I’m here, finally, forever
First things first, the word “blog” is about as appealing as a mouldy sandwich…or a fig for that matter. It sounds like something that would come up in a conversation about terrible things somewhere among sick babies, plague, and pestilance but that is neither here nor there.
The real focus of this web log, post, introduction (what have you) is to explain my absence. It is an explanation that doesn’t mean anything to anyone as I’m sure that most people were not aware A. that I was in existance to begin with and therefore B. Were not aware of my absence from TCKid. This said, I feel the need to explain myself. For those of you who don’t know, and I expect that that is everybody except for Ruth and Brice, I have been a member of TCKid since the world was new….apparently otherwise known as January 18, 2008. It is not until now that I have taken an active role in this fine establishment.
Why?
That is the question that I have been asking myself since the start. The truth is, there is was nothing wrong with TCKid. It was what I had wanted for a long time. When I was younger I hoped that such a place would exist for TCKs and ATCKs to build connections and to discuss the positive and negative aspects of what it is and what it means to be a TCK. TCKid without a doubt surpasses anything that I could have wished for. Yet the question still remains.
Why?
Well back at the beginning of my membership I read a lot of the forum posts and noticed that there was a lot of unreconciled grief and feelings of loss which I neither still harbored nor could assist people with which made me wonder if I really belonged on TCKid. I have known Ruth Van Reken for about eight years and through dialogue with her and telling my story I learned to deal with these feelings but I didn’t know what I could do to help others who felt this way. I still stopped by from time to time to read a few posts and many were positive and many were funny but I never really felt very connected. After discussing these feelings and obsevations with both Ruth and Brice and sitting in on my first teleconference yesterday I have decided that it is time for me to really get involved with TCKid and to give back to the TCK community. After all, it is a valuable resource for TCKs and it is run by wonderful people. You really couldn’t be in better hands.
So finally, I will introduce myself. I am Elizabeth, I am a business kid, I was born in England to the children of Jamaican immigrants, and I have lived in England, USA, Venezuela, and China. I speak Spanish, the smallest sliver of Mandarin imagineable, and I’m learning French.
I as born in London, England to children of Jamaican immigrants. I have lived in England, Venezuela, USA, and China. I am currently a university student stateside.
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11 Comments to “I’m here, finally, forever”
August 11th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Elizabeth,
I think so many things have been accomplished through TCKid. There has been a lot of healing and many connections have been made.
Thank you for working behind the scene.
It is a late introduction, but I welcome you with open arms and I am glad you are here with us, Elizabeth!
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August 11th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Elizabeth! I remember you from the good ol’ days of the FB group!
Re-welcome(?!).
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August 12th, 2008 at 5:54 am
Hi Elizabeth!
Glad to have you! I’m an ATCK (37), married, two kids, grew up in Europe, live in the States. I’ve had similar thoughts about how I feel like I don’t have a ton of unreconciled grief, and that I’m not in the throes of an identity crisis (like I was in my late 20s).
I have noticed, though, that I still am gaining a more “rounded” idea of what it means to be me. Ideas or subjects are brought up, and whether or not I comment on them, they make me examine how I feel. Which is why I keep coming back; in the past, I would deny my true feelings, so often that I couldn’t put my finger on how I felt or sometimes, still am feeling.
So…welcome, and know that you are a valuable member with great insights and thoughts to share!
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August 12th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Nice to meet you Elizabeth! I’d say “welcome”, but apparently you’ve been here longer than I have!
Like you, I had my identity crisis and sorted through a lot of difficult TCK issues and finally came out happy with who I am, years before tckid existed. Like you, I don’t feel like I know how to help others who are in the midst of all that.
However, tckid has been great for me for other reasons. It’s just so relaxing to be in a community where I am normal! Where I don’t have to explain why I am or am not foreign. Where those weird things about me are taken for granted and I can just go about the business of being who I am without being bothered by the other people trying to put me in a box with a label. It doesn’t change anything, but it is relaxing.
Also, like Kristina said, many of these posts have made me think about things I might not have thought much about before, or think of them in new ways, and have a more complete idea of who I am.
Anway, it’s good to see you here!
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August 12th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
‘Allo, ‘Wa Gwan’, “Ola”, “Nee how”, “Bonjour”
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August 12th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
HAHA Thanks! Wa Gwan! people generally don’t know what a Jamaican greeting is I appreciate it! I think I heard you on the teleconference the other day.
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August 12th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
lol @ ELIZABETH
More than likely - damn identity issues & identity grief, lol…
As long as you don’t batter-batter me ears with no foolishness gyal we’ll be getting along just fine. We need some virtual curry goat and some plantain for this welcome post, lol…just being stoopid
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August 13th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Welcome back.
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August 13th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Hi, Elizabeth…your story sounds a little like mine, in a way…you found out about a few things related to TCK/ATCK, did some issues work, stood back, maybe did some other things elsewhere, then cruised back, tested the waters, got a whole lot of something out of the teleconference and, voila, are here, “finally, forever”.
I’m just getting onto the site and reinvolved with my inner and outer ATCK after a long hiatus and am liking what I’m feeling…
A hearty welcome to us both and some honor for our work!
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August 26th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Welcome back Elizabeth, I’m glad Ruth encouraged you to participate and volunteer. We’re glad to have you part of the group.
Hey by the way, this picture reminded me of you.
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September 11th, 2008 at 8:19 am
HAHAHAHA I wish I didn´t find that as funny as I do.
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