Making sense of the TCK/global nomad life

May 30, 2014 8:19 AM

My personal history is something that has confounded me and still does. Please help me find some resources to help me make more sense of it.

I found this previous thread illuminating though I guess my question is more related to composing the narrative or finding a medium for expression.

some details my perspective: conceptually I’m what you could call a third-culture kid or global nomad: my parents took us abroad while they were graduate students and I grew up bilingual, but was taught to venerate a Homeland that I spent less than a couple of years while maintaining a somewhat estranged relation with the host country. Passportwise, I’m only a citizen of the Homeland and I’ve returned for a few years, worked there, but (alas) I’m living in yet another host country.

When I’m back in Homeland, I look like (almost) everyone else, and I talk almost like everyone, but my mannerisms and ways of being separate me seemingly from expats, or those who have gotten citizenship in a host country and are just back to visit relatives, etc. Like being a ‘hidden’ stranger in one’s ‘homeland’. As I plan to leave host country #3 in a few months, this issue is back into my immediate consciousness.

So my question(s) is: what can I do, what/who can I read and are there places to share my story?

I've only recently read Chang Rae-lee's Native Speaker and found it brilliant.

Thanks for reading.

posted by wallawallasweet to Writing & Language (8 answers total)

Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama.
posted by Bentobox Humperdinck at 10:22 AM on May 30, 2014

Oh man, when I came into my TCK awakening, TCKid was a thriving and vibrant community; it sucks that it's barely around anymore. But to actually answer your question, have you read the quintessential TCK book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds? You can also submit stories to magazines like Transitions Abroad. And feel free to me-mail me if you want to talk TCK issues.
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 2:21 PM on May 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

Try Denizen Magazine.

I also really loved The Poisonwood Bible for that outsider everywhere feeling.:)
posted by jrobin276 at 6:09 PM on June 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks for the response so far, I will take a look!

I came across a great series of essays by Andrew Lam titled 'East eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres.'

And this podcast from Gate 37, which is devoted to TCK related issues (first podcast is identity in journalism)

Take care!
posted by wallawallasweet at 6:30 AM on June 3, 2014

Most of the resources that helped me, about 10 to 15 years ago, aren't active anymore. Maybe the best adn most valuable thing you could do, for all us, is build us a new home on one of these new fangled social media platforms, why don't you?

Then we will have a place where to share our stories, instead of holding them inside and feeling terminally marginal, culturally and outside of time and space?
posted by infini at 12:35 PM on June 7, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: This is an excellent idea infini, and I think this project could be something that could serve to counter marginality and alienation.
posted by wallawallasweet at 10:05 AM on June 9, 2014

Response by poster: Just wanted to put in a plug in for a short article I wrote after some suggestions and inspiration I received here (thanks!)

As for infini's suggestion, I am still working on such a platform and am considering using the project created by a fellow MeFite mentioned here as a possibility(?) If you guys are still tracking this thread, I'd love to hear back!

Cheers
posted by wallawallasweet at 12:15 AM on October 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: It's brand new, no frills, and up! Tell your friends and other interested parties!
http://hybridity.withknown.com

I was looking at the configurations of the platform and I think it is open to the public, you just have to register to post. If anyone here wants to have admin functions, please MeMail me, the idea was to get the framework up and go from there depending on collective participation :)

Cheers!
posted by wallawallasweet at 1:22 AM on October 16, 2014