Friday, February 08, 2008
Running In, Snatching The Spotlight, And Running Back Out.
Grace and I were talking the other day about what it's like, being a third culture kid.
We're an unusually adaptable breed, most of us having had the experience of being wrenched from a place we felt most at home and complacent and secure, and being deftly positioned in a totally new world. A world in which you might not speak the language, or looked different from everyone else, or in some cases (and sometimes even more horrifyingly) looked just like everyone else.
So that's how we've learned to adapt to things: we run in, snatch the spotlight somehow (it's why many of us are likeable and fun and personable: we're not sure if we'll HAVE time to make deep, lasting friendships), and run back out. We make friends quickly and get to know them by spilling our life stories or colourful histories, but then we get really close by revealing that we have the same problems as they do.
I did that in Canada, though I probably wasn't even aware of it: we were in. Made an impression as "the smart Indian girl". Left and was perfectly OK with it.
Brunei was harder....Brunei was a long pitstop: 8 years. 8 long years, and I'd become complacent: this WAS definitely home!!! I'd have to leave sometime, but no time soon! I'd broken the TCK Time-Reverse Rule, which stipulates that the longer you stay in a place, the LESS attached you're supposed to grow in anticipation that you'll have to up and run.
But moving along, I DID get over Brunei eventually, and made really awesome friends here.
So why's it proving so difficult NOW of all times? I made great friends, and had wonderful experiences that shaped and changed me, just like Brunei....but unlike there, I'm not even really LEAVING, nor is anyone else! I'll be in Sydney, most of my friends in Newcastle, which is just a couple of hours away.
So why?
Run in, snatch spotlight, run back out. I can't seem to let go and just run back out. And I'm really, really going to miss them all, and miss school, and miss my teachers and everyone.
Sigh. I think I'll go watch Scrubs, where all the world makes sense.
We're an unusually adaptable breed, most of us having had the experience of being wrenched from a place we felt most at home and complacent and secure, and being deftly positioned in a totally new world. A world in which you might not speak the language, or looked different from everyone else, or in some cases (and sometimes even more horrifyingly) looked just like everyone else.
So that's how we've learned to adapt to things: we run in, snatch the spotlight somehow (it's why many of us are likeable and fun and personable: we're not sure if we'll HAVE time to make deep, lasting friendships), and run back out. We make friends quickly and get to know them by spilling our life stories or colourful histories, but then we get really close by revealing that we have the same problems as they do.
I did that in Canada, though I probably wasn't even aware of it: we were in. Made an impression as "the smart Indian girl". Left and was perfectly OK with it.
Brunei was harder....Brunei was a long pitstop: 8 years. 8 long years, and I'd become complacent: this WAS definitely home!!! I'd have to leave sometime, but no time soon! I'd broken the TCK Time-Reverse Rule, which stipulates that the longer you stay in a place, the LESS attached you're supposed to grow in anticipation that you'll have to up and run.
But moving along, I DID get over Brunei eventually, and made really awesome friends here.
So why's it proving so difficult NOW of all times? I made great friends, and had wonderful experiences that shaped and changed me, just like Brunei....but unlike there, I'm not even really LEAVING, nor is anyone else! I'll be in Sydney, most of my friends in Newcastle, which is just a couple of hours away.
So why?
Run in, snatch spotlight, run back out. I can't seem to let go and just run back out. And I'm really, really going to miss them all, and miss school, and miss my teachers and everyone.
Sigh. I think I'll go watch Scrubs, where all the world makes sense.
Queen Sana at 12:57 PM
