Lois Bushong, Author of Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere: Insights into Counseling the Globally Mobile brings us her tips on how to negotiate retirement. Lois discusses her experience of boarding school and life as a Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and Adult Third Culture Kids to enable a successful transition into retirement.
Read MoreThere can be identity issues of “Who am I?” as in our Western culture, our identities are tied up in our vocations, especially if you are a male or a single female. “I am a teacher, banker, coach”. Stay at home women frequently see their identity as a mother, “I am the mother of five children and 14 grandchildren”. If you worked outside of the home most of your adult life, when you retire you suddenly find yourself asking “who am I”?
Read MoreYou would think that transitions would be easier with practice and age. After all, I was born to parents who were moving in and out of various countries and cultures even before I was born. By the time I came into this world, my parents were already well experienced in packing up all of their belongings and moving. I am wired for packing and making transitions. Some day a young scientist somewhere will discover that the brain of the TCK will light up when they look at the neurotransmitters related to packing. Since this brain mass is so highly tuned to handling transitions, you would think that transitions would be a piece of cake for this 60+ TCK.
Read MoreAs my brother and I managed the details of their move, I was struck by how acutely the stages of Dr. David Pollock’s (co-author with Ruth Van Reken of “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds”) transition cycle were playing out for them. The stages were applying not solely to their physical relocation, but to their life transition as well – from independent adults living out their retirement dream to aged parents requiring assistance with daily living.
Read MoreLast week, I had surgery on my left hand which has kept me “handicapped” this week. As I was painfully trying to type on Thursday, I surprisingly realized the value of the “underdog”, my non-dominant hand. When I could once again type, I jotted down why I needed my left hand, even though I had a perfectly capable, right hand.
Then, my mind launched into the metaphor how this is all like TCKs and those who have not had the privilege of living this lifestyle i.e. non-TCKs. From my perspective as a TCK, I see the TCK as the right hand and the non-TCK as the left hand.
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