The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

ong before Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “Global Village” in 1967, the world was an actual village for the Foreign Service. But in all villages, you are not always part of the club. You can do drama, play sports, be a scout and play in the orchestra, but no matter how well-adjusted you are — despite your country- hopping and language dexterity — some- times it’ s nice to find others who are just like you. There are clubs for you which transcend time and place, virtual and actual. Last fall I was impressed to find my “tribe” — and their temporary village — at the Global Nomads conference at George Mason University (Oct. 24-26, 2003). According to the organization’s founder, Norma McCaig, a Global Nomad is “anyone who has ever lived abroad before adulthood because of a parent’s occupational choice (with, for example, the diplo- matic corps, religious or non-governmental missions, inter- national business) or whose parents were/are abroad inde- pendently for career purposes.” This includes military brats, diplomatic brats, banking brats, missionary brats, teaching brats, expats, etc. There are many other terms for those who have had an internationally mobile childhood. “TCK” — or third culture kid—has been used since the 1960s, and there were representatives from that field of research at the con- ference too. Tantalizing Workshops The Global Nomad conference brought together 100 participants from as far as Japan and Finland ranging in age from 18 to 70-plus, primarily women. It was sponsored by Global Nomads International and Global Nomad Programs and Services of the Multicultural Research and Resource Center of George Mason University in cooperation with the Global Nomad Special Interest Group of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers: The Association of International Educators. The majority of the attendees were American passport-holders, but no one claimed to be only one thing. Although most wore Western-style clothes, one of the open sessions did involve a dis- cussion about which clothes people had in their closet. More than one person admitted to not being willing to give up those “cos- tumes” from other cultures. When asked to participate in a flag ceremony, no one was willing to walk with only one flag — as this would be disloyal to the others that repre- sent who they are. The weekend consisted of workshops, lectures, networking and socializing opportunities. The workshops included “Global Nomads As Cultural Bridges for the New Millennium,” “Images from the Journey: Writing as Process,” “Moving Past Uniqueness: Weaving the Threads of Shared Experience” — and many more tan- talizingly self-reflective and psychologically stimulating courses such as “Growing Up Globally: Insights and A-ha’s;” “Together with (or without) Children: Global Nomads as Parents and Life Partners;” “Spirituality: Exploring Its Impact Then and Now;” “Are You Talking to Moi ?: Global Nomads and Authority;” “If Only I’d Known!: Student Discussion about Life on Campus;” and “Onions or Artichokes: Exploring the Layers of the Rest of Our Lives.” Unfortunately there was not time to attend all the ses- sions. After the general session, we raced around, talking in small groups, like electrons in a compression chamber — business cards zipping through the air. One young woman said to me, “Give me your card. I want to know you. But S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Mikkela Thompson, a former FS child, is the Journal ’s Business Manager. A V ILLAGE TO C ALL H OME — G LOBAL N OMADS I NTERNATIONAL D ESPITE SOMETIMES FEELING LIKE YOU ’ RE LIVING A F ELLINI FILM , LIFE AFTER A F OREIGN S ERVICE CHILDHOOD CAN INCLUDE A CLUB CALLED HOME . B Y M IKKELA T HOMPSON You realize that you are not alone in your “specialness.” Continued on page 70 L J U N E 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 69