Essay “Third Culture Kids”

Nowadays, adaptability is a key tool for life because change is inevitable. For many
of us changing cities, countries, languages and cultures is not easy: not having time
to adapt to one lifestyle, smoothly flow into another. But for children of the third
culture such a rhythm of life is not unusual: today Europe, tomorrow Asia and in a
week perhaps America. Nevertheless, spending a significant part of childhood in a
foreign country can be a beneficial experience for several reasons.
First of all, their unique upbringing exposes them to diverse cultural aspects such
as different ways of life, languages, foods, religions and diverse ethnic groups.
They observe many geographical differences around the world, learn that people
view life from different philosophical and political perspectives. For example, in
some parts of the world people think of Saddam Hussein as a hero, while people
from other parts believe he’s a villain.
Secondly, problems and obstacles make them strong and resilient. For example,
making friends and then losing touch helps understand that everything is transient.
They move on, life moves on. Like most people come to understand much later in
life, they learn that some friendships stick and others don’t. So they start to choose
their friends wisely. After all, why waste time with someone who you don’t like,
just to “fit in”? .
Furthermore, if the life experiences and stressors are handled well, TCKs have
immense potential as leaders. Because of the different kind of life experiences they
had, they are often adventurous, adaptable and open-minded, possess exceptional
skills in different languages and are often very sensitive to other people and
cultures.
In conclusion, travelling and being exposed to different realities from a young age
is an unforgettable experience and a great possibility for children to learn, that
diversity is nothing to be afraid of and that money and class don’t define you.