Tag: Joy Adewumi
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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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Doubt, Disillusionment, and Daring to Live in the In-Between Places
I began to build castles in the sky during those early years, castles that in time would fall and crush me beneath their impossible weight…
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Know Thyself: A Christian Journey to Self-Mastery
As a TCK, I know what it means to feel alone, even in the midst of a crowd. I have left friends behind and entered spaces where no one understands my background. I often find myself isolated in the midst of a crowd…
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Mountains and Valleys: A Letter to the Suffering Soul
I have grown to find much comfort and solace in the beauty of mountains and nature. Perhaps, I think, there are other souls like me who are in awe of mountains and find happiness in birdsong and laughter. Perhaps there are other kindred spirits who are distressed at the world and know what it means…
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The Romance of Unreciprocated Love
I dance around and around. I do a handstand. I stand on a chair. I jump off a chair. I make a paper airplane coated with love poetry and send it sailing. I recite Browning’s How Do I Love Thee? loudly…
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TCK Voices: Learning Cultural Grace in South Africa
As a person, and especially as a TCK, there will always be something about you that is considered “weird,” “uncomely,” or “annoying.” … As people, when we are constantly faced with direct and indirect messages to change ourselves, we tend to frantically try to do just that. But I urge you to calm down just…
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3 Ways the “Devil” of Change Works for Your Good
I fell headlong into the trap of making a “devil” of any change – whether good or bad. I fought tooth and nail to keep things within reasonable parameters of “normal,” whatever “normal” meant for me.
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Water Your Roots With the Gospel
To lay our roots – our foundations – on any other ideology or belief, save in the risen Lord, is to die in times of drought …
