You Know You're an MK When...

"I know being a missionary kid must not have been easy, but it is a very honorable thing." No one has ever spoken those words to me before. An unexpected friend understood the hidden difficulties of being an MK; his words reached across the invisible barrier, stepped into my world, and made a connection. 

I was recently talking to another former missionary kid about my transition to Sioux Center, IA and to college. She pulled out a book that her mission organization created titled "You know you're an MK when...". As I flipped through the book, we laughed at how real some of the sayings were. Listed below are some of the ones I related to most and some I thought should be added. 

Please note that not all missionary kids have the same experience. Some missionaries will relate to what I write below, and others will not. The MK experience is such a broad spectrum, and, for many MKs, their experience changes over the years. These are some of the statements that are true to my experience. 

You know you're an MK when... 

• The question "Where are you from" makes you uncomfortable
• You flew before you could walk
• The USA is a foreign country
• You embarrass yourself by asking for someone to explain trends
• Your life story uses phrase like "When I was here" and "Then I went to" 
• National Geographic makes you homesick
• People send you Kool-Aid, chocolate chips, marshmallows and peanut butter
• Strangers say they can remember you when you were "This tall"
• You grew up with a house-help/maid
• You sort your friends by continent
• You realize furlough is not a vacation
• You've spoken in dozens of churches and are not a pastor
• You call other missionaries Auntie and Uncle, and their kids are your cousins
• Sunday was not the day of rest
• Your wardrobe is not made for winter
• You get confused because dollar bills are not color coded
• You feel odd being in the ethnic majority
• You marvel at the cleanliness of gas station bathrooms (if the floor is dry - it's clean)
• You feel like you need to move after you've stayed put for two months
• You don't know how to write the date - day/month/year or month/day/year
• You grew up thinking you were really tall for your age
• All your friends live in different countries
• The first thing you ask when you call your parents is "What time is it?"
• You still hesitate before drinking water out of the tap
• You never know what to write when asked for your permanent address
• You have an urge to change churches every week but long for consistency at the same time
• You feel a cultural barrier between you and those who raised you
• You've cried in a computer lab
• Getting mail is the highlight of your day
• People always touch your skin and hair (which is why mine is always in a high bun)
• You get excited to have a hot shower
• You calculate exchange rates by the price of coke
• You know the letter "z" as "zed"
• You think living in one place all your life is exotic 
• You used to tell time based on the position of the sun then you moved to the Northern Hemisphere and have no idea what time it is
• You are always late
• You go to the store in America and leave empty handed because there were too many brands to choose from
• You get lost is Walmart
• You are more comfortable eating with your fingers than with a fork 
• You slip into another language for expressions but don't know what American expressions mean
• You save American food for so long it goes bad
• You go "home" on furlough and get homesick
  
• People ask you "Which do you like better, here or there?" as if you can only like one
• Traffic laws are suggestions, you constantly use your horn, and blinkers are used for everything but to indicate a turn
• You think someone is drunk when they drive in a straight line instead of swerving to miss potholes
• Your used to hearing the sermon in two languages
• Your alphabet doesn't have 26 letters
• The phrase "going home" means one thing to your parents and another thing to you
• Home? What's that?
• You don't know how to pump gas in America because you used to someone doing it for you
• You say you're sorry for everything regardless of whether it is your fault
• People don't understand how you can be from Africa and be white
• You resent having to wear closed toed shoes and shoes in general
• You get marriage proposal from nationals who see you as a walking green card
• You realize Americans will believe just about anything 
• You miss being able to see stars and hear the rain on the tin roof
• You get excited to see snow
• You like boiled sugar-water with maple flavoring better than real maple syrup
• It seems weird to not take antimalarial pills everyday
• You describe Americans as if you were not one yourself
• You were singled out in Sunday School to talk about "your country"
• People simply don't understand 
• You never take anything for granted
• You really do believe in miracles
• You rather never say hello than have to say good-bye again
• Your most precious friend is Jesus, the who promises to never leave you
• Heaven is the only place you call home, and you eagerly wait to go there so you never have to leave