3rd Culture Kid

Recently, Jake was asked if I (Whitney) would consider myself to be a third culture kid. I had never heard the term before, but the more time I have had to ponder on it, the more I think the term is very fitting. In essence, what our friend was asking (in a kind way, don't worry) was if I would consider myself to be a bit of a misfit or without a culture. Having lived the first portion of my youth in America and then the latter portion - my high school years - in England, growing up in two different cultures, it is true, I don't really fit ideally into either one. (It also doesn't help matters much that I am essentially a Midwesterner raised by deep-south southerners who now lives in the wild west... but that is neither here nor there ;-).)

Upon moving to England in 1995 I went through the normal phase of culture shock that just about anybody goes through when fully transplanting themselves into a new culture. My family and I received a lot of good wisdom and advice at the start of the move. Everyone said that the culture shock would start to where-0ff after about 8 months. And, low and behold, it did. After surviving that initial phase I started to feel somewhat at home again as we settled into a new routine, community, and country. The things that "shocked" me at the beginning of our move - - foreign accents, the same language but different words, customs, people, currency, products in the grocery store -- all seemed to fade away and became normal.

Before I knew it four awesome years had passed in the blink of an eye and it was time to return to America. So, what is wrong with this picture? An American girl returning home shouldn't pose any problems. Right? Well, as the saying goes, you can't really ever go back home. Things won't be the same. Things weren't the same. And, well, neither was I. Believe it or not, moving back "home" presented culture shock all over again. Maybe not in the same way as the first time -- I still knew my way around an American grocery store, our old hometown, Old Navy, and a dollar bill -- but the road to misfit had already been solidly paved. I think college was definitely the place where I realized that, "Hmm, maybe I don't quite fit in around here the way I used to." Thankfully, I am fairly social so I never truly let that get me down. Not that the fact didn't slap me in the face now and then.

And, then -- well -- there is this other thing. A BIG thing, actually. I am a Christian. Not just the kind of Christian who believes in God and goes to church on Sundays, but the kind of Christian who believes that Jesus is who He said He was in the Bible. The kind who believes that Jesus, who was fully God, came to earth as a man because He loved and loves every single one of us no matter how great or not great we are. The kind who believes that if you don't take Jesus at His word and accept with your heart that He came to die and save all of us who He loves so much that, well, the hereafter is not going to be very pleasant...the greatest eternal tragedy.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

Okay, Whitney, what is your point? My point is that this belief, too, makes me a part of another third culture. A culture where I consider Heaven to be my home, and one where living on earth is a very temporary (and often uncomfortable) residence indeed. Does this notion bother me? Not at all. Am I writing all of this because people should feel sorry for me? No way. I consider myself abundantly blessed despite not fully fitting in or any difficulties or struggles life has thrown my way. In fact, I wouldn't change a thing. The awkwardness - sometimes occasional, sometimes frequent - is a small price to pay.

I could go on and on, but instead I will just close with this (and try to stay off of my soapbox in the process): Get uncomfortable. Don't stay in one place. If you have the chance to move somewhere, MOVE. Home is not a specific town, city, state, country...or house. Home is actually where your heart is. And believe it or not, your heart is a lot more resilient than you think.