Tips for Third Culture Kids
Top 3 Tips for Third Culture Kids…who have just moved This post is for teens. First off, you should know I tried my best to make a YouTube video — because that seems to be the thing these days– but I can’t edit it. So until that is ready, I am communicating with old-fashioned writing. […]
How a Sudden Departure From Home is a Big Hairy Deal
I watch the events in Egypt unfold, my thoughts are with the thousands of expat children and families who are living in Egypt as well as their Egyptian friends and playmates. Maybe others are thinking about the political implications of this open rebellion, but I’m thinking about the many families who may be ordered to […]
SOS: Homesickness at Boarding School
Is this Normal, Will they be ok? I recently received an email from a worried parent who told me that after only three weeks at boarding school, her son seemed unhappy and kept talking about missing his friends back home. She naturally wanted to know if this was normal and what to do. Having had […]
Rebecca Grappo Featured in the Wall Street Journal
Rebecca Grappo – The Importance of Resiliency Not long ago I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Anne O’Connell, a colleague of mine who writes for the Wall Street Journal, Expat, on the topic of transitions and resiliency for Third Culture Kids as they move around the world. One of the most difficult things TCKs have to deal with during […]
Third Culture Kids – From Overseas to Undergrad
Working with Third Culture Kids (TCKs) returning home for university (or “college” as it is referred to in the United States) is a special passion of mine. These young adults have grown up overseas and usually will live in the country of their passport for the first time, or at least the first time in a very […]
Why a Sudden Departure from Home is a Big Hairy Deal
I watch the events in Egypt unfold, my thoughts are with the thousands of expat children and families who are living in Egypt as well as their Egyptian friends and playmates. Maybe others are thinking about the political implications of this open rebellion, but I’m thinking about the many families who may be ordered to […]
I’ll Be Home for Christmas But Only in the Expat’s Dreams
When Bing Crosby first crooned the lyrics, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, I wonder if he ever dreamed it would become a seasonal theme song for expats and their families who might sing, I’ll be home for Christmas but only in the expat’s dreams. As I watched the news last week of thousands of stranded […]
TCK to future TCK: Advice about Successful International Moves
You’ve heard that expression, “Out of the mouths of babes comes the truth.” Well, when talking to the students at the Anglo-American School of Sofia (AAS-Sofia), I certainly heard a lot of true and common sense statements! I was recently invited by the Parent Teacher Organization to speak to students and parents at the AAS-Sofia, […]
Overseas Families Need to Care About the College Visit
This last year alone, I did over 100 campus visits. That’s a lot of time and expense spent on travel! So why do I do it? Because there is no better way to get a feel for what an educational institution is all about. And for my families living outside the U.S. who can’t so […]
6 Things I Learned about International Mobility, Transitions, and TCKs
Let’s face it. International moves – at least the tasks involved with moving – are really never much fun. Putting your life in boxes, then shipping it around the world, is a major and stressful event. And add children to the mix, and it truly is a major upheaval for everyone in the family. This […]