...the first language you learned how to read and write was not of your parents tongue

To many, they are surprised when they learned that I learned how to write and read in Arabic before I even knew how to write and read in English. When I start to go to a new piece of paper to write I catch myself writing from right to left instead of the "normal" left to right. I find comfert in the swirls and the beautiful letters. The sounds and the "r"s which swirl down my tongue. I sometimes call it my second mother language as Arabic has become apart of me.  Though I had to stop for a few years my love for the language has only grown stronger  also my desire to learn more.
Growing up there is such a difference as I find myself being caught by the little things and catch phrases I learnt back when I was a little girl that I hadn't heard for years. The memory of when you are little stays for a long time. Every country, every language, every friend and every tongue.
I started off in a fully Arabic preschool so although I could before speak English, I learnt how to write and read in Arabic and converse with others.
Its sometimes a blessing to have several mother languages. They become part of your thoughts and make you who you are. Its those little things that make you special, and for us TCKs unique.