Third Culture Kids Resources | Articles
Transition
There are some great suggestion on how to help TCKs transition. One suggestion the author gave was to create a picture book of the new country you moved to. My parents did that for me, and it really helped me transition and remember all the memories I made while living there.
“As a broader community (teachers, parents and mentors of MKs), it’s incumbent on us to equally prepare and empower MKs. To warn them and inspire them. To caution them and excite them. To equip them for the sticking points they may face in this new phase of life, but also to convince them that by utilizing the strengths and insights they’ve already developed, they will find their way through the initial rough waters to a calmer surface beyond transition pangs.”
“Reverse culture shock is the emotional and psychological distress suffered by some people when they return home after a number of years overseas. This can result in unexpected difficulty in readjusting to the culture and values of the home country, now that the previously familiar has become unfamiliar.”
“Every time I come back, I resettle all over again. Unfortunately, transition is not a myth. It’s a smack-in-the-face, lay-you-out- flat REALITY. Everyone—literally everyone—goes through transition. It’s not unique to the TCK or cross-cultural experience. Whether it’s transition from a family of two to a family of three, from one house, job, city, classroom, etc., to another, everyone has experienced it, or will someday. The difference in the cross-cultural or TCK world is that frequency and cultural differences acutely heighten the experience.”
“Getting closure: The U.S. Department of State also advises that ‘An essential part of entering your new culture is getting closure on your foreign experience. If you don’t feel like you’ve said ‘goodbye’ to the foreign culture, then you might have a harder time accepting your new home. Do everything that you can to make sure that you have no regrets when you return home.”
