What is the best thing about being a TCK?

Being a TCK has made me adaptable. I can fit in almost anywhere, strike up a conversation about anything with just about anyone. I identify with so many cultures and because I have lived all over and traveled so much I have encountered all sorts of people. I have learned that judgment comes from ignorance. I am able to have friends from all walks of life, races and religions and honor them for who they are and what we can add to each other lives. Being exposed to so much diversity from a young age really taught me to love, respect and embrace people for who they are, not who I think they should be.

What is the worst part about being a TCK?

The distance is undoubtedly the worst part. This is not so bad now because we have technology, social media and the beloved Skype. What I would have given to have Skype as a young teenager in love! Some of my worst memories of being in this world as a TCK are of the first time I fell in love. We met and lived in the same place but we traveled and had family in different places and that distance is torture. I also had a hard time maintaining friendships because I was in the states half the year and all over the place the other half. Back then my only option was snail mail and the letter would often arrive back home the same time I returned.

What kind of impact do you see TCKs making in the future?

This world is now a global society. Everything is connected. Businesses of all kinds are international. People travel more now than they ever have. I think the TCK is going to become the norm, and that is exciting. I see TCK’s becoming invaluable to diplomacy between peoples and nations and finally breaking down barriers like racism. Who better to be the bridge between two cultures than someone who is from both?