As you might know, this blog is about TCK's (Third Culture Kids), but for
this post, I will be talking about TCA's (Third Culture Adults). Recently, I
turned 19. So technically, I am no longer a child, so does that mean I am now a
TCA? I have not really heard the term before, but for me, a TCA is a TCK that
has grown up. They are different then adults that move abroad (usually referred
to as expats), because we have grown up with a third culture.
A TCA will always have a TCK inside them; just as every adult has a inner child. Even if we someday do return to our home countries, and lead a normal (not moving all the time) life, we will still be a bit different then most. We will have experienced being a part of a different culture, seen places others have not been, gone through the range of emotions that come with every move. It shapes us to be the adults we become, and thus, we become TCA's.
Personally, I think that as a TCA, I will never really lead a typical "normal" life. I don't see myself living in one place for a long time, but rather moving every few years. This is because I grew up this way; it is what I know best. I suppose this is another difference between TCA's and expats. For TCA's, moving abroad and moving around has always been the norm, while for expats (in my experience), moving abroad is a big step into the unknown. We share one thing though; the amazing experience that comes with living abroad.
A TCA will always have a TCK inside them; just as every adult has a inner child. Even if we someday do return to our home countries, and lead a normal (not moving all the time) life, we will still be a bit different then most. We will have experienced being a part of a different culture, seen places others have not been, gone through the range of emotions that come with every move. It shapes us to be the adults we become, and thus, we become TCA's.
Personally, I think that as a TCA, I will never really lead a typical "normal" life. I don't see myself living in one place for a long time, but rather moving every few years. This is because I grew up this way; it is what I know best. I suppose this is another difference between TCA's and expats. For TCA's, moving abroad and moving around has always been the norm, while for expats (in my experience), moving abroad is a big step into the unknown. We share one thing though; the amazing experience that comes with living abroad.
Ever since I took up Computer Engineering during my degree I have always been a TCK, now a TCA. Call me anything, when you're at home you dream of the world, when out in the world like Nemo the clownfish we miss home.
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