Featured in Asiana Magazine - Autumn 2010 Edition

Featured above one of my fave Indian writers - Radhika Jha! :)

Sehnsucht

My brother (Ben) recently introduced me to a word...a word that he thought best described Third Culture Kids and I must agree with him.

Sehnsucht (a German word) is very difficult to translate into English but CS Lewis did his best by describing it as:

the "inconsolable longing" in the human heart for "we know not what."

I don't know about you but this Sehnsucht emotion is a frequent visitor of mine, whether it be triggered by something I see on television, walking the streets or it just settles over me with a longing that I find hard to put into words. Best to leave it to Lewis, who clearly didn't struggle to describe this sensation...

"That unnameable something, desire for which pierces us like a rapier at the smell of bonfire, the sound of wild ducks flying overhead, the title of The Well at the World's End, the opening lines of "Kubla Khan), the morning cobwebs in late summer, or the noise of falling waves."

Wikipedia:

"It is sometimes felt as a longing for a far off country, but not a particular earthly land which we can identify. Furthermore there is something in the experience which suggests this far off country is very familiar and indicative of what we might otherwise call "home". In this sense it is a type of nostalgia, in the original sense of that word. At other times it may seem as a longing for a someone or even a something. But the majority of people who experience it are not conscious of what or who the longed for object may be. Indeed, the longing is of such profundity and intensity that the subject may immediately be only aware of the emotion itself and not cognizant that there is a something longed for."

"Book Reviews" Page

New book review added to the "Book Reviews" page (see above)...

Deeply moving--literally!, 14 Sep 2010

By

Haru

Home Keeps Moving (Paperback)

Thank you, Heidi, on behalf of TCKs all over the world, for putting your extraordinary life experience to print. Calling all global readers: If you are at once unique and a citizen of the world, separate and yet united, or someone who has lived just one day outside your comfort zone, you will find Heidi, a person to whom you can relate...

Interview with Jo Parfitt

Author to Author interview with Heidi Sand-Hart, author of Home Keeps Moving

By Jo Parfitt, on September 9th, 2010

I came across Heidi’s memoir only two weeks ago. Home Keeps Moving is about how her life as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and Missionary Kid (MK) has shaped her identity and affected her life in ways many find the words to describe. I was immediately impressed. Not many people in their twenties write books based on their lives. Many wait until their forties or beyond before they feel they have enough to say. But Heidi has plenty to say. This book is theory in action. It as, as the Families in Global Transition conference likes to say ‘where research comes to life’. Indeed, Heidi was inspired by the work of Ruth van Reken and Dave Pollock and their seminal book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

This TCK MK writes beautifully about her experiences as the child of Scandinavian parents, pingponging between England and India. By examining her own experiences on themes such as rootlessness, restlessness and unresolved grief she is frank about how life was for her.

I believe that any twenty or thirtysomething ATCK (that’s a TCK who became an adult) will find support and resonance here. Speaking as one who did not live abroad until I was an adult, I am in awe of her resilience and her objective accounts of a very unusual life. She is perceptive and her descriptions leap off the page.

Peppered by writings from her peers and the experts, this is a great companion to Ruth and Dave’s book. I admire Heidi, as someone whose education was ‘patchy’ as a result of her nomadic upbringing, to have been brave enough to put her words on paper and then fight to find a publisher. It is with pleasure that what follows is my recent interview with her:

HSH

My name is Heidi Sand-Hart and I am an Adult “Third Culture Kid” (TCK) who grew up in India, England and Norway. My father is Norwegian, my mother Finnish and they were missionaries in the UK and India, hence we moved a lot! I myself have done plenty of travelling and voluntary work, particularly in Asia. I currently live in London with my Kiwi husband.

JP

Tell me about your book. What is it about? Can you describe it in just a few

sentences? To show that a book has focus it is vital that it can be described

briefly and succinctly.

HSH

“Home Keeps Moving” tells the story of growing up in many worlds due to moving frequently throughout my childhood. It gives a lot of insight into the many struggles and challenges that “Third Culture Kids” face with constantly leaving friends, homes and their familiar surroundings – of those trying to grasp an understanding of who they are and how they fit into their current society.

JP

Why did you write “Home Keeps Moving”?

HSH

I actually started writing this book ten years ago but realised the task was too overwhelming for me at the time. As I’ve gotten older, I have realised how exciting, colourful and unique my own childhood was and I wanted to share that with others. Last autumn we returned to London from living in Thailand and I struggled to find a job…I realised the time was right to give this book another go.

JP

Why do you think your book needed to be written? What will your book do for other people?

HSH

In my search for more personal literature on the topic of cross-cultural upbringing and TCKs, I realised there were hardly any books out there. It is my hope that people with traditional upbringings will understand TCKs a little better through my book and I really wanted to give validation to my fellow TCKs. (in many ways, a forgotten tribe).

JP

Who do you think will read your book? What made you think that there was a market for it? Now that it’s been out for a while, what proof do you have that you were right?

HSH

In this global and transient age, I thought it was more important to have literature out there for people to grasp and empathise with TCKs, since cross-cultural living is becoming more common day by day. This topic is receiving far more exposure and media attention these days so I felt the timing was right. I have already received feedback that Home Keeps Moving has triggered thought and self-realisation in people.

JP

It does not matter how good a book is, or how good your writing is if no one knows about it. What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to promote your book? Are you a speaker or trainer? Do you have a blog? A website? A newsletter? Do you use Facebook, Twitter or other social media tools? What about press releases and sending out review copies and free articles? Have you had any other ideas? Which methods do you think work best and can you give me any examples?

HSH

I set up a blog at http://homekeepsmoving.blogspot.com/ and e-mail account ahead of the book’s release and joined all the social networking sites to create “hype”. I researched all the websites and magazines interested in TCKs specifically and targeted them, spreading the word. I have spent huge chunks of time doing viral marketing – sending out press releases and following up with phone calls. I have done a radio interview and have two more lined up. I’ve written articles for free which have been published by The Telegraph and other online magazines. I have approached major and local bookshops in the UK. I have asked Missions Agencies, Expats, Member care organisations and International Schools to help me promote the book by featuring it on their websites and in their publications. I have also sent out lots of complimentary review copies and am trying to get the book reviewed or mentioned in as many publications as possible.

JP

How did you publish your book? What was your route to publication?

HSH

As I was approaching the final stages of Home Keeps Moving, I started to send out sample manuscripts to publishers who had previously released books with a similar content. I also happened to have an acquaintance whose book on hot and cold climates (Foreign To Familiar by Sarah Lanier) was along similar lines to mine and she got me in touch with her publisher. I received my fair share of rejection letters and found the process extremely hard especially since many publishers refuse to accept unsolicited manuscripts and I didn’t want to go down the agent route. Luckily for me, Sarah Lanier helped open a door that might otherwise have remained closed.

JP

Self-belief can be a big problem for writers. How did you manage to stay confident in your ability and remember that you were good enough to write your book? How did you cope with the days when you thought you could not do it and that it was rubbish?

HSH

Those days continue to come and go, even now! I have to say that the support and encouragement received from close friends and family is what spurred me on. My husband patiently assisted me in editing and perfecting the book. For me, the main target was just to complete the book that had been hanging over my head for ten years and I tried not to rush ahead of myself too much and allow worries of not getting published to overshadow things. On the days that inspiration didn’t come, I didn’t push myself…I just tried to take it in my stride and monopolise the good days. As the release date approached, I became slightly anxious about how it would be received since I was “putting myself out there” – divulging personal stories and also opening up to possible criticism. I haven’t even read my book since it’s been published because I had to go over it so many times in the run up to printing!...

Read full interview at: Jo Parfitt's website

Ordering Home Keeps Moving...

Don't be put off by the "Temporarily out of stock" message on amazon.co.uk!!!

Buy your signed copy of "Home Keeps Moving" at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/shops/heidisand-hart

'Home Keeps Moving' has gone electronic!!!

For all Kindle lovers, I am glad to announce that HKM can now be obtained at: www.amazon.com and amazon.co.uk

Enjoy...! :)

Telegraph Article

Home keeps moving

Serial expat Heidi Sand-Hart has been to more than 42 countries, and never stayed anywhere longer than four years. Here, she explains how her childhood instilled in her a love of travel and change.

Published: 10:07AM BST 13 Aug 2010

Chiang Mai, Thailand, one of Heidi Sand-Hart's many homes, in 2009.

Mumbai, photographed by Heidi Sand-Hart in 2008. Photo: Heidi Sand-Hart

Born in Britain to a Finnish mother and Norwegian father, I guess you could say I was already dealing with three very different cultures right off the bat. My parents met while working with the Asian community in London but we continued to move frequently. From Derby to Norway to Sussex to London to India, I was constantly ready for the next big adventure, never fully accepted nor never truly an outsider. The question of where I belonged didn’t even emerge until I was much older, since as a child, you learn to adapt to whatever is thrown at you. It becomes your concept of “normal”.

While living in the UK, my parents were trying to hold onto their Scandinavian culture and traditions and yet allow my brothers and I to immerse ourselves in our country of birth, Britain. The only real “British” experience we had was at the multiple schools we attended and with some of our friends. We didn’t have the British traditions that my school friends had. We opened our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, didn’t attend football games with our father, and probably had fish and chips monthly instead of weekly.

My parents’ work targeted the Indian community of Britain, so we grew up on curry and chapattis and were constantly surrounded by different languages and dialects. I suppose I felt a sense of connection with all the cultures I was surrounded by, but I was never 100 per cent “in” any of them.
I remember my school friends talking about going round to their nan's for tea and feeling a pang of jealousy, since my grandparents lived in Scandinavia and I couldn’t even communicate with them in their own language, let alone see them whenever I liked. And when the time came, I didn’t make any of their funerals since I was living on opposite sides of the world.
There is a term which I think expresses perfectly what I am - "Third Culture Kid” (TCK), someone who has spent much of their childhood years outside of the parents’ culture, who absorbs elements from lots of different countries and has a sense of belonging to those who have had similar experiences. (See Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David Pollock and Rquuth Van Reken.)
I lived in India for five of my formative years and it has left quite an impression on me. Seeing drastic poverty, beggars and inhumane living conditions at the tender age of six left its mark and made the sacrifices I’d made (western food and running hot water) seem quite insignificant. India proved to be one of the most colourful backdrops for any childhood, full of chaos, colour, noise, chillies, monkeys, vibrancy, monsoons, elephants and smiles. India is a land of immense beauty and it saddens me to see how often it is portrayed negatively, as if it is nothing more than the slums of Calcutta or Mumbai.
Travel well and truly forced its way into my bloodstream and I have continued to incorporate this transient lifestyle into my adulthood. Since leaving home, I have lived as an expat in America, Canada, Thailand, India and New Zealand, being anything from a secretary to an orphanage volunteer. I have been to more than 42 countries (and counting) and never stayed anywhere for more than four years.
I am constantly seeking out new excuses and opportunities to live overseas. Having experienced such a colourful and varied childhood, I struggle to accept that life must be lived simply vegetating in one corner of the globe. Travel opens, challenges, and broadens mindsets and in that respect, Third Culture Kids are rich individuals indeed. I have gained an appreciation for other countries: their cultures, people, customs... what makes them unique. There is so much to see and be learned from other cultures, and for me, experience is the best form of education.
For me the grass always seems greener on the other side. I tend to glorify the future, cling to the past and have trouble ever really settling into the present. I let my mind wander to the vibrant, bold and warm when all that surrounds me is grey, dull and dreary.
I often get asked when I’ll “settle down and get a real job” but for me, the road is my home. London is currently where I reside but “home” is where my family are… it is anywhere and everywhere. I have grown accustomed to the adrenalin that flows with packing up one country in exchange for another, traversing from West to East and leaving for the excitement of the unknown.
I think deep down inside, we all know it will be the things we failed to do that will haunt us on our deathbeds and I intend to go with a smile on my face, thinking of the sun rising over the Himalayas, drinking tea with the Bedouins of Jordan, snorkelling in the Perhentian Islands, riding camels in the Sahara desert, seeing lightning storms over Mount Bromo in Indonesia, the invigoration of leaping from a boiling sauna into a freezing cold lake, walking The Great Wall of China and riding off from my wedding on an elephant's back into the Kerala night.
Heidi Sand-Hart's memoir, Home Keeps Moving, is available on amazon.co.uk, or can be ordered directly at homekeepsmoving@gmail.com.