Third Culture Kids / Global Nomads

August 02, 2012

I was born in New York and grew up in Montreal. This means that although I can name the Canadian provinces, my ten-year old daughter has a better mastery of U.S capitals than I’ll ever have. I could hum the theme song to “Hockey Night in Canada” years before I ever watched “Monday Night Football.” I did play football as a kid, but we only had three downs and the field was really wide. I ski, but never really got into baseball. I put vinegar on my French Fries, ate croissants instead of “crescent roles,” and took school fieldtrips to see maple syrup being made. I had a national health card, which I keep as a souvenir. After I finished elementary school, my family moved back to the United States where I eventually learned to drive, registered for the draft, received financial aid for college, forgot then re-learned French, and became a cultural anthropologist. That career path took to me Morocco where I lived for over three years. I am now the proud parent of two daughters who themselves have lived in two countries, the United States and Morocco. In Spring 2011, we’ll all be in Morocco with the Lewis & Clark overseas program. Look like my children might turn out to be TCKs themselves.