I was born in Hong Kong to culturally Mexican and American parents. By the time I was 11, I had lived in four different countries and seven different cities. I have dual British and American citizenship. Even though I have lived in England for 12 years, the British think I’m American. And when I’m in America, they think I might be Canadian or maybe even Scottish. These experiences are not unusual to other people like me. I am a Third Culture Kid and this is my life.
Frequent moves
It is not commonly known that there is a group of internationally minded individuals in our midst referred to as ‘Third Culture Kids’ or ‘TCKs.’ The book Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds describes the TCK as ‘a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture’ (Pollock, D. & Van Reken, R., 2010). This often means that a TCK and his/her family have moved several times, as in the case of military or diplomatic families, or perhaps have lived in one foreign country for a long period of time, which is the case with many missionary families. In either situation, TCK families tend to develop a complex identity, having been influenced by a variety of cultures.
Internationals and TCKs
Having done some work with international students through my church, I was curious to make a comparison between international student and Third Culture Kid experiences upon arriving in the UK to study. I found that, in general, since international students have grown up in one place their whole lives and have only come to England for a short period of time to study, their experience of ‘homesickness’ tends to be greater than the TCKs’ experience. TCKs do not usually have an actual place that they miss; rather, they miss their family and friends who understood and shared in their mobile lifestyle. Also, TCKs may not experience ‘culture shock’ as quickly as international students do, since they are used to adapting to new environments. It is important to note that TCKs returning to their passport or ‘home’ country for university often face different challenges than TCKs who attend university in another ‘host country,’ that is, not their country of citizenship.
