TCK Voices
You’re not in this alone. Hear other TCKs relate to your struggles and triumphs in this monthly interview series.
We love to hear from people like you. Find out how you can also share your story.
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TCK Voices: Thoughts of a Young International Student
I spent the first 15 years of my life in China. Primarily in Beijing, with several months in Jinan and Guangzhou due to ministries. Then, another several months in Europe and New Zealand for vision trips. At the age of 15, I moved to Phoenix on my own to study…
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TCK Voices: Grateful for Grace and Faith in My MK Life
Living overseas has taught me a lot about the realness of God in everyday life, as well as about His provision and guidance. Aspects that certainly aren’t overlooked in America, but that take on a new dimension when you live overseas. I’ve seen prayers answered and many things, both great and small, with God’s visible fingerprints…
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TCK Voices: If You Don’t Know Where You’re From, Know Where You’re Going
I remember everyone starting to pick up the Bibles and songbooks, silently, and hiding them out of sight. Board games and Chinese checkers were brought out. The TV was turned on. My mom and some of the ladies hurried to the kitchen to prepare lunch earlier than usual. Then the doorbell rang. Two police officers…
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TCK Voices: When Belonging Feels Just Out of Reach
I long to be “a part of the gang” or “one of the team,” to feel like I’m part of a group contributing to the betterment of the world, of working tangibly alongside other believers in accomplishing the Great Commission. Not fitting in is what trips me up every time…
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TCK Voices: My Battle with TCK Arrogance
My biggest TCK struggle by far has been arrogance. Over time, I have discovered that my time as a TCK has provided me with a unique worldview, one that has shaped and guided my lifestyle and skill set. My worldview and character are different, and uniquely so. I stick out in a crowd, and people…
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TCK Voices: Bullying and Isolation
I was born in Lagos, the infamous babel of Nigeria, but moved with my family to South Africa when I was seven years old. The move was a very big shock for me. There were obvious shifts, like language and geography, that took some getting used to. But there were also smaller, subtler things, like…
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TCK Voices: Do You Belong or Simply ‘Fit In’?
When you’re searching for a sense of belonging, it can be easier to settle for just fitting in instead. After all, TCKs are pretty great at assessing situations and becoming who we need to be! Flexibility is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if you feel desperate to belong, you may bend yourself out of…
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TCK Voices: My TCK Struggle with Identity
I was born in Japan to MK parents, who were also born and raised in Japan. I grew up in a very rigid and legalistic church community, with minimal contact with the outside world. This created an even more unique culture than simply “an American living in Japan.” When I was 20…
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TCK Voices: Adventures of Raising Third Culture Kids
My husband and I have been blessed to raise our children with both American and Mexican roots. We moved to Mexico just over a year after getting married and began full-time ministry there. Our first daughter was born while we were in language school, and our second child, a son…
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TCK Voices: Marrying a TCK
TCKs are very adaptable. I think most TCKs will find that the benefits of marrying someone who is a TCK far outweigh the cultural differences. I come from an extremely open Brazilian culture, and my wife comes from an extremely closed Estonian culture. Culturally speaking, our backgrounds are extremely different…
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TCK Voices: Not Danish Enough for Denmark
When I first arrived in Denmark, I had no concept of walking around freely on the street. My best friend, bless her poor confused brain, had to explain why we were allowed to walk around town, and why I couldn’t go around sticking my head in other people’s mailboxes…
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TCK Voices: Appreciate Where You Are
I was born in Colorado and lived there until I was six, when my family moved to Cyprus to be missionaries for the organization Youth for Christ. I lived in Cyprus for 11 years…
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TCK Voices: Opportunity to Mature
Your experience as a TCK is unique in a good and special way. There will be hardships, but that is a chance for you to…
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TCK Voices: Seeing the Possibility of Connection Everywhere
I know that real and deep friendship and understanding can be built between people of different cultures, countries, and backgrounds. I see the possibility of connection everywhere…
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TCK Voices: You Can’t Put God in a Box
We often have this expectation or prejudice about how God will move or speak, and with that we limit Him because we aren’t open to ways He might want to show up to us…
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TCK Voices: The Beauty of Dwelling with People for a Time
The shock of transitioning from an ethnically diverse, culturally rich mountainous village to the concrete jungle of the Bible Belt was difficult for me…
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TCK Voices: My Voice Matters and My Story Is His
Hello, My name is Marie and I am originally from the Philippines, born to Filipino parents. We moved to South Korea, Egypt, and the Philippines throughout my formative years.
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TCK Voices: Interview with TCKs for Christ’s Founder
Before I discovered the term Third Culture Kid, I thought that I was the only one facing challenges from being uprooted numerous times, and I thought I was the only non-MK because the few support groups I encountered were solely for MKs…
tcksforchrist.com 