I have shared the ins and outs of my life story hundreds of times on this blog, but if you’re new, here’s a quick summary: I moved to the United Arab Emirates when I was 6, went to university in the UK when I was 19, repatriated to Bulgaria at 22, and moved back to the UK at 24. In other words, I have moved a lot.
Today, I’m sharing how reading one sentence changed my entire perception of what it means to be a third culture kid[1] (especially one that’s grown up in the United Arab Emirates).
How being the exception can feel ordinary
When you are part of the international expat community, moving abroad is the norm, associating airports with heartbreak is standard, and seeing your relatives only once a year is commonplace. While the belief that all of this is normal is prevalent among most expats, it is especially so in the UAE.
According to the International Organization for Migrants (IOM), the UAE is the country with the highest proportion of international migrants in the world. Taking this further, Global Media Insights (GMI) recently revealed that Emiratis make up just 11.48% of the UAE’s population, meaning that over 88% of people residing in the UAE have immigrated there. Not surprisingly, growing up in this latter category tricks you into thinking that everyone is a third culture individual and everyone understands what it’s like to live away from ‘home’.
A few years ago, I realised that there are very few people who actually understand. Since leaving the UAE, I have been faced with surprise every time I’ve told my story – and, until recently, I did not understand why people perceived it as something out of the ordinary. In my eyes, after being just one of the 9 million international migrants in the UAE, my story was far from original.
This week, I read the World Migration Report 2022 and discovered that the number of international migrants in 2020 was estimated to be almost 281 million.
281,000,000 – this number seemed like a lot; until, it didn’t.
“This figure remains a very small percentage of the world’s population (at 3.6%), meaning that the vast majority of people globally (96.4%) were estimated to be residing in the country in which they were born,” the World Migration Report 2022 went on.
Suddenly, I went from being one of the 88% to being one of the 3.6%.
How being a third culture kid sets you apart
While the number of international migrants grows every year, it is still not high enough that it is the norm. And, if you have been raised in a country with a high percentage of immigrants (like the UAE), that might surprise you.
It is easy to see how being a part of the 3.6% makes you stand out when looking at the challenges it brings (feeling uprooted, being away from your loved ones, etc.). However, it is equally important to acknowledge the positive ways in which it makes you stand out.
Those raised abroad are often equipped with:
- Tolerance: Growing up immersed in a different culture from your own makes you more accepting and understanding of others. It allows you to embrace other cultures without judgment and teaches you to respect other beliefs and customs.
- Empathy: Third culture kids become acquainted with separation and heartbreak at a young age as they leave the people and places they love behind. What is more, growing up in a country like the UAE allows you to meet people from all walks of life and understand the different reasons they move away from their home countries. For example, I was only 7 years old when one of my classmates shared how they were forced to flee their homeland because of the Israeli occupation.
- Communication skills: The advantage of growing up alongside people who are so different to you is that you learn how to communicate with everyone – regardless of whether or not you have something in common. Since you will have undoubtedly learned plenty from the stories and backgrounds of others, you will likely find it easier to hold a conversation on any subject. (Plus, you will have probably learned a whole new language!)
In a world where over 96% of people reside in the country in which they were born, being a third culture individual is far from the norm. Acknowledge the challenges you have faced, embrace what makes you different, and realise that your story is far from ‘ordinary’.
[1] People who were raised in a culture different to that of their country of nationality
Sip of Culture 