This has been a question of mine since I first moved from South Africa. Included in the word place is friends, hobbies, sports, loves, memories, culture, etc. Itās not just your pride for the place or even the memories that youāve made. Itās everything. So the question is what should you keep and what should you forget about. I donāt know if Iāve ever found an answer to that question. Iāve struggled with this, not just in who I should put effort into keeping a friendship with but also in choosing who I am. In Dakar, I was a boarding student. In the US, Iām just like everybody else. I was unique in Dakar because I was an American and even though I was in an American school just the fact I was in West Africa made me unique. People here in America think itās cool that Iāve been to different schools but thatās it. They donāt see it as who I am but that is who I think I am. Iām a nomad and am very proud of all the knowledge that Iāve gained from my lifeās experiences. So the real question is and this may hurt some people but itās a real TCK question, āShould I change myself to fit in with the culture and people?ā Sometimes this means dumbing down to fit in. I donāt want to do that because Iāll lose a part of myself in the process. However, I donāt fit in right now, mostly because I know too much. Itās not that Iām smart even though I get high grades. Itās not the fact that my school doesnāt have a lot of advanced placement classes. Itās that Iāve just experienced more than the average American teenager. I know overtime my character will change as I have more experiences in the American culture but now, fresh off the plane, I donāt exactly know how to act but at the same time I fit in great. Thatās the TCK in me.
As I said before, I donāt know if anyone will ever know exactly what they should take with them. It may take time to see what I valued most about a place. As with a lot of stuff Iām going through right now, things may seem fuzzy right now but soon itāll be clear. I just have to wait it out.
