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My first four years of reintegration were spent in college. I now look back and ask myself how well it went. I have come to the conclusion that reintegration into the American society, as opposed to some other societies I have visited or lived in, can be the easiest as well as the hardest thing. On the one hand, America is a fast moving society. People who spend time away from it miss out on fashion, movies, sports, and all the other trappings of American culture. On the other hand, America has all the resources and conveniences of modern life that facilitate reintegration. In a sense, I could call it a double-edged sword.

There was a great deal I had to learn when I returned. For instance, I did not fully realize what a CD was or what exactly the internet was. I saw compact discs for the first time when I was in transit to New York at Moscow's Sheremetyevo II airport. When I enrolled in a college in Vermont and later New Jersey, I quickly realized that I did not have the same obsession with American football or baseball that my college buddies did.

In addition to this, there is always the sense of restlessness and isolation. I was reminded of this every Friday on campus. Friday is the day most college students retreat to the suburban neighborhoods in which they were raised. They go back to friends in their hometowns whom they have known since childhood. Obviously I made friends with such people, but I was always reminded where their true loyalties were. Other students would have casual conversations about high school memories or what they did with their parents over the weekend. Since I graduated from a high school overseas, and since there is not a single person with whom I have lived all my life, I was either unable or unwilling to join in such conversations.

The conversations that I would have liked to engage in relate to the diplomatic corps, summer travel to the Côte D'Azur, or knowledge of a foreign language such as French-my second language. However, among my college buddies, such topics appeared ostentatious. They were more interested in the Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys-not exactly the things to which a teenager growing up in Africa would be exposed. When I found myself in such situations, I would often try to fit in. I would try to have an interest in what I was hearing. I would think about how different my social life would be if I had stayed in one suburban neighborhood the way they had. However, now that I am older and more mature, I know better. I realize that it is more important to reflect upon and exploit the good qualities that my broad exposure to the world has given me.

I once decided to take a trip down memory lane. In the summer of 2000, I went to Yonkers, a suburban New York town where I lived for about four years. I have a very good memory so everything was just about the way I left it. I saw the front of the house where I used to live, as well as the other houses in the area where my friends lived. However, there was a rather eerie feeling. As I was standing on the street in front of my childhood home, I realized that I was looking at a part of my nomadic past. I had not been there in seventeen years. I did not see anyone I used to play with, for almost everyone had moved on. I guess I went there that sunny summer day to escape the restlessness and loneliness of the present and relive my past.

I could not help but think how different my life would be if I had stayed in that suburban neighborhood. If I had stayed, I would have childhood friends I could hang out with on Friday nights. I would be able to engage in long conversations with them and have a lifetime of memories to share. However, I cannot be too bitter for world travel makes one broad minded, independent, and more receptive to other cultures. I returned to America on my own and went through college without parental support. I am sure it was that broad mindedness and sense of independence that gave me the strength and confidence to do this.

As I stated before, there is always a feeling of restlessness and isolation when you are a third culture kid. I find it hard to stay in one place. I am never comfortable in one place. Since I have returned to America, I have attended three colleges, held two full time positions in different fields, and lived in six towns in three states. I have also been to about fourteen European countries and always look forward to seeing more every summer. I currently work in New York and I am thinking about moving to Switzerland-a country I have visited three times and where I can relate to people in French.

Overall, I say that my reintegration has been a huge success. My international upbringing and challenges of reintegration have made me a broad-minded, independent, and bilingual individual. Those qualities are typical of diplomats and military personnel who travel a great deal. However, I do concede that there are things I could have done differently. I do not feel that I made a reasonable effort to seek out other third culture kids or Americans who had travel experience. I certainly would have had more in common with them. The three college roommates I stayed with for the last two years of my campus life were all from suburban neighborhoods and they had little or no travel experience. I regret that I did not sign up for an exchange program and go to Europe. I regret that I did not major in International Relations or Political Science-majors that would have made it easier to work for an embassy or seek employment in Europe.

I do not feel at home anywhere and I do not know where my career is headed. I seem to be coming up with a new one every other week. This defines the restlessness that affects third culture kids. If I could go back in time and live my life over, I would not change the fact that I am a global nomad. After all, I like the fact that I can listen to news stories from other countries and relate to them because I have been to some of those places. I like the fact that I can communicate with my French friends in their native language. I like the fact that I can walk around Geneva, Switzerland and feel just as comfortable as I am when I walk through downtown New York. I certainly would not change those things because those things define who I am.

I wonder if third culture kids who have known nothing but embassy parties, foreign languages, summer vacations in places like Switzerland, and constant plane travel from one continent to another can ever really settle down. In my case, I do not think that day will ever come. My restlessness is a powerful force inside me that urges me to expand beyond the borders of my country. I think I will always be looking for that new frontier waiting to be conquered. I think I will always be a third culture kid.

Mark Anderson strongly recommends the following books for global nomads who have returned 'home':

Third Culture Kids

Hidden Immigrants: Legacies of Growing up Abroad

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Mark Anderson has a site documenting his European travels and also points other global nomads to Transition Dynamics, a site committed to serving the children, women, and men for whom international mobility and cultural transitions are a part of daily life.

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