[dropcap]M[/dropcap]y nationality isn’t a country. It raises no flag, speaks no single language and is limited to no borders. I am something that is called a “third culture kid” (TCK). All this term means is that I, like millions of other kids, have been raised in a country other than my parents’. In my particular case, I was raised in a country where my parents were considered “foreigners”, but that at the same time I called home. Nonetheless, even though borders have always been a blur for children like me, the question of national identity is becoming increasingly important and allegiance to a certain nation is beginning to be demanded: nationalism and patriotism are on the rise.
Having grown up attending an international school, surrounded by kids of all nationalities, ethnical backgrounds, and beliefs imaginable (most TCKs themselves) acceptance and tolerance have always been the law. I consider English to be, without a doubt, my first language even if it is different than the language spoken in the places I have lived in or where my parents come from. I don’t know the full lyrics to any anthem, my allegiance isn’t to any particular flag.
There has rarely been anything such as cultural shock or innert curiosity when meeting someone from a different place than I, as most of my friends weren’t born in the country I was living in.
The terms “immigrant”, “foreigner” or (as some like to very rudely say) “alien” have never been in my vocabulary.
I have never been bound to a country, I have always been free, in my mind, to choose where I belong or even whether If I have a nationality at all.
However, I have always felt kind of confused in regards to my own nationality, especially as others have continuously attempted to determine it for me. The simple question of where i’m from is often followed by remarks such as “No, but where are you really from?”, “I don’t care where you were born, for me, you are from x”, “You know, I think you have a bit of accent now that you say your parents are from y” (what? excuse me? I was born here, I have lived here my own life. Just because my parents aren’t from here it doesn’t mean I have an accent). It seems as though people will always sharpen their vision of my appearance when I state “where i’m from”, clear their hearing in search for the slip of an accent when I speak, and be in alert for any kind of foreign behaviour which might brand me from a culture other than the one they are from. I don’t identity with any particular nationality, others however, place me wherever they think I belong.
People from the country my parents were born in don’t consider me from there. People from the country I grew up in, don’t consider me from there. So where am I truly from? Has the privilege, of being a TCK left me rootless, without I identity? Or has it indeed made me free and allowed me to create my own Identity? The answers to these questions used to be completely up to me, but recently, all questions relating to nationalism and patriotism have been awarded a particular importance on the world stage.
It’s 2017 and both nationalism and patriotism are on the rise, of that, there is no question.
Donald Trump rose to presidency in the United States over the argument that America’s interests should be put forth before any one else’s. The millions who voted for Trump voted based on the thought that discrimination against other nations, races and genders was not a deal-breaker. All the way across the pond, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union for the supposed economic benefits it would bring to the UK, preferring to exclude itself from the almost borderless European sphere. Recent elections in Germany, Austria and Turkey, and the significant rise in right-winged parties all across the globe, have all demonstrated an upwards trend towards nationalistic ideals. The migrant crisis has led countries into a despair to determine which kinds of people belong in their country and which don’t, who is a national citizen and who isn’t. Allegiance to one’s country, a sense of patriotism and nationalism are seeing a rapid increase in popularity. Slogans like “Make America Great Again” are not unique to the United States, nationalism is on the rise everywhere. Ambiguity in terms of nationality and ethnicity, the notion that humans are able to move around the globe and not “belong” within certain borders is beginning to fade away.
As a third culture kid, it is rather intimidating to see how patriotism and nationalism become almost blinding to some and how borders (and their control) are now a priority. Where do I belong, when I live at a time in which belonging and allying oneself to a country has become so important? The fanaticism some present towards their country, is unknown to kids like me, it is unnatural.I have always valued the privilege of not showing allegiance to one particular place, rarely considering myself to be an outsider, but rather someone free of any border. Sadly, the world stage is showing signs that finally, third culture kids like me will need to have a one word answer to question of “where are you from?”
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