Lif of a TCK

As you might have realized by now, I am not saving all of the children on the street who don’t have an education or food. I build relationships with them but my number one job right now is to teach the children at AIS who come from different backgrounds than the children living on the streets but they still require the same amount of love. This summer during my training, I learned about TCK’s which are Third Culture Kids. They are kids who are from one culture, are moved into a new culture, which then creates a third culture as they are surrounded by a community that has also moved from their first culture. Let me give you a few examples of a Third Culture Kid.
I have students who had been to over 23 countries, probably more than I will ever go to! Most of the students have lived in multiple countries and will probably move again within the next several years. Last week, I lost a student who will be going to Argentina. The kids were talking about how they were sad but that they could be brave because they would see her again. We also had another family leave this week and during chapel we prayed for them and then said goodbye. The kids were sad but they are use to so many goodbyes and hellos.
One thing about these children’s lives that effects them in the classroom is their living situations. The parents of these children have prestigious job that require them to travel a lot. Each day when I take prayer requests, I normally have a few who want to pray for their parents who are traveling. They aren’t sure where they are or when they will be back, but they know they are gone and they miss them. This does affect their school work as there routine at home is thrown off and they are worried about their parents. Also, in this culture, the father handles the discipline and school achievements. If the father is gone, some of the students tend to act up more or not get help from with their work.
I have some students’ whose parents work outside of Ghana so they live with relatives because it is safer here. These students tend to be more touchy feely as they don’t get the affectionate touch at home. One small girl the other day hugged me from behind and then said that sometimes she makes mistakes. I told her that we all do but God still loves us. She then went on to tell me that sometimes she forgets she isn’t hugging her mother when she hugs other people. This is a small girl who clearly needs a hug from her mom who she only sees on short breaks or during the holidays as she works in a different country. Yes, these parents are able to provide nicely for their children, but are they able to provide the care and nurturing that these small children desperately need? Now I am not in their shoes, so I have no right to judge but I do know that it does affect the children academically and emotionally. That is why it is my job to provide the care that these students need. It might not seem like they need saving as they have it pretty well of but inside they are crying out for someone to care for them. I know that my job is to love on these kids unconditionally because chances are they will be future leaders who will be better off if they know how it is to be loved and to love back. Please pray for my children who are constantly worrying about their parents traveling or miss seeing their parents on a daily basis. They need the strength to press on each day as this emotional roller coaster they go through does wear on them.
One quick story; this week we were talking about being a citizen and one boy said that he was a citizen of the United States because he was born there. I told him that anyone born in the U.S. automatically is a U.S. citizen. He then said that he was actually born in an airplane. We said, “really? That is amazing!” He said, “I think so, well I am half white and half black.” This statement puzzled me as I wasn’t sure why he threw that comment out there but then he proceeded to say, “well I must have been born in an airplane since I am half American and half African but not just one.” In his mind, he was born between the two countries since he has a little bit of both in him so he must have been born in airplane and not just in one of the countries. I hope this makes since. I guess you had to be there to understand it but this is a perfect example of something a TCK would say as they try to figure out where they belong in life.