Third culture kids know all about language barriers, and not only in the absolute sense of language.  The same word in the same language is often used differently depending on where you are.
In England, it’s a biscuit.  In the US, it’s a cookie.  Petrol vs gas. Tomayto vs tomahto.  You get the picture.  You do get the essence of the meaning, but perhaps miss out on nuances by not tuning into the local set of idioms or even dialect in some cases.
It would therefore follow that re-aligning our language constructs …

I love being in the zone.  Head down, totally immersed, no concept of time passing and any interruption a nuisance.  I’m focused, engaged.  It feels good.
I hate being outside the zone.  Looking around, bored, time at a stand-still, and praying for interruptions.  I’m going through the motions, distracted, uninterested.  It feels bad.
So what does it take to be in the zone?
It has very little to do with the actual task at hand and all to do with the meaning you associate with the task.  It has to do with your …

As a third culture kid, one of the early lessons is how to deal with changes.  One minute there you are,  hanging out doing your thing, and the next you’re on a plane to somewhere you may have never even heard of.  You’re not going there on a fun little jaunt.  You’re going there to live.
As human beings, we have an incredible capacity to adapt to change.  Not that you would know it from watching our usual first reaction to  change.  We’re so busy resisting it that we can’t see …