Good-bye College Life, Hello the Rest of My Life

It's been a few weeks since I've last posted to my blog. I was a bit busy finishing up my last semester of college. This semester was quite the crazy semester, but looking back on previous semesters they all have been quite crazy. I should just consider this level of "crazy" as the new "normal" since I haven't had a "normal" period in quite a long time! This past semester my school work was put on hold due to the fact I only had one hand to type assignments. If you haven't read the posts about those you should consider going back and reading them. Although before reading the previous posts I would caution you to the fact I'm a whiner when I'm injured and there were a few I was quite drugged while writing - which someone should have monitored those posts. Anyhow, I'm better now and even crocheted for the first time since my arm was casted for 6 weeks. My wrist was the longest to heal after falling down the stairs and typing with two hands has been a slow recovery, but I've made it through and can type just as fast as ever.

Regardless of the many assignments turned in late I am proud of my grades this semester. I got an A in my Old Testament class, B in my history class, B- in my biology class (which I have NO idea how I pulled that off except to say, "good job me on the lab reports"), and a C+ in my English Literature class. I'm a little disappointed in my English Lit grade, but by the time I was able to even attempt to catch up it was the last month of school. There was a point where I wasn't sure if I'd pass that class, but I have and it is finished so I can't complain.

I've been asked a lot about what I'm going to do now that I'm finished with school. My original plan was to go to Japan to teach English, but since I wasn't accepted to the program that is put on hold for at least a year (or maybe longer, I'm not sure yet). I'm not sure what God has planned for me, so in the meantime I'll just keep listening and following where he leads. Actually, what happened a few weeks ago is quite awesome!

I was studying for my finals and I got a call from a man at my church. He asked me how volunteering in the office has been going and I told him great. He asked if I'd like a job working part-time as the church secretary. I told him since I'm not doing anything else that would be great. To make a long story short there was some talk about me taking this position before it was offered to me and everyone was giving me a high recommendation. I didn't know this until after I accepted the job and was telling people I will be the new secretary in January and person after person said, "Oh, I know. I gave you a good recommendation." I was a bit overwhelmed with the love people have poured out over me. I can't explain how loved I feel to know so many have so many nice things to say about me.

I love how I went from the excitement of following what I thought God wanted me to, to the disappointment of God having something else in mind (think along the lines of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain and God providing a ram, but I had no ram), to God providing a ram in the secretary position at my church! Sure I'm still disappointed about not going to Japan this next year, but I know God has a plan.

I know I'm disappointed in not going to Japan, but after I found out a good friend of mine has just been diagnosed with cancer for the second time I now understand why she was saying God needed me here this year. I couldn't see it before, but I know she's going to need support and I'm glad I'll be here to help her in any way - even if it's to shave my head for the second time (the first was when my mom had breast cancer).

So, as I close the book on college life and begin writing the book on the next stage in life I know one thing... I'm not going to leave God out of going ahead of me and showing me where to go and what to do.

Trans Cultual Kids

As a sociology major I'm interested in the way people relate to society. After reading a Facebook post from a friend who is a missionary in a small village half way around the world who is coming "home" later this year I was wondering how easy it will be for her four children to adapt to this culture they are familiar with, yet it is so foreign to them. I wanted to check out some statistics and although Wikipedia is not the most scholastic source, it does give a general idea. While reading through the Trans Cultural Kid's article I realized... dude, this describes me (minus the language part)! Who knew I was a trans cultural kid???

My response to each statistic is in parenthesis and bolded. Everything else is straight from Wikipedia. 

Statistics (U.S. TCKs)

Research has been done on American TCKs to identify various characteristics:[10][17][18]

[edit]Sociopsychology

• 90% feel "out of sync" with their peers.[19] (I'm not sure if this is the same out of sync as a MK would feel, but there are times I don't feel like I "fit in" with those of my same age)
• 90% report feeling as if they understand other people and cultural groups better than the average American.[20] (I do have a wider sense for other people and cultures, thus the reason I chose sociology as my major)
• 80% believe they can get along with anybody, and they often do, due to their sociocultural adaptability.[20] (I do get along with anybody.)
• Divorce rates among TCKs are lower than the general population, but TCKs marry at an older age (25+).[21][22] (Divorce rate... that's a good thing. Marriage at an older age.... well I am in the 25+ range now)
• More welcoming of others into their community.[18] (The more the merrier!)
• Lack a sense of "where home is", but are often nationalistic.[18][20] (Well, I do consider OC my home, but I'm totally cool with moving to another country and never returning to the US. I'm just waiting to see what God wants as far as where I'll be going)

[edit]Cognitive and emotional development

• Teenage TCKs are more mature than non-TCKs, but in their twenties take longer than their peers to focus their aims.[19] (What? You mean being in advance classes and told you're a mature teenager doesn't mean that you'll take 10.5 years to get your bachelors degree? I thought that's how it was suppose to be!?!)
• Depression is comparatively prevalent among TCKs.[19] (Could this be due to the fact it takes so long to "focus their aims?")
• TCKs' sense of identity and well-being is directly and negatively affected by repatriation.[23] (I don't have experience with this... but shoot I'm surprised since everything else seems to be describing me!)
• TCKs are highly linguistically adept (not as true for military TCKs).[21] (oh, well, maybe I'm not as much of a TCK as it seems)

• A study whose subjects were all "career military brats"—those who had a parent in the military from birth through high school—shows that brats are linguistically adept.[24] (but maybe my parents were secret military people for part of my childhood???)

• Like all children, TCKs may experience stress and even grief from the relocation experience.[25][26] (And this is where the comparison stops.)

[edit]Education and career

• TCKs are 4 times as likely as non-TCKs to earn a bachelor's degree (81% vs 21%)[27] (Check!!!)
• 40% earn an advanced degree (as compared to 5% of the non-TCK population.)[21] (Um, no thanks)
• 45% of TCKs attended three universities before attaining a degree.[21] (What, you mean it's NOT normal to attend three universities and one junior college?)
• 44% earned undergraduate degree after the age of 22.[21] (HA HA HA HA... and we thought the comparison had ended!)
• Education, medicine, business management, self-employment, and highly-skilled positions are the most common professions for TCKs.[21] (Well, I'm still not quite sure what I'll be doing, but apparently I should look into these careers)
• TCKs are unlikely to work for big business, government, or follow their parents' career choices. "One won't find many TCKs in large corporations. Nor are there many in government ... they have not followed in parental footsteps".[21] (Well, that's for sure! Even though many with my degree go to work for the government I'm hesitant and I'm not fully sure why... apparently it's because I was secretly a TCK)

Obviously in any study one can find themselves in what ever it is they are studying, but it just made me laugh at the "later in life" stuff. It reminds me of when I was taking my abnormal psychology class... I was convinced I had schizophrenia for half of the semester! Funny how after that class all my symptoms of schizophrenia went away... let alone the fact that I’ve past the age where schizophrenia first occurs in women so it would have shown up earlier in my life not just during this class! Anyhow, I found this funny and interesting and thought I’d share.