Temporary TCKid Home

   One of my students this year asked me whether I wanted to reach a broader audience of TCKs and people in between cultures.  Frankly, I had never thought of reaching beyond my own students but realized that in today’s world of electronic connections, it is possible to reach a much broader audience.  But I need the help of those who are scattered throughout the world.

 

   In the beginning, I’d like to ask you to limit contacts to this group to those who have a TCK (Third Culture Kid) or CCK (Cross-Culture Kids) background themselves.  This is so that we can more openly tell our stories and share our problems without constantly being wary of appearing to “brag” about our experiences or about our ability to speak many languages and navigate the world, at least on the surface.

 

   I’d like to begin by telling our own stories.  I’ll try to attach the article I wrote many years ago for my high school (American School in Japan) alumni magazine.  I’m still a toddler in terms of computer use, so I would like to ask for your continued support in that area.

 

    Let’s begin!

Guest blog at DrieCulturen (click here)

http://drieculturen.blogspot.com/2011/10/cultural-identity-confusion-and-twitter.html

Recently I came across an interesting article about adult third culture kids (ATCKs). One of the conclusions of the article written by Denise A. Bonebright is that ATCKs could represent an under-tapped source of high quality employees. It states that successful TCK hires would be able to approach international assignments with a well-developed global skill set and a desire to experience an international mobile lifestyle. Yes I could image that to be true. Adults who have moved around the globe as kids often have a desire to travel and even sometimes a desire to live in different countries. This is often what an expat does.

Wikipedia says: An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person’s upbringing or legal residence.

I also came across an interesting blog post Third Culture Kids starting Careers written on a blog called ExpatriateLife. The author explains that it is sometimes difficult for third culture kids to get a job because they have not been able to have a part-time job through highschool. On the other hand she clearly lists the advantages of TCKs such as: the ability to adapt quickly to new situations, willingness to relocate, fluency in more than one language, cross cultural skills, a global network of social contacts just to mention a few. All the characteristics I just mentioned are a real advantage if an ATCK would choose to become an expat.

Then I discovered something on another site: www.best-career-match.com. On this site there is actually a page on Third Culture Kids: Growing up Overseas and to my surprise they say the same thing. They speak of TCKs and say that they are not truly socialized in any culture but that TCKs are Global Citizens. They go on to say that it is easy for global citizens to become global careerists (expats?) I am an ATCK, so I am a global citizen. It is something I hear from others TCKs is that “this world is there home”. That’s what I would call a global citizen. Aysha, a TCK says the same thing in an article. She writes that we are all born in the same birthplace and share the same homeland: Earth.

In a survey done with ATCKs they said they had a strong foundation of international skills and abilities, but they felt they had limited opportunities to exercise them. If they were working as an expat there would probably be more opportunities to use their experience as a global citizen. I am not working as an expat and I actually feel the same as the ATCks. I feel that I have (cross cultural) talents and abilities that are not being used to the full in the job I have now. What a shame.

In my post From the Walk of the World to Modern Technology: My 7 links I mention this post. At the time (8th August 2011) this post on adult third culture kids becoming the future expats had hardly been read. In my mind the post did not get the attention it deserved. Now at the beginning of October 2011 this post is my second most well read post!

So what do you think? Are the third culture kids our future expats? Please share your thoughts on this, I would love to hear from you. Thanks.

http://kumasim.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/wall/

Third culture kids learning to be themselves

Today it’s all about the word “LEARN”. You may have seen the 3 short films called MOVE, EAT, and LEARN. Well I am writing a post on each word. The first post was Global nomads on the move en second post was the palettes of the global nomad, all about food. I am writing about these three words because the words capture the life of third culture kids well.

Third culture kids are sometimes called chameleons. Recently Libby Stephens had a transition seminar with 36 third culture kids (TCKs) and the kids were asked to write a list of charateristics of TCKs. One of the words on the list was chameleons. Chameleons adapt well to their environment. They can change colour. The changing of the colour is for social signalling and for purpose of camouflage. Third culture kids, just like chameleons are experts in adapting to their environment. It is something they have had to learn. It is something I had to learn. The Dutch girl with blond hair and blue eyes growing up in Africa. Every time I was placed in a new situation I had to observe, watch and learn:

Chameleon

• What are the rules here? 
• What is “normal”? 
• What do they expect me to do? 
• What am I not meant to do?
• How can I pretend not to be different?

The observing, watching and learning was tiring. Adapting again and again and again and again. Usually it happened unconsciously. Trying to mix into the new environment. Even when I came to the Netherlands to study, I looked just like all the other Dutch students but I felt so different. It was so confusing. I felt so lost. How could I learn to be just like them? Would it be possible? Recently I discovered that there is a word that describes me “a hidden immigrant”, I look the same but think differently due to my experiences growing up abroad. Something I have been thinking about is: could it be possible to adapt too much to my environment and thus loose a little of myself in the process? I think that could be possible and it is a little scary.

Have you read the poem by Whitni Thomas called “Colors”. It is written by a missionary kid (MK). It is about growing up in a Yellow country and having Blue parents. Living in the Blue land there is still something Yellow deep inside and living in the Yellow land the person wants to be Blue. This is the ending:

“Why can’t I be both?
A place where I can be me.
A place where I can be green.
I just want to be green.” 

I want to learn to be green. To accept and learn just to be myself. To adapt and adjust when necessary but not to lose a part of myself. Growing up in another culture has made me different. What about you? How is your learning process? Have you learned to be green? Have you accepted yourself just as you are? Please share your thoughts with us on this topic.

Here you can watch the short film “Learn”. All about learning in other cultures…

Read my post about Cultural identity confusion and third culture kids.

I am so excited. I just discovered a new book all about third culture kids. I just can’t wait to get my hands on it. I have a love for books anyway, but if the books are on subjects that I am interested about then the love is even greater. On Amazon I discovered that this book has 498 pages, so there’s lots of “food for thought” there. The book has only just been published: 1st of December 2011, by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

 

The new book “Writing Out of Limbo: the International Childhood Experience of Global Nomads and Third Culture kids” by Gene H. Bell-Villada and Nina Sichel with Faith Eidse and Elaine Neil Orr. For a sample of the book, including the table of contents click here.

 

Here’s what I read about the book that made my heart beat faster:

 

In this groundbreaking collection, writers from around the world address issues of language acquisition and identity formation, childhood mobility and adaptation, memory and grief, and the artist’s struggle to articulate the experience of growing up global. And, woven like a thread through the entire collection, runs the individual’s search for belonging and a place called “home.” 

 

About the authors: Gene H. Bell-Villada, born in Haiti of US parents, was raised in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Venezuela. A professor of Romance Languages at Williams College (Massachusetts), he is the author or editor of ten books, including a TCK memoir, Overseas American: Growing Up Gringo in the Tropics (2005). Nina Sichel is co-editor, with Faith Eidse, of Unrooted Childhoods: Memoirs of Growing Up Global (2004), the first collection of memoirs by Third Culture Kids and Global Nomads. Raised among expats in Venezuela, she relocated many times as an adult, and currently leads memoir and guided writing workshops near Washington, DC.

 

This is what others say about the book:

 

“Well-grounded in classical perspectives and new visions of what it means to live in an intercultural world, the book offers a wonderful array of memoir, research, interviews, theory and even poetry. There’s something for everyone here!” Anne P. Copeland, PhD, Director, The Interchange Institute

 

“I recommend this book to all parents who are creating TCKs; to teachers and professors of TCKs; for general reading and understanding of the making of a citizen of the world; and, finally, to TCKs themselves, who will see that their experiences are shared with many others.” Linda A. Garvelink, President, Foreign Service Youth Foundation

 

As I read about the book I think this is a “must have” for anybody doing research on third culture kids or cross cultural kids. I am glad that there is an increasing amount of books and information available for parents, teachers, therapists, adult third culture kids and anyone interested in this subject. Thanks for publishing this book!

 

Related posts:

• New book: Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child by Julia Simens
• Third culture kids learning to be themselves 
• Third culture kids learning their mother tongue 
• Global Nomads on the move, part 2 
• New book: The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition by Tina Quick

Hi all

To all who miss the international communities and want to meet global minds from many different countries: There is a Social Network called “InterNations” which is for expatriates worldwide. The Network is highly professional, people from all over the world are there and talk about traveling, living in different countries and you can also find job offers in the Network. The best of the Network is that the different communities organize monthly “Meet-Ups” for the expatriates. The Network connects expat communities in many cities and countries of the world. The Network is for free but then you can´t do so many things. There is also a option to pay something to be able to do more things but I think that most people use it without paying anything.The headquarter is in München/Germany. The language in the Network is English.

I went yesterday to the monthly Meet-Up of the Santo Domingo community and it was again very nice. I met a couple from Japan. There were people from many European countries, from the US, from Canada, from many different Latin American countries and also Dominicans. Some time ago I met a Spanish couple in a Meet-Up which I befriended and we still meet. It is interesting to talk to this people because some had an interesting live, have interesting jobs here.There are also TCKs although most people are here in the Dominican Republic because their company send them, because they do business here, because they work for an embassy or for the foreign service. Many will only be here for a short time.

InterNations is a closed Network so if you want to join it you have to options: you can request an invitaion, then you have to answer some very easy questions (like: What makes you a global mind?). The second possibility is to be invited by a member. I´m a member so if you want to join InterNations I can invite you. The only thing I need is your name and your email-adress. Don´t worry, I will not use your email-adress for anything else then send you an invitation if you want to join InterNations. 

Personally I don´t use so much the Network of InterNations, I´m a member of InterNations to get information about the Meet-Ups.

Here you can see in which cities exist InterNation communities:

http://www.internations.org/localcommunities/cities/more

Homepage of InterNations: http://www.internations.org/

There is also a page of InterNations on Facebook.

Link to the blog post about celebrating Sinterklaas abroad

What to you think?

Hey TCKs! I need pictures, video clips (.mov) of the homes you grew up in for my latest performance installation piece titled “Habitat”. It will be screened onto a white wall, ceiling, or floor as part of the installation. Would love to get as many different types of homes. Please email them to me at ahdancecompany@gmail.com by Dec. 31st!
You will get credited in the program – unless you don’t want to be listed then I will just say Anonymous. 🙂