed at 9:30pm!) so I decided to go home. My guy friend begged me to stay until 12:00am to celebrate the birthday of one of the Americans, but I decided to leave anyway.
Why did I leave? No, it wasn’t because I was tired (Though I am while writing this…), but because I’m just *awkward* at parties, or large gatherings. I usually sit off to the side, with one or two friends, most often alone….just sitting. A few people will come by and chat with me, but they get bored (I guess) and leave. It’s even worse when I don’t know the others at the party, like this one. It just widens the gap between me and my peers, because they know I’m different when they ask the dreaded “where are you from?” question. I also feel like maybe Americans (born and raised) may not be able to relate to me.
I realize that I’m not the kind of person to initiate relationships. I can’t just walk up to someone on the street and say “Hi, I’m Laura, What’s your name?” and just be ok with it. I’ve been hurt so many times doing that, so I often wait until someone else approaches me. This is quite the opposite of the before-mentioned guy friend of mine. He CAN do that, which has also helped me to loosen up. But hanging out with Americans after not much contact with them over the past few months (and to be honest, also with the mind set that most Americans are stupid…) just brought up this whole *awkwardness at parties* syndrome that I seem to have. This also brings me back to my childhood, growing up in the Midwest US, being teased because I was the “girl from Finland.” I was nothing more. I guess I’m still not, but yet I’m not Finnish, and I’m not American; I do tend to lean more towards American at times… It kind of depends on where I am, you know? Now that I’ve been hanging out with expats (which I never get to do back in the US) made me realize that I’m both…but hanging out with Americans made me realize that I’m not one of them, which is really what I *SO longed for* growing up. (I’m a child of immigrants, aka CCK, for those of you who don’t know…) It just brought up some old scars from my childhood..
Does anyone else feel this way? If so, how have you guys dealt with it? How can I just not be *awkward* anymore around large groups of people?
Laura Chan’s Blog: Expatriate communities…and me!
Sorry for the lame blog title, I don’t really have any cute nicknames here ^^;…though I guess Laura-chan is better than anything, right Brice?
Also, sorry for the absence, I just haven’t had the time (stupid research papers…) but now I have that load lifted! It’s so great to be back, it’s like a breath of fresh air! I remember back when it wasn’t even 500 members, and there are so many new faces that I really would love to get to know!
Before I get started, for those new people that don’t know me yet, I’ll give you a brief, run-down about me: CCK, born in Finland, moved to Germany when I was 1 year old, moved to the US when I was 2 years old. Went back and forth to Finland every summer, spent a year there in high school (the most difficult one of my life!) and now I’m studying in China for the semester, because my dad lives here too.
The point of this blog is about expatriate communities. Ever since coming to China I’ve met SO many expats, and have friends from every continent now. The community here is so active, and so lively (there are a LOT of expats here!). This got me to thinking, I didn’t have that growing up in Wisconsin (an hour north of Chicago), there are VERY few expats, and I was lucky to know a few other Finns. However I can count them on one hand, and none of them live in the US anymore. Here’s the kicker, none of the *few* expat Finns were my age. I know, I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, hardly the heart of global-minded society. Though now I wish I had had other TCK/CCK friends, who could understand how I felt of not belonging in Finland or in the US. Because my friends complained that I talked about Finland too much, and now most of my friends don’t even ask. When I meet new people, and they ask me where I’m from, I sometimes neglect my “Finnish-hood” and say I’m from the US. (like someone I know I won’t meet again, someone I don’t want to know! lol) However, since having read *most* of the TCK book, and being apart of this community for almost a year now, I can’t deny that Finland is a part of me. Luckily, my university is very broad, and open-minded. I’ve met a few other Finnish speakers, and I pretty much kick-started the Finnish Language Table there.
So even though I had no expatriate community around me growing up, it helped me to realize that, yes, I’m different from my friends. I’ve seen and experienced things that most of them could only dream of which has made me a better person. Now that I’ve found an expatriate community (that means *you* TCKid members!) I feel like I can at least belong here, where you guys understand me and where I’m coming from.
Yeah…kind of no point to this blog, so I’ll leave a question open for you guys: Do you guys think that it’s important to have a community of expats around you? Like did it help you to adjust/deal/etc.? For those of you, like me, who didn’t have that, did it help or hurt you at all?
Laura’s Blog #1?: There’s too many things I haven’t done yet.
*Title courtesy of Sara Bareilles’ song, Many the Miles*
So, I’m going to China on Saturday. Saturday. That’s, what…*counts* 5 days from now. I’m kind of excited at the chance that I’ll be learning such a cool language, which will be possibly useful someday, but frankly…I don’t know WHAT the heck I’m doing! I mean, I want to go, but it’s not just a visit or anything. I’ll be there for 5 months, and it’s kind of freaking me out. I can’t sleep, I’m getting tension headaches (don’t worry, I just took some ibuprofin for it) and I’m just so confused. I’ve been there before, but it’s still so different to me.
I’m also latching onto any guy who’ll talk to me, because that means that I’ll have something solid to hold onto. (And also Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it always makes me feel RIDICULOUSLY lonely, no thanks to a certain ex I had.) *Don’t worry guys, I won’t eat you! ha ha* I know, I know, that’s not too good for me. I need to have an even better foundation to stand on, that’s God.I’ll save all you non-religious people all of my faith jargon, but if you’re interested in what I’m struggling with, feel free to ask.
I don’t normally “freak out” like this when I travel, I LOVE to travel! I get like this only for trips of longer periods of time. I did the same thing before I went on my “foreign exchange” in high school, where I spent a year back “home” in Finland. I’m also afraid that my friends will leave me, like they did back in high school. I know that this time is different. My friends back at my university had a send-off luncheon with me, so I know they’ll at least think of me. Maybe it’s just me, but I lost a lot of friends this way in high school, and I’d rather not have that happen again, ya know?
I guess this is just a TCK thing? I mean, I’m not your usual TCK, being a child of immigrants rather than moving around a lot, but it still comes with it’s own issues. I’m also one of those TCKs that doesn’t mind settling in one place, but I wouldn’t be opposed to travelling. Every few years I get the urge to “study abroad” like I did in high school, and this is my chance.
I don’t know what to do. I’m just so anxious/excited/nervous/lonely all at the same time. Any pointers?
P.S: Don’t expect me to update this blog very often, but I may just update with random rants like I did now. XD Any clever ideas for a title?
Un-settled..
Well, first off, I’d like to say hello to everyone, since I haven’t been around in a while, and second off, I would like to discuss something with you lovely people.
As some of you may know, I now am in college, studying Life Science Communications (Science writing) and I only am at my “home” (the house I grew up in) during the summer and winter holidays, as well as the odd weekend when I come home. So, this winter holiday of mine is extra long this year, because I’ll be studying in China this spring (only for 5 months). My mom has taken full advantage of me being home by setting me to work on various chores and renovation tasks. Among those, were trading bedrooms with her.
I don’t like it at all. I’m relatively lucky to have spent 13 of my soon-t0-be 20 years in this house, and having to move out of my childhood room has been tough. I know that I’ll be getting the third bedroom, when it gets renovated this summer, and it will be a more “grown-up” room, and I can decorate it as I wish. But it still isn’t my childhood room. And I even waited 5 years for that to get renovated before! I mean, it’s just a room, and I’m dealing with the adjustment.
However, I’ve come to the realization that everyone seems to realize (that I’ve noticed here anyway) that my “home” is no longer my home. This childhood home of mine isn’t MY home. I love the city I study in, and I actually miss being at school because I love it so much! This is a tough transition, but I’m starting to slowly get my own things into my new room. I got some new sheets, and I’ll actually have more cabinet space in this new room than I’ve ever had.
Any tips on how to deal with this realization?
Just give her a break already!!
So, I am currently attending an American University, which almost prides itself for how “liberal” it is. (Though next semester I’ll be studying in China, but that’s a different story)
In preparation for my study in China, I decided to take Chinese history. My lecturer is from South Korea, has studied history in China (at the same university I’ll be going to no less), and speaks fluent English. However, my classmates do not agree. Many of them were complaining about her accent, her grammar mistakes, and how she couldn’t understand their questions at times.
As for me, growing up around accents, it didn’t faze me. When a classmate of mine started to tease her grammar mistakes “do you remember when she said blah blah?? How funny was that?” I honestly didn’t remember those mistakes. I mean, my own PARENTS make the same mistakes so I don’t even hear them anymore.
Then everyone was complaining… I just had to say “Give her a break!” I mean, she’s traveled half-way across the world to teach here, in a language that is not her own. Like my mom said “She can speak English a heck of a lot better than we can speak Korean!” I’ve been in that same situation, and it’s not easy. Yes, she doesn’t understand you at times, yes she makes mistakes, but it’s through those mistakes that she’ll learn English better.
And our school is supposed to be “liberal.” If the students here can’t even deal with a foreign professor (and there are many, especially in the math department), then how liberal are we?
Is being alone such a bad thing?
As I have recently discovered that I am a TCK, the research has shown that TCK’s are very independent, and at times, I can be a sort of extreme of that.
I was an only child, and did not have many friends. So I often made up things for me to do by myself. I’d make up storylines that my Barbies would act out, I would pretend I was Sailor Moon and defeat the forces of evil, etc. I guess that’s why I’m so creative. *shrug*
But my point is, at times I just can’t STAND people. They drive me crazy! Sometimes, it’s the ridiculous coasties (those from the east or west coast of the US, that attend my school in leggings, ugg boots and ridiculously large hand bags) that float around my campus, or really cute guys that would never give me the time of day, or even just the sheer presence of others just makes me feel claustrophobic. So at least once a day (often times more), I just need some time to be alone to just read, or watch a movie/tv, etc. or else I will lose my mind. This became VERY evident when I worked at a summer camp this summer. We were just going non-stop and I literally HAD to use my time off every day to be by myself, or else I would explode on the wee ickle kids.
Is this so strange? That I just can’t deal with being around people so much? But yet, at times I get extremely lonely, especially late at night. Is this the curse of being a Third Culture Kid? Is this what I get for not belonging in neither my adopted country nor my home country? That since I don’t belong in either of the two, I’ll just be by myself, where no one can bother me…
So if you see me in the cafeteria with a book under my arm, sorry. That means that I don’t want to eat with you.
Not your average TCK??
My name’s Laura, 19 years old, and if you can’t tell from my username, I was born in Finland. When I was 1 year old, I moved to Germany, and when I was 2 years old, I moved to the USA. There are a lot of you who have lived in a lot of countries, but I’ve only really lived in two..sort of. As a kid, I flew to Finland every summer by myself (which most people think is astonishing that a little girl of 8 would fly by herself, with an escort of course), and I even spent a “foreign exchange year” there, living with my uncle, his wife, and my three small cousins (which was a shock to me, since I am an only child). I experienced “reverse culture shock” and that puzzled me until now. I’ve read that TCK’s often experience that when they return to their “passport country” after a while. (I was 16 at the time) I don’t like to say “passport country” since I have a passport from both countries.
I’m also bilingual in Finnish and English (which most people are astonished, since I have no accent in English), and I’m getting to be trilingual with German (I have been studying it for six years now). I never really knew any other TCKs growing up, but now that (I guess) I’m considered to be an adult TCK, I hope to meet others someday, who can understand the homelessness I grew up with. It’s rather liberating, after living in the US for 17 years. Someday I’d like to move back to Finland, but a part of me knows that I would feel so awkward there, having grown up abroad. Even my own family there is awkward towards me, like my grandparents don’t really know what to say to me…
However, next semester (this February) I’ll be going to China, to study the language. I have a parent who lives there (he’s Finnish..), and I’m so excited to live in a foreign country again! It’s been a long time since my pseudo-foreign exchange…
Well, it’s nice to meet you all! (This has been getting really long…)
Laura
P.S: Sorry if this is kind of sporadic, but I’ve never met other TCK’s before!
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