Cultural adaptability

I grew up with a crutch of false information. I always thought I had a disadvantage because I grew up in two cultures. It has been called TCK, MK, and a variety of other labellings. The intention of the labeling, the seminars, the books, the retreats, and the college clubs is to create a place or an environment where these "multi" cultural beings would be able to feel at home with those who were "like" them. This perception of "otherness" proved detrimental to me. Perhaps its my innate pessimism and my introvert self, but I began to believe that I didn't fit in anywhere. I thought that my experiences were so drastically different from others experience that I would in some way always be different. You can imagine what effect this plays in the psyche of one who has always been naturally socially uncomfortable.

My tendency now is to withdraw completely. To pretend like I really am different from the rest of the world, that I don't fit in and that I don't have to because I am a TCK. This is one of the biggest lies I have to which I have fallen prey. I have an innate need to belong, but have learned to isolate. It isn't that others are so different from me. With a world quickly giving way to globalization, the variety of culture in any given area is incredibly diverse, forget mentioning the different cultures caused by socioeconomic and regional geography. All of us are now in some way or another multicultural, unless you are a complete isolationist. We will all experience a variety of cultures and belong to a variety of cultures through out our lifetime. Many people have been able to find stability amidst the changing and the shifting. They expected it and dealt with it. Not me. I believed that I was different, that somehow I would always stand out because of my background. I am beginning to realize that all people are innately the same and if we can teach our children that others are more similar to them than they are different, then we will provide them with a framework of stability and self-confidence.