About the blogger

Welcome, Bienvenue, Willkommen, Selamat Datang… to my blog.

A little bit about me…

Born in the US to a British mother and a Swiss father, my ‘identity’ was always going to be a complicated issue. Growing up as an expatriate, in the US, Asia, Africa and a little in Europe, gave me an appreciation for other cultures and a nomadic spirit, if you like, that left an indelible mark on who I am.

Sadly, I feel that, in a way, part of this expatriate upbringing was wasted on me. It’s only now that I am beginning to truly appreciate the experiences I’ve had and the impact they have had on my life. Apparently this delay in appreciation is not uncommon amongst expatriate children. When I was growing up all of my friends were in a similar situation to me. We all went to international schools, we all had to get used to saying goodbye to people leaving the country, we were essentially all growing up in a culture that wasn’t our own. Looking back, the mix of nationalities and cultures in these environments is not far off astonishing. As a child, I got used to this very quickly and it wasn’t long before I took it for granted. It was only when I repatriated and began studying in the UK that it suddenly hit me – not everywhere was like this multicultural universe that I’d grown to understand.

More importantly, it meant that when I first moved back to a country, the UK, which I was supposedly ‘from’ (which I’d only ever previously visited for 1 weekend before in my life), I struggled – in particular because my father’s company gave us a mere 3 weeks to move from the date that they announced that we would be leaving, in the middle of the school year, and on top of that I ended up attending a boarding school with my parents in a different country.

Five years on, I am close to (finally!) completing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with French, at a University still in the UK. I have settled in, but in what I consider to be an expatriate manner, despite being a citizen of the country.  I view it as the country in which I live, with no further attachment, unlike a typical native.  The culture itself was relatively foreign to me at first, although it was slightly easier to adapt to than others I have experienced, since I was raised by European parents, one of whom is British.  Having said that, I still do not feel as if the culture is my own, in part because I don’t always agree with it, regardless of any claim to possession or belonging I may be able to make.  I pick and choose the bits that I like – as I have always done.

A TCK (Third Culture Kid) is defined as someone who has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those cultures and their own birth culture, into a third culture. This ‘third culture’ is clearly evident in my life – whether it’s the food I cook, my love for travelling, or my interest in all things political, economic, historical or social that have a global impact. However, the TCK term is an umbrella term that fits a very large group of people – expats or business brats like me, but also children of immigrants, missionaries and military brats. Each of these smaller groups have their own lifestyle which have different impacts on people. In addition, everyone is different and reactions to those lifestyles can vary widely. A TCK is therefore in my opinion an all-encompassing term for a huge variety of people – albeit with some common attributes – and so while people who grew up abroad may see themselves within the definition of the term, that does not necessarily mean that they fully identify or agree with it.

The aim of this blog…

Engineers aren’t typically known for their prose or their talent for conveying thoughts and emotions, and, to be honest, I’m hardly an exception to the rule. But hopefully you can bear with me and sample some of the sights and sounds and emotions I experience, whether it’s whilst travelling, living overseas or simply living in the place(s) I call ‘home’ (whether temporary or otherwise), through my posts and pictures.