Life got a little crazy between my last post..Holidays, birthdays, work, etc blah blah blah. So for those of you that have been waiting (assumption on my part) here is the rest of the story
Rather than blab on about all the different things I've done I figured I would bullet point the rest:
- I spent the 2 years in "reform school"
- I learned to SCUBA dive when I was 16 and became a certified Rescue Diver and Dive Master by the time I was 18
- I backpacked through Australia when I was 17
- I worked for the CIA for 2 years
- I lived and skied (mostly skied) in Jackson WY for 3 years
- I moved to Charlotte NC in 1996
As I mentioned in one my previous posts: I had a hard time fitting in, always being the new kid, being different. Most would think that upon returning to the "States" would be a a good thing. Maybe for some but for me and many other Third Culture Kids
http://tckid.com returning to the country of your parents birth is not any easier and in many cases more difficult for a kid that hasn't grown up there. For one, your the new kid again but now you look the same (except of the out of date wardrobe, maybe talk the same but you have no reference for what is going on socially, music, tv shows, sports, movies, food nothing is familiar (all this makes you an easy target to get teased). I was 10 when we returned to the U.S.. It was more difficult to fit in back here than it was overseas. There was no one that could relate to what you had gone through. I also had an accent. On top of that I have learning disabiltities. There was a mountain of differences. Is it any wonder that I was insecure and self conscious. Because of my learning disabilities I struggled in school and was eventually place in RESOURCE class. For those of you that grew up in the late 70's and early 80's RESOURCE class was a catch all for anyone that had "special needs". Like I really needed another reason to be labeled different. RESOURCE class was comprised of severely metal and physically handicapped kids to those that had mild learning disabilities. I learned a great deal about compassion from those classes, there were some amazing kids in that class, but for someone in my case, it was extremely demoralizing to have to go to or from that class back to the general school population. I, like many others in that situation where branded…ill let you imagine what we where called. My parents tried to understand and get me help but I was not very accepting of it. I became angry and isolated. Because I felt isolated it was easy for me to gravitate towards others that where outsiders.
Cheers Slip
