Third Culture Kids

Out of class

Last Thursday, the author of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, Ruth Van Reken came to our school to give a presentation. A third culture kid can be defined as "someone, as a child, who has spent a significant period of time in one or more culture(s) other than his or her own, thus integrating elements of those culture and their own birth culture, into a third culture".

I don't really consider myself as a third culture kid because the first time when I've lived in a foreign culture was when I was 16. The Vietnamese or American (school) culture does influence me, but not as big as an impact that will affect my birth culture.

I think the greatest, or even saddest, issue among third culture kids is that they don't know where their home is. Or even, where do they belong? This is a problem especially when they have not lived in their passport country long enough to know and love it. And no matter how long they have lived in a foreign country, it may seem to be their home to them, but they are still regarded as foreigners, mostly because of their physical appearance. Then comes the issue of what culture do they really belong to? Are they the same as the people of their passport culture or similar to those in their host country? Why can't they fit into any particular group?

It is important to have a sense of belonging in our life, so when we are unable to establish our roots in a place, the next best solution is to have good relationships with people among the world.

Source of image: http://net3.hkbu.edu.hk/~selmer/BD19932_%5B1%5D.gif