What follows is a paper I wrote for one of my English classes in college. It is about me in a sense as I am what the subject talks about, a TCK.
Benjamin Hinely
The Third Culture Kid Phenomena
The meaning of TCK
Who or what is a Third Culture Kid? A
person, who in their formative and developmental years, spent time in a culture
not of their parents, growing up in it and often going back and forth between
the two (Useem). They are “in between” cultures, hence the third culture name,
not as some assume, a third world country.
A Third Culture Kid or TCK extends ties to each culture he or she comes
in contact with, but often lacks a sense of truly connecting with any,
including the birth country. Aspects of each of these multifarious cultures are
assimilated into the TCKs life experience, but the only place a TCK ever truly
feels at “home” is among those like themselves. Those who have grown up in the world
and are as much a part of it as they are not.
Description of TCK’s
Their parents can be missionaries
(making the kids missionary kids or MKs), business men or women, in the
military (military brats), or even in the Foreign Service. Even our illustrious
leader, Barack Obama, is a third culture kid. He was raised elsewhere, had an
African father, and an American mother. How many TCK’s are there? "Currently, there are between three and six million
private American citizens living abroad…” (Maloney). This number is just
Americans, not counting those from every other country. That is a vast number
of people to not be recognized formally in the public eye.
TCK’s
are a “rootless” (Pollock 121) culture; the thing that ties them
together is their very nature of having no formal home. Rootless people live in
one culture, think of another and have trouble connecting with any. The
constant moving is an issue, and makes it hard to put down said roots. While
the passport or visa of each TCK may say one country (America, Tibet, etc.) it
is rarely where they feel most at home. The nature of being in between is a
difficult one; a person is often unsure of who he or she is, or where one belongs.
It is also an oft forgotten position; TCK’s are little spoken about and, in
general, unknown.
MK’s
Amongst
this mass of individuals is the MK (or missionary kid). While their story is
not too different from the other TCK’s, they do have a unique set of
circumstances that set them apart. First of all, the parents’ purpose is
altruistic, they are there not to make money or talk to Heads of State, but to
speak to and lead individuals to Christ. This Christian atmosphere lends to a
strong family interdependence. So while the isolations of intercultural living
are hard, the family is a strong unit that helps to keep its parts healthy and
growing.
Situations
faced by MK’s
Like
other TCK’s, MK’s have to deal with multiple language barriers, racial issues,
and lack of conveniences. But there are specific issues too, such as a
hostility of the locals towards any foreigner or towards any religion not of
their own. As parents integrate into the local culture, they are often absent
or separate from their children for long periods of time. This can create a schism
between the MK and parent, often hurting the family bond; but this bond can
improve as the adults grow into their local roles and become more comfortable
in the environment.
Education
is one of the biggest obstacles in an MK’s life. This is because most parents
fully intend on sending their children home at some point to function and live.
It is hard to gain an accurate grasp on how to act in one’s home culture, if he
or she has been raised in another culture entirely. Missionary parents have tried
many options for properly educating their children: home school, home school
and part time at a “local school” (local schools, in some parts of the world,
are often underfunded and have sketchy qualifications) , full time at a local
school, private school, or the biggest decision: boarding school. A long time
ago, the ultimate choice was to send them back to England or America to live
with relatives or even complete strangers. At least with boarding school, the
MK’s were on the same continent with the parents.
It is
important to point out though, that the boarding school experience can be a
positive one. The bonds formed with fellow school mates can substitute
biological family ties. And being away from home can keep MK’s safe from the
dangers at home (i.e. war, guerrillas etc.).
It is
hard for an MK to keep tie with people and places for the fact that their lives
are in a constant state of flux. The friendships and memories are made and can
be deep, but in the shuffle, they can broken and forgotten. Moving constantly
is common, and so is moving because of local conflicts and all out war. The
mission as an organization often moves its people around at a whim, as jobs did
not fit, or the personnel were unfit for the work (Interview With Deborah).
In contrast
to this though, is the fact that when the moving and going about is done, there
is a longing for the old country, the old way of living. A want is there, for
how perfect things were, even in the imperfectness of it all! This aching is cavernous and if let be, it
can swallow a person up. Many MK’s resort to writing poetry to help cope with
these feelings of loss, this can be either therapeutic or detrimental. (Interview
With Deborah)
“I was
in a country
once
that
knew me:
knew me
like the rain
knows the
red eye dove, like
the
river knows its bed,
like the
sun knows
the
elephant’s back.”
(Orr 66).
The poem
above exemplifies the yearning to be in a place that is familiar. “like the
river knows its bed” shows the level of familiarity that is wanted, a belonging
so ingrained as to be a literal mark upon the earth. Roots, so to speak.
Support
In terms of support, there are no
official groups that help MK’s or TCK’s in need of aid. MK’s do have camps,
like summer camp, where they can be with others like them from all over the
world and have fun together. There is also a debriefing of sorts held for
International Mission Board missionary families in Richmond, Virginia.
Culture
shock
“The
term "culture shock" was coined by Kalvero Oberg in 1954.” Early into any new cultural experience, many
people face the phenomena and, to be honest, the trauma of culture shock. This
is where the differences of the culture overwhelm a person, and can lead to:
“* Unwarranted criticism of the culture and
people
* Heightened irritability
* Constant complaints about the climate
* Continual offering of excuses for staying
indoors
* Utopian ideas concerning one's previous
culture
* Continuous concern about the purity of
water and food
* Fear of touching local people
* Refusal to learn the language
* Preoccupation about being robbed or
cheated
* Pressing desire to talk with people who
"really make sense”
*
Preoccupation with returning home”
(http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/shock.html)
Culture
shock is faced by many, but is often ignored, or even goes unrealized. It is
key to see the symptoms and then to strive to overcome them in order to accept
any new culture. While some people do in fact not face this issue, most do. It
is usually just a few of the above indicators that are felt, but it is just as
likely to be affected by all of them.
When coming into a new culture, one
of two paths can be taken. As the diagram above shows, it helps to be open to
new things when going into the experience. Everyone will inevitably face one of
the above reactions (frustration, confusion, etc); it is in dealing with these
that positive results can be garnered. In opposition the figure also shows an opposite
reaction, one with a negative connotation; this because all people are
different and react accordingly. (http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/shock.html)
Benefits and Positive outcomes
With all of this personal, world
experience, MK’s and TCK’s are often sought after in the business realm for
their language knowledge, or for those without that, their ability to easily
bridge the cultural divide. Government agencies which work overseas want to
hire those with actual hands on experience over those without. Aid
organizations, such as C.A.R.E. also like former MK’s. While some do indeed
cave under the pressure of the lifestyle, it is those who overcome any
hardships who can truly succeed. (Interview with Deborah)
Conclusion
TCK’s are a sub-culture with members
numbering in the many millions. They come from all walks of life, poor and rich
alike, all races and nations; no color, lifestyle or creed is exempt. TCK’s are
an often overlooked or unknown group. They face unique issues, and must either
face them and overcome, or fail and be thrown by the wayside. But TCK’s are
here, and will continue to be, as long as there are those who are willing work
away from home and bring along the family. It also seems that, with the world
swiftly and continually being globalized there will be more of them in the
rapidly approaching future.
Works Cited
Interview with
Deborah Hinely. Student, Benjamin Hinely.
Librarian, Deborah Hinely. Conyers,
Ga, 2009.
“Maloney Amendment
To Count Americans Living Abroad In Census Passes In The House.”
maloney.house.gov. July 18, 2001
Neil Orr, Elaine. “Gods of Noonday, A White Girl's African
Life.” 1. Charlottesville, VA: University
of Virginia
Press, 2003. Print.
Pollock, David C., and Ruth E. Van Reken. “The Third Culture
Kid Experience, Growing Up Among
Worlds.”
Yarmouth, Maine. Intercultural Press 1999.
Useem, Ruth. "Third Culture Kids: Focus of Major Study."
International School Services, 2001
Web.13 Jul
2009.
<http://www.iss.edu/pages/kids.html>.
“Understanding culture stress, Coping with
culture shock, Globalization:
Survival skills for
missionaries, foreign exchange students and others
working to weather cultural shock
as they bridge cultural differences.” home.snu.edu/ . July 2002.
<http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/shock.html>.
(p.s. yes i know the works cited is not formatted correctly, i just don't feel like re-formatting it)
