"Where we are from"

The poem is written by my friend Tanya Edwards, from Australia. We went to a Missionary Kids' boarding school together, Vavoua International School (VIS) in Ivory Coast. I was there for grade 9 and 10, Tanya had been there for many years already when I came. We were in the same class, and for quite a bit of my two years there, we were also roomies. This is a poem she's written, published in a booklet in Australia in 2003 (copyrighted). It's posted on my blog with Tanya's permission, and I want to thank her both for sharing the booklet with me, and for letting me put this poem on my blog. I think this poem mirrors a lot of the essence of how it feels, what it really is, to be a MK, a Missionary Kid:

"Where we are from"

I left again!

We all left, again!

Not once, but, again!

It is the way of our lives to be nomads,

To wander under the stars and sun.

To never be quite sure of our home,

But lucky enough to call everywhere home.

Scattered to the east and west,

Scattered to the north and south,

Are the people we call friends.

Our accents accentuate the fact,

That we are from nowhere but everywhere.

Our ideas show to the world,

That we are not from a specific culture.

We have hours of fun,

But don't spend a cent.

Our laughs rattle the sky all day,

And our tears cloud the dark night.

Our sense of humour is lost on others,

And theirs is added to ours.

We stick up for the defenceless,

And we fall for them too.

Hugs are often,

As we know their importance.

A goodbye and see you tomorrow is a relief,

And a goodbye and hope to see you in the future is our grief.

But no matter the bad or good,

Thank you God for making me a MK.