Well, I am back from my weekend in Huntington, Indiana. Our conference was in an old monastery called Good Shepherd Church. It was a beautiful building. I posted some pictures on Picasa and Facebook, so you can check them out if you're interested.
I don't even know where to begin to tell you about it. It was...wonderful, exhausting, thought-provoking, and spiritually uplifting. The weekend frightened me about living overseas, but it also made me very excited about it as well. That is actually something we discussed at the conference too -- emotional tension. That is a big part of teaching overseas, and it is a big part of the lives of TCKs, or third culture kids. David Pollack, the founder of Interaction International, says that a third culture kid is an "individual who, having spent a significant part of their developmental years in a culture other than their parents’ home culture, develops a sense of relationship to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any." Their sense of belonging isn't necessarily from a country or specific culture; rather, it comes from "relationships to others of similar experience.” The main portion of the conference was information about TCKs -- their characteristics, qualities, and struggles. It was really fascinating, and it actually explains a lot of why MKs have the reputation for being "just a little bit weird." Their personalities are influenced by and constructed of at least two cultures. For example, the Korean students at Hinkson are influenced by three cultures. They are influenced by their Korean parents and possibly Korean church, and they are also living in the midst of millions of Russians. On top of that, they are attending a school based on the American philosophy of education.So, I have more to say, but don't feel like typing it all out.
"Peace is in the chamber; out of doors, however, are many battles." (I think that's right, but I'm no Latin expert.)
The back of the church.
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