Third Culture Kids

“A third culture kid is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The third culture kid builds relationships to all the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the third culture kid’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background, other TCKs.”

The girls woke up early already thinking about the exciting day that lied ahead. It was their first time riding a bus…alone. While Aaron and I (and teammate Shan) go through our missionary training at ABWE this week, Kennedy and Claire head out for missionary training of their own. They are learning all about being a “third culture kid”.

Today each child got blue clay and yellow clay. The blue represented the country in which they were born/ their parents’ culture. The yellow clay represented the new country in which they live or will soon live. They then put their clay together, blending them more and more until the blue and yellow clay merged together to make green. “I am green” Kennedy said as she explained the representation of this clay in her life.
Her little legs hanging from her booster seat, my little six-year-old explained how she has a special part of her that is American and also a special part soon to be African. The longer she will live in her new culture, the more mixed she will become. I guess our girls will be some of the small number of white kids who can claim to be African-American. ;)

I’m so thankful for ABWE for taking the time to love our children and give them this very special time of training. They have encouraged our kids to realize that they aren’t just tagging along on something that God has called their parents to do, but that God placed them in their family on purpose. “This missionary journey is part of God’s race marked out for THEM.”

-I will try to keep updates coming throughout the week. Thank you all for your prayers.

{The Bus..A Very Big Deal For These Two Girls}


{Kennedy and Claire's Itinerary This Week}

{A video diary from Kennedy + Claire}

Another hotel. Another city. What is our dynamic 6 and 4-year-old to do except conjure up an idea to record video diaries? Of course, they felt they needed complete privacy for this process (translation: the rest of the family squeezed into the hotel bathroom until the completion of their recording) Below is what they came up with.

First we have Kennedy. Our dramatic, too smart for her own good, dreamer of a child. She immediately goes into princess, berry-picking land.



Claire-bear defaults to what she knows best...Norah. My favorite part is the end...when you get to see the real Claire.