Editor’s Note:
This light-hearted list continues to resonate with many expatriate and Third Culture Kid (TCK) families who have grown up moving between countries and cultures. Some references reflect a different era of international living, but the themes of global friendships, cultural adaptability, and a unique sense of home remain as relevant as ever.
You Know You’re an Expat Kid in Asia
when …
- You flew before you could walk.
- You can’t answer the question, “Where are you from?”
- You have a passport, but no driver’s license.
- You watch National Geographic specials and recognize someone.
- You run into someone you know at every airport.
- You have a time zone map next to your telephone.
- Your life story uses the phrase “Then we went to…” five times.
- You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel.
- The Travel Channel makes you homesick.
- You read the international section before the comics.
- You live at school, work in the tropics, and go home for vacation.
- You sort your friends by continent.
- Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport wrong.
- You know there is no such thing as an international language.
- Your second major is in a foreign language you already speak.
- You realize it really is a small world, after all.
- You watch a movie set in a foreign country, and you know what the nationals are really saying into the camera.
- Rain on a tile patio — or a corrugated metal roof — is one of the most wonderful sounds in the world.
- You haggle with the checkout clerk for a lower price.
- You have a name in at least two different languages, and it’s not the same one.
- You think VISA is a document stamped in your passport, and not a plastic card you carry in your wallet.
- You automatically take off your shoes as soon as you get home.
- You won’t eat Uncle Ben’s rice because it doesn’t stick together.
- Half of your phone calls are unintelligible to those around you.
- You go to Pizza Hut or Wendy’s and wonder why there’s no chili sauce.
- You know the geography of the rest of the world, but you don’t know the geography of your own country.
- You have best friends in five different countries.
- You ask your roommate when the maid service is scheduled to come clean the room.
- You’re spoiled.
- You know it.
- You’re VERY spoiled.
…So be forewarned, parents!
© Unknown Author
