About: Veslemoy

Name:Veslemoy
2008-08-11 16:41:14
http://
Profile
Born in Greece. Norwegian mother and father from the States. Norwegian passport. I grew up in Norway and Austria. I lived in Saudi Arabia 3 yrs as an adult. Have three kids and have lived in Norway for the past 20 years, I work as a teacher.

Posts by Veslemoy:

Used past 20 years to try to fit in…

A story about an old TCK - who didn’t know why…

When I was 15 I moved back to what seemed to me to be my “home country” all by myself - just to find out that my nativeness wasn’t that genuine after all.

My passport, the language and my looks were all I had, but they were not enough. I was still a curiousity, and did not feel to fit in anywhere completely. Therefore I chose a husband with expat prospects and moved abroad as soon as the opportunity arose.

I had my first child and she spent her first two years as an expat. When we were about to “move on” I made the decision that I wanted my child to belong and forced myself to stay put in my “home country”. I worked on making the surroundings as perfect as possible, but my restlessness could not be erased. I ended up moving house several times and redecorated my house very often. - I needed a CHANGE!

I dreaded social gatherings consisting of natives with no foreign experience apart from holidays. I did not know how to introduce myself, as I did not want to end up discussing my background every time.

I needed to make myself a new identity, but I felta part of me was missing in the make of it. Still I’ve now lived 8 yrs in the same house and have stopped looking for jobs abroad and houses for sale - still it was a great relief when a friend gave me a tip and a name TCK.

I make friends fast and adapt to my suroundings very well, and with this “identity as a TCK” I might accept my “loss” and accept the fact that I never will feel “completely” anything but ME. This might make me accept the ignorance around me.

I believe my life will become much easier once I stop trying to fit into a mould i define as “native and traditional”, as all TCKs have made their own mould and should be proud of it!

Let’s embrace that!

August 23, 2008 | Filed Under General Forum | 3 Comments