I am so happy I found this website and finally some things are starting to make sense.

Technically speaking I am not a third culture kid. I grew up in my passport country, although my father often said I did not belong in that part of the country we lived in and that I definitely was not the same as people of that region. My international travels started in my 20s. I moved to the UK, went back to my home country, lived and loved in Tanzania and returned again to Europe. Then in my late 20s, I joined a big international organization, and moved to Asia where I would live and thrive in the international and local community for the next 18 years, with lots of work travel throughout Asia. Of course there was a little break in my "Asian years" when returned to live and study - once again - in the UK.

So far the picture was relatively straight forward. In my "Asian" years, I would have described myself as an expatriate with a strong corporate identity shaped by the international organization I was working for. Life and identity were relatively straightforward because I was visibly different from the local population. And the answer to the eternal question "where are you from" was also pretty clear. My passport country, combined with the place I was living in, and the place I was working at, seemed to capture the story nicely.

All that changed in 2008 when I moved to the US (my fourth continent). Suddenly I look the same like everyone else - even though I have a "cute" accent - and no-one can see that I am different. The answer to the "where are you from"-question, has become complicated. I don't feel just European, or Asian, or African, or part of a big international organization. I am all those things, and maybe I am none of them. I am struggling with rediscovering who I am and where I belong. After 1.5 years, I am still not at home in the Pacific northwest. I do not belong in the US community, neither in the community of my passport country, nor in the Thai community. Similarly, the regular international student community seems a poor match.

Thailand is the country that is most like home for me, which is funny as I have no right to live there anymore. I feel like a stranger in my home country, and a stranger in the US. It is so strange to be caught in the US race relations, and having to deal with the label of being "white". I am so much more than the colour of my skin, just like my fellow human beings.

This site is really helping me with reshaping and redefining my identity - Thank you!

Dear Brice,
Just wanted to thank you for connecting me to Mariana. It was a pleasure meeting her and am glad I could share my TCK experience with her and help her for her shoot. I got to meet Eddie which was such a great bonus because he helps organise NYC TCK meetups. I had never been to a TCK meetup here, but now that I am in touch with Eddie--I will definately be involved with the TCK community more.
It truly is therapautic to get out there and talk about your experiences to other TCK's. Brice--thanks so much for creating TCKID. It's already helping me and others so much. Keep up the awesome work and congratulations to you for makinig such a difference. Eddie and I would very much like to meet you one day here in NYC--so let us know if you are ever passing through.

TCK ALL THE WAAAAYY!!!! ;)

Best--Ankita

My experience in meeting up with our fellow tckid member, the lovely Yu!

First of all, I must acknowledge and thank Brice for putting us into contact with one another, without you and tckid, which has become this lovely net for us all to caught in, we would have wandered the streets of Portland and missed each other!

So, Yu and I agreed to meet in a lovely modern “Euorpean” style café in an area in the center of Portland called the Pearl District in the afternoon. Yu spotted me right away as I was getting ready to order my chai latte. We made warm our warm introductions, ordered our respective drinks and then sat down and talked…and talked…and talked.

2 hours and 45 min flew by so quickly as there was so much to exchange and parallels to draw.

Yu is warm, very pretty, engaging, upbeat, easy-going, well-educated, well-rounded and a keen listener. While our stories and backgrounds are different, we are both transplants to this city, we are both struggling to find steady employment, we are both thinking about leaving and going elsewhere (but where to and when are the main issues), we both have an education/teaching background, we both feel a bit lost and ‘stuck between two or more worlds’, we both want to travel more, we both are fascinated by different cultures and languages and we both miss feeling connected to other internationals. We also both feel like we have adapted to and are in many ways a part of our immediate environment yet there is also this sense of feeling like you are looking at things from the outside, in. We spoke at length about our more recent life experiences, our considerations, concerns and perhaps even ambivalence about either going back to our country of origin (as is in Yu’s case) or scouting out the options elsewhere in the world.

There were several moments when Yu was telling about her feelings or what she was experiencing that I felt “I know, I know what you mean. I have been there too!” That intrinsic sense of understanding the delicate and complex framework that makes us TCKs was such a lovely reprieve, a kind of “chicken soup for the soul”, from my more overall current feelings of frustration, isolation and at times profound loneliness. Now, not only do I have a little haven to connect with my TCK friends and companions online, but I also have a person in my city that I can physically see, connect and hang out with. I am really delighted and hope that this will be the beginning of a lovely friendship.

I posted this somewhere on the forum but I want it to stand as my "feedback" and official testimony to finding TCKid.com
Here it is:

For me, when I returned to the USA, I was very excited -- another adventure, and I was very hurt and disappointed by my re-entry. I was unprepared, and I sort of "lost myself". It didn't matter where I went in the USA. From Los Angeles, to New York, to Hawaii, and to my parents home where I live now in Nevada. People did not understand me and I could not find other people who shared my experience. I was lonely, and I was always the "outcast". For several years, I drifted around, trying to "connect" and when that failed, I drifted from relationship, to relationship, just trying to be connected, to a place, to a person, to a feeling. I went from problem to problem, with never any relief or solution. I was in and out of therapy with counselors, and was convinced for years that I had a personality disorder. My family could not understand what was "wrong" with me and the few friends that I had told me I just needed to pray more, to go to confession more often.

For years I have been depressed, with severe "anxiety disorder", severe "OCD". I had chronic, unexplained pain in my neck, shoulders, back, hands. I was "diagnosed" with arthritis in my hands.

My priest was the only person who recognized that I WASN'T a wierdo, or mentally ill. He told me I needed to find other people who had similar backgrounds to be friends with. And he was RIGHT! I just found out about TCK as a group, as an experience recently.

Only 4 days ago, I read about the "challenges". I cried for 8 hours. And suddenly I have been free of pain for four days. I also have energy that I have not had in 25 years.

I feel good and I want to go out and go for a walk, or go shopping, or maybe go to the park and paint. (I'm an artist, but have always been in the studio ---now I feel like going outside to paint)

My story: I graduated from high school early, in January of 1984 from Frankfurt American High School in Germany. I was "acting out" as a TCK even then and I wanted to run away from home. So I did. I came back to the States and stayed with my grandparents ---my father was set to retire that year, but not until several months later. He and my mother decided on Reno, Nevada because for a federal retiree (he was CIA) there are no state income taxes. This decision on his part, was to impact my life in so many dysfunctional ways! (I am not blaming them , just being honest)

I came here that year, and stayed with my mother's parents because they lived not far away, in Carson City. Immediately, I was the animal of the "pack who smelled different." From then, my life spiraled into a world of complete dysfunction. NO one talked about TCK's back then. And no one knew that what I was experiencing was "normal". I was branded as a lunatic (and a liar) by my peers and as a "screw up" by my extended family. I did not even know how to apply to a college, and I was terrified of growing up. So I wandered from job to job, relationship to relationship with backward, globally ignorant, and globally blind people. This may sound harsh, but it's the truth.

In retrospect I now see clearly how I sought relief: I "ran away" to Los Angeles, had many inappropriate relationships, and even went back to Europe for awhile.

For years, I thought I was defective as a human being. I found good friendships though, with other "immigrants." In my city and state, this means "Mexicans". Although I was far more educated and "cultured" than they in many cases, I found common ground and excellent friendships with them. In "white" society, I was the one who "smelled" different as in my analogy above. They immediately sensed I was not one of them and I was ostracized quite effectively by supervisors, peers and those of "equal" or "equivalent" so-called culture and education. I have found great solace and consolation in reaching our to the Hispanic community and working with gang members on "street art projects", showing them how to use their artistic skills and abilities to leave the gangland behind as a place of "belonging".

The desire to "belong" is more powerful than a passport, and more binding than a contract with any "devil" either perceived or "real". We are all wounded souls and we are all searching for a place to belong. This knowledge that I am a TCK only serves to strenthen my resolve to continue to reach out, even though I may be rejected and scorned.

My story is made even more complicated by the one thing no one could have prevented even with all the wonderful advice on TCK’s through the book Third Culture Kids or any research study on them. That complication is this: my father worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. Not only was my experience painful and isolating, it was compounded by the many layers of secrecy necessary, both during my many years abroad and after my re-entry.

Not only did I not have language to talk about and express my experience, but in some cases, I was actually prohibited, by law of my host country, and all standards of morality from doing so. To do otherwise, in some cases, would have seriously and very literally, jeopardized the lives of other people whom I loved, and many others whom I did not even know personally.

In looking around at TCKID.com, I do not see other “CIA brats” or children of other intelligence agencies. (NSA, MI5, Mossad, KGB, and many, many others!) Many of them may still be “hidden” by that curtain of secrecy and to them I want to say:
I understand your need to remain anonymous and hidden. Some of you may even be from formerly “enemy countries”. But know that even so, I am your “sister” in many ways although we have not met. (Yet!) Be assured that I understand the terrible burden that you carried and that you no doubt, continue to carry, often times without your valuable insight and input. Your country has extracted a huge price and sacrifice from you and I am so proud to call you my brother and my sister. Countless lives have been saved by your silence and to you, the global community owes a great debt.

If you were CIA, and you must say anything, say that you were foreign service related and leave it at that. Other CIA people will recognize your status from your duty stations if you post them. We are connected by a bond that even other TCK’s may find hard to understand. But someday, God willing, we will find each other, and we will find healing together.

As for joining this [tckid community]: I cannot believe the difference in how I feel. And just writing this here, for your question, makes me feel even better! Thank you! Thank you for being my "friend" even if it's only here, online. You have made a difference in my life just because you are here, and you are willing to listen.

To all the TCK's of every nation, every flag, every corner of the world, I want to say :

Thank you! I am honored to be your sister and I am very serious when I say: my home is always home for you. My heart is always open to you. My hands will always find a way to help you.
One Hope-One Love,

Suzanne

I love this website, too! I know that it provides a valuable forum where TCKs and those who love them can meet and share their feelings and ideas. TCKs are near and dear to my heart - I have 3 grown TCKs of my own, but my life's work as an educator and consultant has been all about working with global nomads! I'm going to be around because I want to continue to learn more from the TCKs themselves.

Hi,
The reason I made contact was as a follow up to an interview I heard on ABC radio national last weekend.

I suddenly realised why I have always felt disconnected and unsettled. I never stay in any home more than 5 years and jobs even less. I have never had friends I can confide in, I have always kept people at arms length. My relationship with my kids is less than satisfactory. I have never understood.

I have looked at TCKid and the video, which has helped me a great deal. I will be doing more fact finding, I think it will help.

Thank you, it is great to have this insight. I am at the start of a journey of self discovery.

regards :) Sue

Just a quick note to say thank you for setting up this community, and all the work that no doubt lies behind it all.
I've always knows that my personal history spanning a number of countries affected my personality. After traveling a bit as a young adult I also realized that it was easier to connect with other travelers. However, it's only this year that I came across the term TCK, and so for the first time there is a label and a community for something I had long given up on hoping others would understand about me.

I guess I come here to connect with more people with a similar story, because these encounters while they do happen in real life, are rather uncommon.
So, thanks again for making this a possibility.

Thanks Nava, we appreciate your kind note!

thers would understand about me.

I guess I come here to connect with more people with a similar story, because these encounters while they do happen in real life, are rather uncommon.
So, thanks again for making this a possibility.

I joined because I think support is essential when you are a TCK. I want to find others like me, to share and learn more, especially about TCKs with own kids who are a real cross-cultural supermix at the end.

I wish I had found TCKid earlier.

As others have said before, this site is highly therapeutic. All of a sudden, I've found out that I was not alone. The fact of knowing that there are hundreds of people out there who feel the way I feel is a relief in itself.

Also, as I have said in my introduction post, in a way, I have eventually found a home, albeit virtual. Many people here probably understand me much better than my own family, or than long-time mono-cultural close friends.

I want to help other actk's in their adaptation to thier passport country. In searching this site and other sources of information I suddenly have great clarity of understanding in who I am and why I do certain things.

Email correspondence with Brice, I was encouraged to post it here.

Hi there Brice,

Thank you for creating TCKid. I have found your story as well as many others deeply therapeutic.

I first came across the idea of TCK about a year or so ago and have since then been intrigued by the idea itself. But it was not until a few days earlier that I decided to find a TCK community online, I wanted to find other people with perhaps similar sort of stories who may be sharing the same kinds of emotions as me. I have read many stories on the website and am able to identify myself with many of the issues raised and shared by others. However, I don't think I'm a typical TCK by definition, I think I'm a CCK but more often I think others simply call me an international student.

I was born in Taiwan and both of my parents were too. I first went to England to study when I turned 14 and have since then been having my education there. I became 20 earlier this month. I became interested with the idea of TCK because I was having problems with having a clear sense of self identity. The longer I have been in the UK, the more disconnected I feel with my birth place, although I am fully aware that a very large part of me was/has and still is shaped by the island of Taiwan. And despite the fact that I feel myself having a British view on many issues, I do not identify myself fully with the UK. Funny enough, I don't like being labelled with just the international student tag neither because many of the international students I have met don't see themselves as British as I do and often they are older than I was when I first moved to the UK. I feel I have ownership of both places, and yet, I don't, not really.

And speaking of the TCKid website being therapeutic, I think this has really helped me to understand my father, before I was somehow angry with him. My dad was educated in Japan for a number of years and before I started primary school, he decided to go to mainland China and have his own business. But instead of taking the family along with him when he moved, he opted to travel back and forth between places. And since then mainland China has been where he is based mostly. I was angry with him because there have never been proper good-byes when he leaves home and most of the time I would just wake up in the morning and find that his suitcase's gone again. And this is still the way it is. But it had never occurred to me that it might be difficult for him with all these good-byes too and that he is a cross cultural person himself too and that he would have his own problems too. It was only when I read about the anger some TCKs/CCKs have had towards their parents and the frustration that TCKs/CCKs parents have got with their children that I started to realize that I may have perhaps been far too critical towards my father, both towards his decisions and his life style. It must have been difficult for him too.

Anyway, thanks a lot for reading Brice, I bet you read a lot of emails everyday and become concerned about other people's stories all the time. Please don't worry about me though, if that's the case, because I simply wanted share my story with someone who may understand, and I feel a lot more relieved already.

Thank you and take care.

It is great to be on this site. I am an Adult Third Culture Kid. I went through a lot as one. I felt very lost and had a hard time figuring out who I was not only racially but culturally. It was a long hard journey. My turning point was finding a high school reunion of all third culture kids. I became whole again. It was an amazing experience. I just recently learned of this term and groups of us. It is so awesome. I watched the documentary Brats at the last reunion I went to. It was so eye opening. I really understood me. It was great to be in a whole room of hundreads of people who cried and laughed together at the viewing.

I am glad this group is here. I am glad we have found one another.

I have been teaching at an international school in Xi'an, China for two years now. I initially entered the international teaching circuit to try to escape from a growing sense of estrangement following America's dramatic cultural shift in the aftermath of 9/11. Up to that point, I had thought I had successfully and seamlessly re-integrated into U.S. society.

I was teaching high school French in a small farming community and loving the fact that I was enough of a figure in the community that I could walk up to the bank with no I.D. and be able to withdrawal money. I thought I had found a place where I belonged. But, when the small community of teachers I worked and played with expressed no sense of shared humanity with victims of our wars of misdirected revenge and greed, I woke up to the fact that my belonging had only been skin deep. And, I have been roaming and searching for that sense ever since.

As yet, however, I have not found a community of TCKs. My students are my community. They are TCKs marooned in a school and community that has no sense or understanding of their issues. And I haven't resolved many of them myself.

I have never been willing to spend the time to connect with one of these communities. Dave Pollock came to my high school in Cote d'Ivoire to counsel the 20+ students in my graduating class, but I didn't follow much of his advice. I did not plug in. But, for the sake of my kids, I think I am ready now to try and learn and understand more. I hope that this site will help me to educate my fellow teachers as well as help me to lead my students down a better path than I took myself.

Hey there!

I am excited! I COMPLETELY believe in the mission and focus of TCKids. The God-given passion that Brice shows is inspiring. He evidently understands the importance of PURPOSE.

I come from a racially and culturally diverse background AND I grew up living the life of an Ambassador's daughter - attending girls' boarding schools along the way. I was born in one country, raised in another and live in a third AND my heritage is across the board - from the UK to Africa to The Middle East (Lebanon).

I have experienced a myriad of challenging situations in my life and came to understand that I have been blessed with the ability to HELP OTHERS deal with similar challenges. I discovered that I am an effective encourager and developed the methodology that ensured that anyone who came to me for some help would ALWAYS leave feeling better about themselves than when they came to me.

I studied Psychology, mentored and worked in the corporate (real estate, marketing, media) arena for a few years and now run my own life and career coaching practice. I also write articles and blogs on various subjects - the purpose of which are to ENLIGHTEN others or illicit a different way of looking at things.

I am a proponent of cross-cultural communication and the promotion of peace. I derive JOY from bringing people a little closer to the semblance of peace in their lives.

I would love to be of service to the TCK community in whichever capacity I am needed - as a coach, mentor, writer or all of the above! ;-)

Sincerely Yours,

Ayshah Victoria Powers

Hi everyone!

Here's why I support TCKID:

I felt like a huge burden was lifted from my heart when I read other peoples testimonials and experiences and especially listening to the e-class lecture...it was finaly OK not to feel guilty about /not /missing "Home" a.k.a Costa Rica, and not really feeling anywhere was home... :-p here I was all these years thinking I was just a really confused person. Especially now in my adult life when I had to make a choice of where to live and start "my life".

I'm from Costa Rica (born there and my parents are from there, though my Dad is aso a TCK) and grew up in Paraguay, Thailand, and the US... currently though Im working and living in China and since Im a musician I tend to travel a lot for concerts...so havent really been stationed anywhere for a while.

A Friend recently lent me the book /Third Culture Kids /and I was facinated by it!

I kept looking for information on TCKids and found the site.
I think it is great what you have done.

It was like I finally undertood myself after 25 years :-p ... so

at any rate. Thank you SO much for having such an AWESOME site. I am eternally grateful :)

Amanda

I'm TCKer through and through: born in Tanzania (1yr), then Bangladesh (1yr), Sudan (4yrs), Geneva (11yrs), then parents in Eritrea and me in school in Tanzania (2yrs), and then off to passport country the Netherlands at age 19!! What a shock!! After 3yrs, off to Finland (1/2yr), NL for 1/2yr, USA (1yr), Paris (1yr), Netherlands (4yrs), Kenya (1/2yr) and now in the Netherlands for the last 4yrs... I feel I will never belong here, or really anywhere for that matter but have to find a way to make peace with that. Perhaps this site or groups like this can help! :)
Don't misunderstand though: it's an unbelieavable experience growing up in difference cultures and I can't imagine having had to miss out on any of it, it really broadens you view of the world!!

I understand everyone. I am a through and through third culture kid. I still am. I lived in the US till I was 7, then Israel till I was 10, then to Cyprus till I was 13, then Romania till I was 16, and now in the Netherlands for almost a year and I am turning 17. I feel different, I feel unbelnging in my own home, and I thought it was because I was strange or weird. I am not. I know it now. BUt its hard to fit in and it does feel lonely osmetimes. I want to help others and connect. This site really helps me.

About seven months ago I also became a TCK, having lived in my birth country for more than 40 years. Now I know what it feels like being confronted with a different culture, different norms and different ways of thinking and living. But what a wonderful surprise to stumble upon the TCK website - suddenly I had resources and support from people who know what I'm experiencing and what issues I'm struggling with. Hopefully I will have the chance to be available to support other TCK's in the future!

I am here out of a sense of belonging being a TCK myself and I must say the day i found out this word I felt immediately relieved in some way like it wasn't just my problem or something inadequate about myself alone.

At the same time I am also here out of a lack of sense of belonging, to my home country as indicated on passport, where I have now been living for 15 years, so hey after 15 years here I am still with issues coming back up every now and then! TCKs have inner issues to be dealt with and understood better yet solved in order to peacefully accept them while they live their life and stop feeling inadequate or alone...that is the main feeling we risk a deep solitude which can lead to an inner conflict between who we really feel we are and who we allow ourselves to be on the outside

I am ready to volounteer and offer support, efforts and time to helping other TCKs in some way as I feel tacking action helping others you feel in your similar situation actually helps you in the first place.

TCKs are a great resource for our world and it is great to have a community where we can discuss share and mutually give or take from one another hopefully bridging those gaps we feel inside that every now and then come back up and keep us awake one random night in our regular life routine,

Thank you

I am here out of a sense of belonging being a TCK myself and I must say the day i found out this word I felt immediately relieved in some way like it wasn't just my problem or something inadequate about myself alone.

At the same time I am also here out of a lack of sense of belonging, to my home country as indicated on passport, where I have now been living for 15 years, so hey after 15 years here I am still with issues coming back up every now and then! TCKs have inner issues to be dealt with and understood better yet solved in order to peacefully accept them while they live their life and stop feeling inadequate or alone...that is the main feeling we risk a deep solitude which can lead to an inner conflict between who we really feel we are and who we allow ourselves to be on the outside

I am ready to volounteer and offer support, efforts and time to helping other TCKs in some way as I feel tacking action helping others you feel in your similar situation actually helps you in the first place.

TCKs are a great resource for our world and it is great to have a community where we can discuss share and mutually give or take from one another hopefully bridging those gaps we feel inside that every now and then come back up and keep us awake one random night in our regular life routine,

Thank you

I have always had a problem with someone who asks me "Where is your hometown?" As most of us do/did. I've been in Fort Worth TX for oh, say, forty years, and have forged friendships here that I treasure. But even with my long-standing friends who call this city "home" I have to kind of wiggle in embarrassment when someone asks, " You remember the So and So's don't you? Their daughter went to (name of school) and the mother was a member of (name the social club or Junior League, etc.)" I have to straighten up, look my friend straight in the eye and remind her, "Remember, I didn't grow up here. I didn't go to school here. I don't know the same people you do." And then it's her turn to be embarrassed.
Of course, that happens a lot with older people. Which I are one.
But what really got me started on this thought was when I was registering on some social network site (for book marketing purposes, mainly) and after filling in all the pertinent facts of my existence, there was a space for "Hometown."
I didn't hesitate for a minute. In the space, I wrote, " I don't have any. I'm an Army Brat."
I could have added, "And darned proud of it."
Marilyn

Why I love TCKID... My parents are american...missionaries. When I was 2 we moved to Honduras. When I was 3, we moved to Africa. When I was 6, we moved back to the States. When I was 8, we moved to Saudi Arabia. As an adult, I moved to Uganda and worked with Missionary Kids and read the book Third Culture Kids...I didn't know I had my own culture, I just knew that I was always leaving friends behind and trying to find my way into already established groups. As a quiet person, this was not easy for me. I have a passion for TCK's who return to the USA and have to adapt to this crazy culture!

This is the only identity and home that we have.
Thank you Brice, we now have a home.

Brenda

Give me FIVE Cynthia!

I relate to 90% things up here as well!!!!XD

BTW I am Zoe(Cindy) from Taiwan

Just forget my ID

So am using anonymous

XD JAJA

I call this place HOME! AS WELL!!!

In fact, the ONLY place I fully belong to@_@

TRUTHFULLY!!!!!>_<

I support TCKid.com, because reading all your posts really gets me thinking, and when I answer them, it really brings me a step foreward each time. I hope you can relate to my comments as well.
Besides, each time I get a positive response from another like-minded person I'm happy enough to get me through the entire day. : )

I support TCK's because having worked as a Vice Principal in an International School in Dhaka Bangladesh, I have had the opportunity of interacting with many children who really do only have other people and no place they can say they belong. The students in my school were very precious to me and their parents were often in the missionary field doing very valuable work. If there is anyway I can help from the UK I would like to.

I support TCK's because having worked as a Vice Principal in an International School in Dhaka Bangladesh, I have had the opportunity of interacting with many children who really do only have other people and no place they can say they belong. The students in my school were very precious to me and their parents were often in the missionary field doing very valuable work. If there is anyway I can from the UK I would like to.

Why I support TCKid ?

Well ... TCK is who I am. I first learned of this term about 2 years ago when a friend of mine told me about it. I was shocked. It explained ALOT on how I think and how I feel ?

Over the the last 2 years I have spread the word about TCK
and explained to many of my friends what the term meant.

Well ... to my surpirse it helped many. So ... over the last year I have been thinking how I can help and make a diference and meet more of my kind. Even though I live between Miami and Ft Lauderdale and this area is full of TCK's ... there is something missing. I realized that I want to help my kind. So that is the reason why I support TCKid. I want to do my part.

Any of you TCK's in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area ?

I support TCKID because this has been my life since day one and it isn't going away any time soon and nor do I want it to. I love traveling, moving new places, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and having new adventures. The only down side is that the attachments aren't there that people get from growing up in their home town and when you move to a place where those are the typical people in the community it is hard to fit in even if it would have been your home town in a different circumstance.

I want to help with TCKID because now that I am back in the US I feel disconnected. TCKID is a way to feel more at home no matter where I am and to help others feel that way as well.

This information is really a life-saver for me. I have been back in my home country for 11 years now and still struggle with these issues. It is really great for me to realize it's not just me and that there are solutions out there. It's always good to feel like you have a place to go where people understand you. That's what "home" is supposed to be isn't it? :)

I think TCKid is a fantastic community, and I wish I had found it earlier. It's a sanctuary where you can just be yourself and not have to explain or justify your existence. I want to help this community grow by sharing my experiences and to help TCKs eventually fulfill their vast potential.

I would like to share insights that I have learned "the hard way" so that others might be spared this hardship. Years ago, I knew that I was a TCK, but that knowledge in itself didn't tell me what to do with my life. After 10 years of deep reflections and working jobs in every sector (non-profit, for-profit, government, and own business), I eventually figured it out, but it was the longest and hardest journey of my life. I hope that less struggle means more time for TCKs to achieve their potential.

Obama and his ex-pat team are examples of what TCKs can do, and each of us has this same potential. As Uncle Dan noted in comment #40, sadly this potential is poorly understood and largely untapped today. TCKid can change this because it brings together people with many different skills, interests, and backgrounds. What might be impossible for one person to do is achievable with the support of the community.

I think its REALLY REALLY great/cool/awesome/incredible/life-changing how this is a community for all TCK's to be part of, and be at home in. This has been a blessing to a lot of us, thanks so much...

No idea if I've commented here before, but:

When we first started TCKid, all we knew was that we wanted to help bring TCKs together.

Today, we call that "giving a sense of belonging."

I have to be honest that I haven't always been 100% behind everything that's been done, or that I think the message portrayed is entirely the right one. Nevertheless, the general thrust and purpose of the site is as good and potentious a cause as any could ask for.

TCKs aren't a new phenomenon, but they are increasingly common in our globalizing world. In the depths of human history, the single greatest change to our extelligent development will be globalization: the lowering of barriers of communication and travel, the sidelining of individual culture.

When compared to the geological history of the Earth, the human experience is brief. In our evolution we have developed with our extelligence, the intelligence of our culture, as our greatest gift. That stands to change us further, as the pool with which we can develop ourselves grows ever larger. Whether TCKs are the symptom, preview or future of this remains to be seen.

There's no denying that they are related to this, and therefore require study. As a new concept to many cultures, they are also unrecognized, and unsupported. Any number of institutions or organizations are set in perceiving people through racial or cultural divisions, and have little room for the apparently special needs of TCKs. It remains to be seen whether they truly deserve it or not.

Nevertheless, some support is necessary, because every TCK carries the gift of their incredible potential as a result of their unique, incredible experiences. In the world we have today, they can ease human development into what it is hurtling and tumbling towards by giving a preview of a world without borders, by being representations of it in themselves.

For this reason, I support TCKid: for the great work it does, for the potential of every one of its members and indeed, for the personal satisfaction and honour of having met them.

I was very impressed by how each new member is welcomed personally. I first found out about TCK by reading the Wikipedia entry about is and was astonished at how much I could relate to the people described in the article.

I love reading the posts on tckid because I realize that I'm not the only person that is still struggling to find a place where they truly belong, and that makes me feel less alone. I find this site very healing and I'm thankful for a place where I can truly be myself.

I don't know if I've commented on this thread before, but if I did, I'm going to do it again (it will probably be different than what I said before anyway)


I support TCKid because TCKid was there for me.
As simple as that.


When I tripped and fell down (emotionally, methaphorically speaking), the people in TCKid gave me their hand and said "here, I know it hurts, let me help you get up".
In my whole life, with regards to my deepest feelings (all related to cross-cultural tck-ish issues), people would always laugh at me ("hahaha she tripped!"), criticize me ("what are you doing there on the floor??!! you're not supposed to be there!!! get up!!!"), or not even notice I was there (just walked past me).

That's why I support TCKid as much as I can, when I can (I know I've been a bit absent lately, but you can't help others get up until you're back on your feet, right?).

So thank you, once again, **all of you** from tckid. Even the people who just read, but never commented on my posts, or replied to my comments. I know you felt for me.

I just feel I could be myself...

As an adult TCK (more or less) I can look back and see the stresses - as well as the occasional joys - that being a TCK brought. I wish there had been this website when I was growing up around the world.

I joined tckid, to be part of a community that I love. Because I needed it (and still do) and I know that there are others that need it too! =)

To everyone:

There are several reasons I support TCKID. The first one being because I honestly think that what you do is amazing. I'm sure you get that a lot, but I really mean it from the bottom of my heart. I don't post a lot on the forum, but I read it regularly and can relate to almost all of the posts. I hope to post more often now that I'm out of school and have more free time. Especially since I recently cured my restlessness (for the time being) by moving to a different city.

The second thing that I think really pushed me to do it, was Scott's "new year's resolution" post. I remember when he was new on the forum and his progress has truly touched me. I think his story is amazing, and I really admire him. All this despite the fact that I've never spoken to him, nor have I replied to any of his posts. Isn't it crazy how you can feel so close to someone who may not even know you exist?

Anyway, TCKid has really helped me, probably in more ways than I know now, to progress as a person, understand myself A LOT better and leave a lot of the pain and grief behind. This is really important to me, because I feel right now is kind of the beginning of the rest of my life, so putting the bad side of being a TCK to rest for good, bringing out the good side and putting all that to good use is crucial in order to begin the future I WANT to live. I'm leaving teenagehood behind and becoming a real adult.

There are still many issues I have to deal with - TCK related and not. But I have full confidence that TCKid will help me a lot along the way. It will make me a much better person than I ever would have without the site. And I owe all this to you, as well as many other volunteers. The least I could do is donate to help make the sure the site continues to help others as much, if not more, as it helped me. I hope to continue donating in the future, and maybe even become a volunteer.

Thank you so much to every volunteer, I owe you more than I could ever give back.

Hallo an alle da draussen in der Welt und ein ganz besonderes Hallo an diejenigen, die sich im deutschsprachigen Raum aufhalten. Es gibt so viele gute Gründe für mich, TCKID unterstützen zu wollen. Natürlich ist einer der Hauptgründe, dass mich dieses Thema selber sehr betrifft. Es gab Zeiten, da wäre ich so unendlich dankbar gewesen, wenn ich eine Möglichkeit gehabt hätte Gleichgesinnte/betroffene zu finden. Vieles, was Andere hier berichten kommt mir so bekannt vor. Die durch die wiederholten Abschiede verursachten Wunden sind zwar mittlerweile vernarbt und ich bin wieder in der Lage Freundschaften richtig zu zulassen, aber auch noch heute ertappe ich mich immer wieder bei bestimmten Verhaltensweisen. Beispielsweise, als eine eine sehr gute Freundin von mir nach Mexiko ausgewandert ist und ich mal wieder nach dem Motto aus den Augen aus dem Sinn funktionieren wollte..... Jetzt, wo ich verstehe, weshalb es zu bestimmten Verhaltensweisen von mir kommt, kann ich besser damit umgehen oder zumindest versuchen, diese Aussenstehenden zu erklären. Es gab Zeiten, da fühlte ich mich so einsam und so "erfroren" mangels menschlicher Wärme (die ich aber auch gar nicht zulassen konnte oder wollte), dass ich den Eindruck hatte, mich selber nicht mehr richtig zu spüren, mich zu verlieren. Ich habe damals auf Verhaltensweisen zurückgegriffen, welche mir sehr gefährlich hätten werden können. Ob es nun eigene Kraft oder Glück war, ich habe es ganz alleine geschafft mich aus meinem Sumpf heraus zu strampeln. Es waren harte Zeiten, aber ich bin daran sehr gewachsen und deshalb heute dankbar dafür, denn es hilft mir sehr viel in meiner täglichen Arbeit im Bereich Drogentherapie mit Straffälligen. Obwohl ich selber irgendwann erkannte, dass die meisten meiner Probleme wohl mit meinem bisherigen Lebenslauf etwas zu tun hatten, dauerte es noch einmal 10 Jahre bis ich per Zufall über das Buch Dschungelkind auf den Begriff TCK aufmerksam wurde. Bis dahin hatte ich immer das Gefühl, dass nur ich von gewissen Unsitten und Problemen betroffen sei. Da ich nach wie vor denke, dass gerade im deutsch sprachigen Raum das Thema TCK zu wenig bekannt ist, möchte ich dazu beitragen dies zu verändern.

Hi there, I wish to support TCKID because this is a topic which is concernes me deeply. The TCKID site and also the TCK book made me understand that I was not alone with my feelings and that there was nothing weird about them. Unfortunately I was let alone with this topic during my whole adolescence. During this period of time I did a lot of things which could have ended in a very bad manner. Luckily I found a way to deal with it on my own, but it was a very hard time. It would have been so much easier if I would have known then, that I was not alone and that there where others to talk to. Only about ten years later when I read Jungle Child a got aware, that I was not the only TCK on the planet earth :-) Feeling, that the TCK topic is still quite unknown in the german speeking environment I feel the need to try and change this.

Hi, beth here
I just finished writing this, and then lost the page, oh my.

I want to be part of this, and to volunteer because i suffered feeling alone in a room full of people for most of my United States Life.

Although I have lived here longer now than anywhere, I have not, until maybe this year felt even a sense of being an American. Until I read the book, Third Cultured Kids, I was totally unaware of why some of my behaviors , feelings, thoughts, and experiences were so different than those around me. It took me, (is taking me? ) years to be comfortable in my own skin.

What made me seek this out? Well the stories of my own 2 brothers and the struggle of my parents to get the word out.
their mission to adcocate and help those children who are ATCKMK's ( adult third cultured kids missionary kids ) who were also abused in missionary schools.The more this conversation became an integral part of our/my life (ves)
the more I wanted to help those out there that either had had the same experience and needed to speak to "individuals with like circumstances" or those like me that escaped the abuse at the hands of the mission, and the documentary was finally released for sale,. it had a huge impact on me. I hear my brother's voices, and see and hear the tears of my mother . if they could "get it together enough to tell their story to the world , then it was time for me to do my part in helping others see that they too have a place in the world


I escaped the abuse at the hands of the missionaries in mission school because my parents ( having no clue that that was transpiring ) left the church because of their own beliefs were so very different than those of that denomination. They could no longer stay within that forum. The trauma and loss that
holds hands with the entry into a country called home to ones parents, was not lost on me, however. In fact, it was replayed once again, when we left the U.S. after a short time, and entered Congo, and then Kenya several years later, and then once again the U.S where we lived , scattered across the U.S while dad searched for a job, and mom worked in NYC.

Once the plane door shut in kenya, my heart and soul were too.
As years have passed, I have struggled to get it back . To allow it to love ( ouside of my own family and children ) but I did not do that well, and I have tried to trust ( which I have not done well )
but I did not have this forum

Why do I wan to be here? This venue is a wonderful location
for everyone, old and young that can now have access to sameness at their fingertips. I would have given anything to have had this when I came to the United States.

I want to be there for the next person. I believe that one at a time, we can make a difference.

P.S. if you have been abused by the mission, anywhere, at anytime
there is hope for you and a place for you now, at MKSAFETYnet
check them out..

Thanks for listening,
beth

i've been a facebook member for awhile now, but have finally just seen the website. it makes me swell up with little kid tears, ya know??

I support this site because as a TCK I just realized I understand the two cultures I was raised in (Japan and the U.S.), and at the same time, get neither of them. I belong in both, and yet don't. And, for the first time in.....20+ years???? I'm OK with that.

I wish I had found you 20 years ago. It would have saved me a lot of angst! Glad I found you now, though.

Let me know what I can do! I'm ready to help!

It was interesting because I'm a Half TUrkish Cypriot and Half Pakistani female born and brought up in Dubai...
I always said, its just sooo hard to sincerely find a sense of belonging as you are constantly juggling amongst the 3.
Glad more people feel liek it and as i always said, they should seriously make an entire island that belongs to TCK's... I thinK there we would really find a sense of belonging :)

I support this because it is amazing, and it has led to a revolution in my self understanding. I know i am a better person because of this :)

Identity is undoubtedly a TCK's biggest issue and it exacerbates the situation when one is gay. I believe most of the TCK issues are being resolved and helped through in alot of international schools like mine (ISB in Bangkok, SAS in Shanghai). However, homosexuality in a TCK environment has barely been touched on. Speaking on behalf of Asian countries, homosexuality is off topic due to culture. Gay students are usually confused and are forced into a path they might not want to take due to parental stress. I want to reach out to the gay students and guide them. Of course, not going crazy with the American Pride attitude but merely just guiding them through their feelings and how they can react to dilemmas and situations of being gay in a TCK environment.

I am part Business-Kid and part Global-Nomad (Japan, US, Kenya, Netherlands, Belgium, Hongkong). I happened to read "Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds" by David C. Pollock and Ruth Van Reken recently, and was astonished to find out that the book was about people like myself. I found the website in the TCK entry of Wikipedia. I read some posts and was dumbfounded that I could relate to almost any of them. It is a big relief to know that there are so many others out there, feeling pretty much the same. So, it is natural to be a bit obsessed about culture, language, race, nationality, identity, etc.! A tad too many people have told me that I get more upset than necessary about such issues that I had thought I might have a psychiatric problem... I am pleased that many, many comments on the site are very thoughtful (and no hate-comment).

Hi Bothina! Welcome! Thanks for sharing your story. And congrats on writing so much for a non-writer! About having to grow up early - I know what you mean. It can be quite hard to carry burdens that kids aren't supposed to carry (even if the parents didn't mean to do that at all). But hey, do you think you could copy, paste, and post your story in the 'self-introduction' forum? I'm sure there are others who would like to respond to your story and welcome you. And the link is....actually, Brice, help, i dunno where the link is. (which reminds me, i need to do a self-intro too!. soon. soon.)

Hello, Salam, Tadias, Shalom and Hej!!

OMG!! I have no idea what to say or where to start....BUT first please let me thank you ALL for your efforts. I have been looking for a long time and just so greatful that I am here today.

My name is Bothina I was born to Eritrean parents in Sudan, when I was 5 my mother and I moved to Saudi to join my father, who was a city fighter and could not return home to Eritrea. I started school in Saudi untill 5th grade, when I was 9 my brother was born. one day my father told me that we will immigrate to Sweden, because of human rights abuse in Saudi and the fact that both me and my brother wont have the right to study further then primary school.

We came to Sweden I was 12, my brother 3 and we found out, on the way to our distention that we will have an addition to our family, true enough, 9 month later my sister was born, she is 20 today. In our family we speak, Tegree, Tgrenyia, Arabic and Swedish.

I was never happy in Sweden, I mean...the only way I can try to explain it..... is maybe....if I told you; that Until today I have not dreamt in Swedish, but all the other languages I speak I have dreamt in, for me that says something ;-)) But I am Swedish as well as Eritrean and of course just Bothina.

So early on I decided that I want to liv in an English speaking country, at 21 I moved to the UK and was living there for ten years. Since 9/11 though!!! I was not happy there as well!! so I just throw a dice and I got a job in Belgium and now just after one year and half, I am moving back to Sweden on the 29th of this month. ahhh a Nomad or what!!! ;-)

I am not a writer!!! and this is by far the hardest email I had to write ;-) I heard about TCK for the first time last year, by my cousin and she just told me to read the book (she is also a TCK), It is still on my list to read, but from your website, I have learned that am called CCK and it is such a relive!! I have no idea yet how much research is done about CCKs but one thing that I can tell you is: that the parents don't really integrate or never even speak the language of the host country. In my case this meant that I was a translator, a 3rd parent and a PA ;-) because when my siblings were young I had to be the middle man, and that as well has got it is issues!! When I left to London my brother was 13 and sister 9, that meant that just like me they had to grow up early, and do all the things that I was doing!! so you can imagine the amount of guilt that was involved in my dicession to leave!! I just kind of never felt normal and knew that I had to grow up and find out for myself about life, after all I only heard about Charles Darwin when I came to Sweden ;-)

One of the reason's I will go back to Sweden is to let my sister spread her wings, because she have been doing "my" job for a long time now and it is time for her to go on her path, just like I did! the other reason is that I miss my parents and visiting them over the years I know they have changed and of course they are getting older so it is time for us to know each other as adults.


Now! Brice, do you need help? I am what they call a "doer". If I believe in something!!! than I DO!! and I believe in what you are doing ( and kind of jeoulse) :-)) and I really want to spread the word and do something. I am not working at the moment and I was planing to start my own organisation to do with Multiculturalism in Sweden!!! but now I know that THIS IS IT. I want to keep this ball rolling, we cant stop now!! and Europe needs a base, we are so ,many here! I also know more about CCKs like me and this is/has been needed!!! people need to be educated about us!! and now with globalisation and all we are just becoming more!! so please give me the chance to do something. All you need to do! is tell me where to start.

Dear Brice, like I told you I am not a writer, but I really hope that one day over some doro wott and enjera I can tell you my story of pain ;-)

All the best and thank you
Bothina

I want to get involved because I don't feel as though our issues are given much attention considering how prevalent people like us are in today's world. I don't remember where I read this (probably in the book,) but we are the prototype of the 21st century human!

Email to Brice today 12/13/08:
Brice,
I really can't explain the reason why...It just felt "right" to donate. I am so enthralled to be a part of this, yet don't know where > to begin nor how to express the sense of 'belonging' this cyber meeting of minds imparts. I'm trying to figure out what I can do to help in any way as well as dive into this TCK world, immersing myself in it. Right now, it just feels like I'm standing on the diving board looking down at the inviting water LOL!
I too love cats, mine is a common brown tabby who goes by the name of > MOJO! (I've had a few!) Love, K

I was really excited to find TCKID. I thought to myself, here are people who understand me! I was born to an American mother and a Greek father in Athens; lived in Chicago from 4-7, then back to Greece, and when I was 16 I move myself back to the States.

I joined to see what other TCKIDs had to say and hopefully to meet some people.

Glad that this movement was started and I hope it grows.

Anna

Hello!
I am very impressed by your welcome to every new member on the site.
What dedication! It makes a website more human to have someone actually personally welcome you...I joined TCKids because it seems like a forum where people from diverse backgrounds can share ideas, feelings, and build a sense of belonging through communication.I'm more of a CCK than a TCK but definitely identify with feelings of displacement, global community, communication that is respectful and curious about cultural dfferences,things like that. I look forward to navigating on the site and contributing in forums, and perhaps meeting other TCKs or CCKs in Paris (where I live - I actually joined the local France group on facebook) Sincerely,Anne

I had felt lost up until about a year ago. Growing up in many countries and being away from the life I had been raised in, left me in quite desperation. I ran into someone who called me a TCK. I started to research the Third Culture Kid and then....there was Brice. I have finally found my home with others that share my background and my worldly passions.
Thank you Brice:)

Whats up Brice,

just wanted to give you a shout and say thanks for all you've done with tckid.com

I only came across the term and the website about two weeks ago, but I've been logged on pretty much non stop since then. Don't think there are words than can describe how good I feel about it!

So yeah, nice one and keep on keeping on

Stefan

Hi I am overwhelmed that i have found this group. As i have been an expat all my life starting from 6 months old. I have lived in 6 different countries ( Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Switzerland, USA) and went from British to Swiss to American Educational Systems. I have mixed with all sorts of Nationalities and cultures. I have worked for different multinational organizations hence i feel soooooooooooooo at home with you guys?. I would love to help in any way that i can
I think my experience will contribute in helping others that might be straggling of trying to find out where they belong or feelings that they might be experiencing by growing up in different cultures and dealing with different people.

I've been a part of TCKids for a while now, and decided to volunteer. I grew up in asia and now reside in southern California.

Its never been about a lack of motivation to make a difference for me.

I've struggled a lot being an American raised overseas with the transition back to living in the united states. I went to a state school college for my first year of school and felt extremely isolated. Being a tckid has had its up and downs, in both my social life and personal life. As a tckid we feel constantly uprooted and often times I feel the constant need for change. I'm slowly accepting who I am, and this motivates me to educate other people that although they may feel isolated and alone this is really not the case, that reaching out although it may feel like not an option most definitely is.

Hi Brice! So great to see you on Facebook now too! Thanks again for TCkid, it has really been a God-send for me. I have to say, not only am I proud to say that I am a TCK ( until last year, I didn't even know that there was such a thing), but it's so fantastic to find such a supportive network, where you can exchange ideas and opinions, get feedback and realize "you are defintely NOT alone!". Warmest regards!

I joined TCKid a few months ago but only just recently started visiting the site everyday...several times a day in fact. It's addicting. And I've realized fundamental truths about myself and how awesome it is to be exactly the way I am.
Now I'm having to play catch-up and reading everything I possibly can on the subject of TCKs. The past few weeks have been very grounding for me, enough for me to come out of emotional seclusion and see if there are others like me in my neighborhood. This could not have come at a better time for me :)

I really appreciate how personal it is (just not sure how Brice keeps up with everything!), how supportive everyone is, and, most importantly, how it heals. Here's the whole story. (Longer than the others in this section...I hope I'm putting this on the right page...yes? If not I'll just have to blame Brice who sent me the link *grin*)

I came across the term TCK in January 2007. I've been reading on TCKs and doing some research on identity issues. I found myself crying at times reading dissertations which are usually supposed to be 'dry and boring' according to my supervisor.

I've always known that I struggle with issues of identity and belonging. But over the last few months I've also started to notice that I really struggle with relationships. I struggle to make friends. I struggle to be a part of a community. I struggle feeling integrated. And these issues have started to surface in the past little while as if it was about time for these issues to go.

Three weeks ago I thought I was done with the crying until I signed up for TCKid, and Brice sent me that link to the TCK mini course. I read it, and it hit me really hard. I ended up on the floor bawling my eyes out as the pain and grief left me. And I bawled my eyes out even more when I googled Ruth and found out that she's a Christian writer. I cried and cried as I realized that God was in on this from the beginning. That he cared. That he does want to help the brokenhearted.

I think some serious repair work was done to my heart that night. The incredible and overwhelming loneliness I had felt prior to that seems to have disappeared. Gone. Poof. Suddenly my heart is light. Cheerful inside (I'm always cheerful on the outside, it's my personality, but now it's on the inside too). 3 weeks ago I was too lonely to want to be with friends or make new ones. But now that the loneliness is gone, I actually feel positive about working on the friendships that I have to breakdown my distrust and build something strong in its place, and on making new friends too. Weird how that works isn't it? I thought the natural thing was for us to look for friends when we are lonely, not when we're doing fine. But it was the opposite for me. Now I feel like I want to chase after my friends' hearts if they're not coming after mine. It seems that they also have various fears which cause them to close their heart. (TCKs and non-TCKs alike, we all seem to carry all sorts of wounds that we really shouldn't be).

So that's what TCKid has done for me. I think what TCKid does is powerful. I think 'powerful' is the right word. I think what Brice, Ruth and all those involved are doing is accomplishing something really powerful - but probably subtle too. What it will accomplish will probably be much greater and much much more powerful than it will ever appear on the surface. Powerful because I think what it accomplishes in a human heart will not be wasted. It just gets perpetuated like a strong undercurrent.

My 2 cents.

If I may add to this:

I am very, very happy to have found this site. I can share my experiences and help those who are in need of some guidance. I feel at home, embraced and accepted in a place that is filled with complete strangers. I am listened to and I get great suggestions and tips from everyone as well. We all have common "origins" and this is what makes it great. This site has started to make my life even more complete and more meaningful. I have found a place where I can just "be." =)

I only signed up a week ago, but I already look forward to Brice's emails. As for Ruth...there are no words to describe how life-changing her book has been. Suddenly I'm not just some lonely, screwed-up adult with no hope--there are other people out there just like me! :) I'm so glad TCKID is out there. It really, really helps. - Angela F.

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The people I have meet through TCKID have allowed me to uncover a part of my soul that I didn't even know existed. I have never been open with anyone, including my closest family members, about how being a TCK made me feel; but I can now. There are no wrong answers, experiences, or feelings. Thank you so much for this amazing site. I am rediscovering who I am and who I want to become. This is a true blessing. -Lauren, Oregon

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TCKID has been an eye-opener for me. Our experiences are so unique, yet we share so many traits and challenges. Reading how others have dealt with many of the same issues I've had is rewarding and helpful. TCKID is not just for young TCKs, but is a good resource for all ages. Jenni H., Seattle

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Brice has been awesome! When I first met him I was seriously depressed I felt like no one could understand me. Now after about a month I can finally see I am not unusual, there are more people who have the same issues as me(TCKs). He's a great friend and very easy to talk to, not to mention his awesome taste in Techno and slapstick humor! I value his advice, it hasn't failed yet! -Priyanca, Arizona

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TCKid is a wonderful resource of TCKs, ATCKs, their families and friends; it is validating for the TCKs, and offers assistance in understanding for the non-TCKs who love them. Kudos to those (A)TCKs (Ruth Van Reken, Brice and others) who are taking the risk and committing to assisting other TCKs. Thank you for your continued time and effort! It is much needed, and appreciated! Kristina J. Adams Goshen, Indiana

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I haven't spent enough time on the forums. I am very impressed with Brice and how much he seems to care about a complete stranger, and my issues. - Kathy B.

For me, or for other parents, this site is invaluable in giving us perspective that are not just our children. This site would be such a great help to parents with small kids just starting out.

- Sara Debbie Ali

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I think your Web site is great for kids, and
I like to read through it, because I think it will be really helpful in giving me ideas for future columns about what is important to Expat kids.

Take care and keep up the great work! -Ruta

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Thanks a lot for you mail. This is the first time I hear about somebody who shared similar experiences than I have.. and shows interest in mine! Thats`s great and it really helps to understand. - Mareike b.

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Hi, I found TCKID immensely helpful and plan to respond and check out other blogs. Thanks so much! - Suzi B.

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TCKID is an excellent community for TCKs. Thank you for making this happen! Once again, thank you for this forum, I think it's absolutely essential that TCK have contacts with other TCK. Keep in touch, it's great to have people to talk to about these subjects, since Syracuse isn't exactly a very TCK-friendly city! heehehe.....take care man. - Vasco B.

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Thank you so much for the excellent follow up to [TCKID]. I am very impressed.
Linda G. Bell, author of "Hidden Immigrants; Legacies of Growing Up Abroad"

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Thanks for your warm welcome to the TCK-club! I'm still busy reading the book which is very fascinating! Although I just turned 41 years old (and still can't even believe I'm already over 30!), a lot of memories come back again, as if it all happened just yesterday!
It's thrilling to read about so many people having the same problems I had (and still have) myself - even apparently minor problems like being asked were you come from!
Karin, (TCK in Germany)

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This is where a TCK can come and read other people's rants and feel....NORMAL!!!

"Brice, I cried when I read your email and I thank you for giving me a little peek into your life. Thanks for your note and concern. Because my tears are a sign that I felt your heart beat in the story below. My daughter heard about you guys, and signed me up, so I guess she really loves me too. Thanks for reaching out to us mk's. - Joy, in Blaine MN.

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"Hi Brice, Thanks a lot for you mail. This is the first time I hear about somebody who shared similar experiences than I have.. and shows interest in mine! Thats`s great and it really helps to understand." Mareike

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"I love your emails...I just wish I had more time to spend looking at the site and replying...- Angela G.(SCAD)

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"I think I have a new morning habit, I tend to check my email quickly before i head to school, and I'm always so happy every time I see an email from tckid :) so answering these emails is my favourite morning habit. - Julia O.

More emails:

"hello. it was soo refreshing to read your mail. i
almost thought i wrote it from my perspective.
it's so great to be a part of this group." - Stella

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rykr125 said...

The TCKid.com site is very open and accepting of all types of people, from TCKs to those who wish to get an understanding of the TCK concept. I've truly enjoyed reading and writing posts. What a supportive site!

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Paulette Bethel said...

I will second your endorsement of the TCKid.com site. I too commend Brice for the job that he is doing.

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Margie Ulsh said.... http://amongworlds.blogspot.com/

It is 2:45 in the morning and I am finally getting around to making an entry for the blog here! What is with that?

I find that it is very easy to procrastinate, which is something I would never have done in my "younger" days. Instead of working on the final edit of the contents for the next issue of Among Worlds magazine, I find myself spending 2-3 hours reading all the entries at TCKid (www.TCKid.com)and wanting to comment - but deciding instead to read the next entry (more procrastination).

It has been fun, and very interesting, to see the membership growing at TCKid blog-site. When I was invited to join, there weren't very many members - and yet it seems to grow by 10-20 a day (I don't have any actual figures). They have a chatroom that seems to always be in use - and many blog entries. I am just amazed! If you are looking to meet other TCKs, please feel free to join at www.TCKid.com - and tell Brice you heard about it here!

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This is finally a place that I can talk to people about a part of my life that I was forced to forget about for years.

I read so many stories similar to mine, and it validates my feelings. This is by itself very healing.

Along with the TCK book, this site has been helping me to understand a lot about myself and to heal my issues.

People here understand my feelings. Actually, the people here are the **only people** who understand my true feelings.

I can be honest here. I can tell what I'm really feeling. I don't have to worry about being rejected. I am among my own people.

And yes, Brice. People here care. They really DO care about me.

Plus, I LOVE those cute cat pictures!!!!! :)

More emails today:


Brice and Dan,
Your emails are great to get, it makes such a growing site more personal...keep it up! - Kris
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"Hi Brice!
Actually I really enjoy the emails because I usually don't have time to go online that much especially since I'm taking about six core classes this semester. - Isabel t.
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Hi Brice and Dan,

Thank you sooo much. I do feel soo much better now.
Thank you guys soooo much. - Conni
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Like many have said, I feel like people really get where I'm coming from. The more I read the TCK book (I'm currently in the middle of it), the more I realize that maybe the weird issues I have are because of, or at least related my TCKness. I don't feel so alone anymore. :)

And also the people here are totally awesome. I can't wait to meet/write to/talk to you guys more! (I'm minako06 on skype ;) )

I like that I don't have to explain everything I mean because I know that people will understnad what I am talking about ( although I tend to explain it anyway it has become a bad habit). It is great to be able to discuss things with people who have been there too.

What I love about TCKid.com? The fact that I can be completely myself and actually relate to 90% of the topics on here. I call this place "home" :D

Personally, what I love most about tckid is how much everyone cares.

I like how helpful everyone is, when you post a question in the forum asking for suggestions or comments.

There's always a reply within the first 24 hours. I love it, I don't think there has ever been a question unanswered for on this site. Keep up the good work guys!

Another favorite aspect I like is the vast, diverse, and active community around here. There's people from all around the world and different cultures... US, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, etc. I've learned so much about myself here, and I keep learning new things every day.

And I love to be able to read people's stories and knowing I'm not alone. I think you're all awesome. :)