I’m Pauline, a Third Culture Kid (TCK), born in Paris, and raised abroad, with expat parents. For as long as I can remember I grew up abroad, going back to France for the holidays. This life of moves and new cultures has definitely shaped me to become the adult I am keen for adventures, new countries and their unique cultures.
How my Third Culture Kid Life Started
We moved to Dublin, Ireland when I was 2, and for seven years, that’s what I considered my home, despite always understanding I was french. I went to Irish school straight away, so learned english very early on and was fully immersed in Irish culture, but at home we were always speaking french and I guess the french culture predominated and every Christmas and summer holiday, we would fly back to France to see the family. At school I was one of the only two non Irish kids, so in a way we were identified as the foreigners. So I constantly evolved with two cultures in parallel, to make my own unique one.
After 7 years, the first move arrived. I was 9, and had never imagined we would one day leave the place I called home. I remember crying when my parents announced the move, and not grasping what this meant. We were moving to South Africa, and in my mind we were moving to the Savana, so I was filled with both fear and excitement. I had no idea what life there would look like, all I knew was I was leaving my friends and my school. I was suddenly going to go to a french school.
Once we arrived to South Africa, I was fascinated and starting taking everything in. All looked different, the winters were warm, the house was huge, we had help, it was princess life. The first day of school was a different story, I was terrified going in as the new girl, in a new school and the french system. However all that feeling quickly disappeared throughout the day as I discoverd:
- I wasn’t the only new girl
- It was a french school but with over 80 nationalities, I was no longer the odd one out like in Dublin
- I met kids who’s parents were also expats: they were used to moving every few years, so they know they have to make friends quickly.
- I had made friends within the day
My capability to adapt, my resilience and personality grew very fast there. I experienced such a different life in terms of culture and history that shaped my understanding of the world.
The following moves were more expected, I now had a clear understanding that we were never going to be in a place forever. This made them slightly easier, even though each one, at a different stage of my life was different and had it’s challenges. But as I grew older, social media had made it’s breakthrough and it was easier to keep in touch with friends, I also knew the changes to expect and how to prepare a little more.
The perks of growing up abroad
Growing up as a third culture kid abroad comes with many advantages that you usually reflect on once you are older. Things I am grateful for:
- I became bilingual very early on, and have developped a curiosity towards learning new languages.
- An open mind towards the unknown: new cultures, environments and people, I’m eager to understand where they come from and our differences. I also love a good adventure!
- I built resilience: the constant change has made me more resilient and adaptable.
- The connections I’ve made in different countries wether they last or not have been incredible and helped the new home feel like a home.
As a now independant adult, I can say for sure these moves helped me embrace new cultures, and want to discover the world on my own, through travels but also try the expat life on my own terms. The experience has given me the opportunity to build my own unique culture, uncover layers of my personality and habits from each culture.
For the parents wondering if they can take the expat life leap with children. Go for it! Yes there will be challenges but you won’t regret it. And with a little preparation, will a little preparation some of the unkown can be avoided.
Want to learn more? Read my Expat parenting tips.
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