About

The Blog

The phrase “Third Culture Adult” is taken from the phrase “Third Culture Kid.” These are  children who have grown up in a country other that would not be considered their mother country; their passports list them as belonging to some other place. Of course, when one lives surrounded by two or more cultures (their parent’s culture and the culture of the country the live in) these children learn to combine elements of the various cultures. With one foot in each culture, the kids fail to belong completely to either one so, in a sense, they occupy a third space: that of the third culture. Though I was (is?) a TCK, the word “kid” seems a little inaccurate now. Hence the word change.

This blog simply relates one person’s experiences and perceptions of “reality” in Korea.  As such, even things I tout as “true” and “factual” may be subjective.

The Writer

I came to Korea with no teaching experience but enough travel experience to impress my employers. Like many, I hoped to find some direction in life. My aspirations change on a regular basis depending on whatever has my attention at the moment. Though many infatuations of thought have come and gone, one thing has remained consistent: the desire to travel and live in other countries. So, following the one thing I knew, I left family and friends with no known plans of returning.

I have conflicted feelings about the internet and doing things like this blog. I appreciate the ability to connect with family and friends and let them know how I am doing, without wasting so much time and energy talking to each of them individually. The drawback is that tone of voice, like sarcasm – something I enjoy very much – is much harder to detect in written form. Also, I’m a little uncomfortable with the thought of putting my thoughts in writing, especially since experience has taught me that no matter how smart I think I sound now, it will look horribly naive and juvenile the next year. 

Unless explicitly mentioned, all the photos on this blog were taken by me on my camera or my phone. The other exceptions are screen shots from TV shows or music videos I found online.