Third Culture Kids

The uncommon type of citizens

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Stories: Meet 'Tim'

"It was never my choice. Now, depending on the situation, I choose whoever I want to be".

TCKs learn to move in and out of their cultural identities in search for cultural stability.

'Tim's' Cultural Journey

'Tim' was born in Canada. His dad is from Brazil and his mum from Chile. He lived in 4 countries throughout his childhood, Canada, United States, Chile and Czech Republic. At some point he was moving every 6 months from Europe to South America. He can speak 4 different languages, although he says he can't master any of them. As a kid, he never got a say in his family's decisions when moving. Now, he would like to go back to Canada, since he has the citinzenship and he never got the chance to go back. He likes to choose who he wants to be. Sometimes he is Czech, sometimes Brazilian, but he feels mostly Chilean.

Stories: Meet 'Casey'

"I loved travelling as a kid. It makes you more open-minded. The bad thing is not being able to fit in sometimes".

Positive responses a TCK may experience include flexibility, adaptability, openness, empathy, a culturally rich experience, and tactfulness.

'Casey's' Cultural Journey

'Casey' considers himself French, Rwandan, Zambian, Burundian, Ugandan, and Kenyan. He has a French father and a Rwandan mother. He moved during his childhood, and didn't grow up in neither of his parents' cultures. He was raised in an international environment, and being surrounded with people with similar backgrounds made it easy-going for him in terms of relating with people and expressing himsef. Although whenever he was outside of that environment it was hard for him to fit in or to find belonging.

Stories: Meet 'Keira'

"When I was a kid I never understood why my skin colour was always pointed out, I only wanted to blend in".

One of the challenges is developing a sense of belonging, commitment, and attachment to a culture. These factors play a strong role in one's self-esteem and identity.

'Keira's' Cultural Journey

'Keira' is half Latina and half European. She was born in the Caribbean and grew up in 4 different Latin American countries. She was frequently pointed out due to her skin colour, and was discriminated at times. She enjoyed the culture and traditions of the different cultures she lived in, although she could never feel attached to any –feeling rejected from some of her host countries wouldn't allow her. This cultural rootlessness made her feel lost and alienated at times. Now, she understands that her cultural identity is the sum of all of her experiences. The good and the bad.

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What is 'TCK'?

Third culture kids (TCKs) are people who were raised in a culture other than their parents', or other than their place of birth or nationality. They create and live in a third culture that integrates their parents’ culture and their host culture(s) into a culture unique to the TCK’s experience.

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The TCK experience

The TCK has no control over where they are raised yet they are affected by the change in environment. Parents of TCKs often do not receive training in how to handle culture shock, transitions, and repatriation successfully with their TCK. Their mobility experience denies them a sense of home, roots and the stable network of relationships. Which leads to not being able to adapt and develop an identity. Those who do not feel as though they belong are considered "culturally homeless”.

TCK and Loss

Although it is true the majority of people experience loss in childhood, TCKs may be exposed to a significantly higher number of losses. Losses may include family, friends, culture, passport country, school, environment, belongings, relationships, traditions, and home. These losses may be unrecognised or minimised, and may lead to “unresolved feelings of loss and grief”. If these feelings are not properly processed, their identity development may be affected, and they risk feeling alienated, helpless, and lost. These feelings might affect the TCK’s ability to trust and develop long-term relationships.

In between worlds and 'Ideal' TCK

It is like living in two worlds, feeling comfortable in one, sometimes in the other, but only truly comfortable in the space between. (Gardner, 2014) TCK usually finds acceptance and belonging with other TCKs.
Ideal TCK understands that each “life” shapes the bigger self-identity and is able to integrate those “lives” into a single persona. To integrate who they were with who they are while accepting each part as valuable.

Why is having a cultural identity important?

Culture is key to identity, as it serves the deep psychological functions of reducing human anxiety and providing members with identity. (Mason, 2009, p. 133) Identity can be defined as “knowing who you are” and the relevant variables would include culture, environment, relationships, possessions, and values.

Share your cultural journey and create your own character.
You can share it online, and/or download for personal use.

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This feature is currently under construction.
Once the countries are selected, the person's cultural journey is illustrated across a map. The software analises the structure of the chosen character and places the illustrated journey in it, creating a unique character based on a unique cultural experience. It can be shared, and downloaded for digital and printing purposes.
Scroll down to see shared stories and generated characters.

Character applications

Shared Stories and Characters

Keira

I'm half Colombian, half English. I was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and later live in Venezuela (twice), Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, and England.

Leo

Born in Prague. I have a French mom and Finnish dad, I have lived in France, Czech Republic and in the UK. I consider myself a European salad.

Tim

I am Canadian by passport, European by looks and South American by heart. My countries are Canada, the US, Czech Republic, Brazil, and Chile.

Sebastien

Both of my parents are French. I was born in Portugal and then we moved to France for a short time. We went to Peru, Canada, and Hong Kong where I currently am.

Paul

I am half French, half English. I have lived in France, Singapore, and most of my life in Thailand. Now I am in the UK, I came back to part of my roots.

Casey

I'm half Rwandan, half French. I consider myself from France, Rwanda, Zambia, Burundi, Uganda, and Kenya. All of these countries are part of who I am.

Yara

I have lived in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, India, Bosnia, and now in the Czech Republic. Even though I haven't lived in Malaysia for long, it's where I feel the most.

Agata

My parents and I are Czech. We live in the US, the Netherlands, Bosnia and then I came back to the Czech Republic after 10 years. I feel like a foreigner in my own land!

Xia

My parents are from China. I was born in Indonesia and lived there most of my life, then I moved to Singapore, and currently live in Austria.