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third culture kids & cross-cultural kids
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A few of my own experiences in a nutshell:
A downside:
As a 15 years old I moved back from India to the Netherlands (my birthcountry). During the first few months at school, I was graded a 1/10 for my Dutch spelling test; A very poor score indeed, like that of many of my classmates.
The Dutch teacher (my class mentor) thought it wise to emphasize the fact that I was an immigrant (‘allochtoon’). He advised me to repeat the year (semester had just begun). In his opinion I was better off taking a lower degree (HAVO instead of VWO), after all I was an immigrant.
The positive vibe:
While travelling through Peru, at the age of 25, I lived in a Peruvian village for several weeks. During the local fiesta week, a lady (a stranger to me) put her baby in my lap and went to a shop 300 metres down the road. I blended in easily; she trusted a stranger.
While travelling as a tourist I enjoyed spending lots of time with locals, especially the Peruvian hostel staff and often ended up as a translator for fellow travellers and backpackers 🙂
Shakti Hannie 
Hi Shakti, thanks for asking about our experiences. I remember being teased when I was 7 or 8 and I visited my mom’s home country. I could speak Tagalog but it was with an American accent. I never knew the Tagalog I was speaking was different from native speakers until then! So from an early age, I knew I was a little different. It has been awkward fitting in to Filipino communities back home in the states, but I’m looking forward to going to the Philippines this year (for the first time in over twenty years!) and rediscovering my roots. I think one of the most important things that being a TCK/CCK has taught me is our shared humanity/shared human experience, despite any outward, superficial appearances.
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Hi Judi,
Thanks for sharing!
Interestingly I experienced teasing about my accent too, at the age of 8. My Hindi pronunciation was off, especially with the t’s & the d’s. I knew I was a little different too
Am looking forward to hearing your experiences in the Philippines! I am visiting England this summer, it’s also been 20 years since I last visited. I lived there for a year
& indeed I totally second your thought on:
“one of the most important things that being a TCK/CCK has taught me is our shared humanity/shared human experience, despite any outward, superficial appearances”
(I think) It’s what my book Colours of a Cultural Chameleon is about 🙂
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