Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Third Culture Kids: Global Nomads

“A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture(s). Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.

Who is a global nomad? A global nomad is an individual who, spending a significant part of their developmental years in another culture, develops some sense of belonging to both the host culture and the home culture, while not having a sense of total ownership in either. Elements from both (or multiple) cultures are blended, resulting in the third culture.


Third Culture Kids <--- My kids are one of them. I have a Filipino culture, they we're born in another country where I lived for 15 years, now moved to a different country and will continue to do so in the next 20 years or so.

I have been reading articles about TCK and found out that there are many factors and advantages belonging to this group. Most TCK kids who have survived the countless transitions from birth til adulthood have embraced the lifestyle and determined to pass it on to their kids. Few of this people I met earlier in the workshop sponsored by the International School where my kids go. They we're sharing experiences on how restless they become when they get back to their country of origin. They explained the difficulty of relating to their local friends and how shallow the relationship is.

I will buy the book and read more on it, just for me to be able to help my kids get through this stage of their life. Afterall, it's my solemn duty to guide and raised them the best that I can :)


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