Welcome! Here are a few posts I’ve read recently which shed interesting light on the expat/TCK world…

Can you be homesick when you are homeless?
The wondering wandering woman
A peace corps volunteer and ATCK eloquently reflects on the elusive nature of “home” for a TCK, and what how homesickness works when you don’t have a clear sense of where “home” is. I was particularly touched by her expression of the place TCKs have in the Third Culture: “I cannot simply say, “I am from here and this is who and what I am” but when I meet someone who is also a Third Culture Kid, I can look at them and say “I am like you” and that is something remarkable enough in itself.”

Global Nomad Parent Challenge #4: Fostering Resilience Part II of IV
4 Gingers On The Go
I couldn’t go past the latest from Anna, whom I linked to in my first recommended reading post. This post is about coping strategies. It includes fantastic practical advice for parents on how to help children develop healthy coping strategies. This is hugely important for developing resilience in children, especially for families on the move.

The Nomadic Child – Cheryl Achieng Okuthe
The Diaspora Baby
I only recently came across this beautiful post from July. In it guest author Cheryl’s reflects on growing up between transitions and cultures. She graciously holds both the difficulties of her upbringing and the advantages she gained from it – both valid, neither dismissed. Many of her words reflect those I’ve heard from dozens of TCKs – very much worth a read.

Heading Home
4 Kids, 20 Suitcases and a Beagle
I love this reflection on the many places that can be “home” at the one time. I appreciate the phrase Kirsty uses to describe this – her “geographical schizophrenia” – and that she recognises her kids have a different relationship to “home” than she does. As her daughter said, “Mum, home isn’t a place. It’s a feeling”.

When is it a diaspora?
Public Radio International
There are a lot of words related to international movement of people, and often there is confusion surrounding the different meanings of each. This is a great piece explaining the real meaning of “diaspora” and its historical significance.

Want more recommended reading? See previous posts:
Recommended reading, August 2
Recommended reading, August 9