My TCK Story

I was a senior graduating in a few months when I got the news that I would be spending the next four years of my life in a land far, far away. I had gotten accepted into The University of Tampa, in Florida….in America. I was full of happiness and excitement for a new adventure, but also full of a whole lot of curiosity. The idea of “America” had always been just that, an idea. It never seemed real to me because I had only ever heard about it and seen it in movies and on TV. It was this abstract place that seemed to be exactly like where I grew up, with the same type of people I was raised with, except more advanced. America had all the cool stuff like online shopping and a million fast food places that didn't exist in Oman. But still, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew is that I would love it, because how could I not?!

I may have been wrong. After a few months of living here, I realized how different America is. I realized how different the people here are compared to the people I went to school with in Oman. I thought that going to an American school all my life meant that I’m the same as everyone else and would fit right in. But again, I was wrong. I didn’t fit right in but instead felt completely out of place; as if I had come from a different planet. That’s when I realized that I kind of do come from a different planet. A planet full of Third Culture Kids.

At first, I wasn’t really sure if I could consider myself a TCK. Usually TCKs have moved around at least once or twice growing up. They typically have had to start at a new school, try to belong in a new country, make a whole new friend group, then repeat that every time their parents move again. I never had to move, go to a new school, and become accustomed to a new country and its culture until I left for college. So then how am I a TCK? Well, moving around a lot isn’t the only thing that defines TCKs.

A Third Culture Kid isn’t just a person; it’s a culture and a way of life. It’s a connection you have with other TCKs, especially the ones you spent your adolescent years with. It’s almost like a different language that only we understand, and a different world that only we live in. All of this comes from the unique experiences that we share, in a country that should technically be foreign to us, but is actually considered one of our many homes. 

After moving to America, I found myself relating to this idea of being a TCK, and have realised that all my friends from home feel this way too. This term never held so much weight until I moved here; until I realised how different my upbringing was compared to most people. This term describes my culture, my way of life, and the language that I speak in this different world that I live in.