Third Culture Kids

Parents Moving Overseas???

So, your parents are moving overseas... Worried? No Need, Just relax, and take some advice from someone who has done this before.

Greetings,

I am the webmaster. I grew up overseas and went to an international school, too.

So you are moving schools, leaving friends, worried about finding new friends? Don't worry, most of the kids at the school are just the same. I was at a school for more than ten years overseas, but it might just have been two years each at five schools, the number of times that my friends changed. Most kids move on because their parents are posted somewhere else by the company they work for. The average stay in one school for these children is about two to three years. The atmosphere in most international schools is one of friendship as the students are new there too, so making new friends is really easy. International schools also have lots of activities for their students, so there will be plenty to do.

Just before moving, the tendency is to fall out with ones' friends at home or do something stupid so that leaving is easy. If you do that, coming back will be harder. You will return, one day. Keep in touch with your old friends. It is now cheaper and easier than ever before, thanks to the Internet. Download ICQ or another Personal Messenger, get a personal private email address at Hotmail, Yahoo or any one of dozens of free html internet mailer sites, if you don't already have one. Another good place to stay in touch or even meet other people going through the same is Bolt (www.bolt.com) and enjoy the future.

Congratulations you are about to join the elite of the third culture kids. You will get to enjoy the delights of a foreign country. You may be thinking, "Why can't someone else go abroad instead of me," but trust me, when it comes time to leave, you'll be really excited. When the excitement of arriving and settling into a new school has passed, there might be a period when you feel a little down because you're missing your friends and the school that you left. Don't worry, this feeling will pass, especially if you look for new friends and learn more about your new country. After being overseas for a while, when you go home for vacations, you will, quite naturally, compare your new, overseas country to your home country. When it comes time for you to return to your home country, you won't want to go home. Although it sounds like a lot of emotional turmoil, overall, it's really worth it. You will probably learn another language and you will certainly learn about another culture at first hand. How many other kids get an opportunity to do that?

In today's society a feeling for all cultures is a must, so go ahead, sit back and go with the flow. Take it easy and just enjoy what you are going through and remember there are a millions of other people who have never left their own countries who would do anything to go through what you are about to go through.….

If you keep an open mind about the culture you're going to, and bear in mind that there is something to be learned from every culture on Earth, then you will find your overseas experience really rewarding. The kids that have the most difficult time adjusting to life overseas are those who feel that their country is the best and everyone else is inferior. The grown-ups' word for that is "xenophobia". There was this one kid at my school who was always running down everything that she found different to her own culture. She ended up having a really sad time overseas, because she didn't keep an open mind and try to learn something from her host culture. Of course living overseas is going to be different. If all the countries of the world were the same, life would be very boring and there'd be no point in going anywhere.

Check out the links page for more info, or if you are still feeling uneasy after reading all that please feel free to email me at webmaster@k12teachoverseas.com and I'll be happy to talk with you. Alternatively you can find me on ICQ where I talk with all my friends (new and old) my ICQ number is 93880075. See you online ;-) To see if I'm online at the moment, check my indicator.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Below you'll find the reaction of an American girl who left America for the first time when she was in the 9th grade, and a Japanese girl who went overseas in the 4th grade and returned to Japan in the 10th grade.

The Webmaster

From an American 9th grade girl

When I was in ninth grade, I was told that I was going to be moving to Bangkok, Thailand. All I could think about was how different it was going to be from what I know, and how hard it would be for me to move away from all my family and friends. When I first moved here, it was the worst month of my life. I hated everything I didn't want to make new friends I just wanted to be with my old friends. All I wanted to do was go home. But after a while it started getting better. I started meeting new people and making new friends. Before I knew it I was actually having fun here.

By being here I have had the opportunity to make so many more friends, and along with the ones I already had, I feel I am so lucky. Now after being here a year and a half I can honestly say that this has been one of the most worthwhile experiences I have ever had. I have seen and experienced so many things that I would have never have otherwise. I have made so many new friends, and am still friends with all my ones that I moved away from.

From a Japanese 10th grade girl

I've been to Thailand for six-and-a-half years, and first I went to Japanese school in Thailand so it wasn't hard for me to come overseas because it was just like studying in Japanese school in Japan.

But when I started going to the international school, there was lots hardship at first time I think. I couldn't understand what teachers say, and I even didn't try to understand them.

It wasn't like if I'm going to the international school but it was like I'm going to talk to people who speak English, so I never did homework at first.

Gradually I noticed that I have to make affort to communicate with people in school, and here I am now, I think.

The big difference I noticed between international school and Japanese school, since I came back to Japan to go to high school, is that Japanese educational system is not well concerned about students' personalities.

In Japan, there's homeroom classes of about 40 people each and those 40 people have to spend time together through the year, studying, helping, working together in school Olympic games or school festivals.

I couldn't understand this at first cuz my classmates wouldn't talk to people of other classes, as if those people are enemy.... I can't explain this well but anyway, I didn't do well in class at first cuz they looked me like I'm an outsider. I think this can also be the reason why there's IJIME thing in Japan.

Almost every people who used to live in Thailand say that it's better to live in Thailand so I guess people who got used to with outside of Japan it's hard for them to come back to Japan and live.

Now I'm doing well though.

Back To Front Page