Merry Christmas!

Selamat Hari Natal - Merry Christmas!

In the latest issue of Among Worlds magazine (December 2006), we tried to include Christmas greetings in as many languages as we could fit (into the space that was available) on the inside cover. I know that many greetings were not visible - but we ran out of space!!!!!

Many of you are probably busy with last minute gift buying and wrapping, or with decorating your home. If you didn't "make" time to mail out the yearly newsletter or Christmas card, remember that you can still use the internet to send greeting cards and email newsletters!

For some, this is a time of separation from family and loved ones. Separation during special times/holidays is not easy - nor should it be treated as something trivial. As TCKs, we all remember that feeling of being apart from those we love. I have no golden words, no verbal balm to offer, except to say that I understand and empathize! So...what to do, you ask? Well...volunteer at a homeless shelter, visit a children's ward at your local hospital, help out at an orphanage, give a gift of cleaning a friend's house or apartment, take some home-cooked meals to an invalid or to someone who is house-bound...there are numerous ways to keep busy, give of your time and best of all, make others feel special! Doing that reaps rewards back to you!

See you in the New Year!

From my heart to yours,
Margie
Editor, Among Worlds magazine

Complex Legacies

Is it a quaint/eccentric characteristic of just global nomadic families - or is it part of every family - that discussions within immediate families will touch on the legacy of the parents/kids/siblings?

I know that I have thought about that particular issue - what kind of legacy will I hand down? Is that something we create as we go along? Or is that something that just "happens"?

Robin Pascoe, expat writer, covers some aspects of that in the following article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2003/09/22/elkids22.xml. (If you want to read more about, and by, Robin, go to her website at www.expatexpert.com where she offers a lot of insight into the expat life.)

Hmmmm...so much to think about this morning!

Magazine Notice

The December 2006 issue of Among Worlds magazine was mailed out the last week of November. Which means that many of you who have been viewing this blogsite found out about it via the magazine - where we announced that the site was finally here.

For the increase in viewers - I am grateful! But, woefully, there have been no new entries, comments, etc. being left by you, the reader (of the magazine, of this blogsite, or both). We try to visit here regularly so that if anyone does leave a comment, we can respond in a timely manner. Of course, we didn't update the site since the end of October and for that, we apologize.

So...AW subscribers...are you going to comment? Leave any suggestions? Tell us what you think of this site?

I sure hope so...and we (the trio who put this together) look forward (eagerly) to corresponding with you!

Happy Halloween!

It's the night where North American and Northern European children (and some grown-ups!) enjoy dressing up as someone else for the night. Parents will take their small costumed children from house-to-house to collect candies and treats. (This Wikipedia entry offers more on the history, meaning, and locations where the holiday is celebrated.)

Multicultural schools provide a location where children are exposed to the holidays and traditions of their friends from other cultures. What holidays from your host culture(s) or other cultures are now a part of your family's repertoire? Which of them have you passed to your children?

More updates!

We've added two more author profiles!

Check out our recent posts and leave your comments:

• Around the world at the dinner table
• Do expats run in your family?

EDIT:

We've added a section to our navigation bar entitled "TCK Blogs". Here, you can find blogs by other TCKs in cyberspace. If you have a blog, leave us a comment and let us know -- we'll link you too!

We've also added a section called "Expat Blogs" where you might find some useful links as well!

Among Worlds Author: Ray Pittman

Name: Ray Pittman
Countries: Philippines and Indonesia
Kind of TCK: Missionary Kid

As an adult I've worked in Japan, China, Thailand, and Fiji. I currently reside in Fiji with my wife and two little girls. Taking a break from several years of leading an adventure study abroad program.

Among Worlds Author: Deb Kartheiser

Name: Deb Kartheiser
Countries: Japan, USA
Kind of TCK: Missionary's kid
Where you currently live: Rockford, Illinois (middle-class America in the blue-collar heartland, how ironic)
Main identifying characteristics: Refusing to act my age; rushing in where angels fear to tread; holding nothing sacred.
Current professional reincarnation: Training for a new career in veterinary medicine. Since my employer is an emergency clinic, I work nights and weekends, opposite from most of the rest of the planet.
Previous professional incarnations: Freelance journalist for national manufacturing/marketing publications (6 years); Church music ministry leader (6 years); Newspaper reporter at a daily metro paper in Florida (8 years); Advertising copywriter in Florida and Indiana (4 years); Radio commercial writer/producer in Indiana (4 years); Many other metamorphoses including grocery produce manager, child care worker and group-home houseparent for developmentally disabled adults.
Among Worlds articles: Too numerous to mention, starting with every issue since the magazine became a magazine. (Currently on sabbatical, due to the energy expended toward my current reincarnation, see above)
School experiences: Everything from U.S. public school and international schools in Japan to home schooling, international boarding school and missionary-run boarding school.
Contact Info: You can reach me at hopespringseternal54@yahoo.com. Because of my vampire-like work schedule, I can't guarantee a quick response, but I'd be glad to hear from you!

Around the world at the dinner table

This summer, the International Herald Tribune published "Picky eaters? Not these children". The author discusses the unusual palate that TCK children develop living in multiple locations.

Van Reken still serves palm butter and greens, a favorite African meal, when her family gathers for dinner.

Basia Coben, a British mother in London, noticed a significant change in her children's eating habits when they bought a vacation home in Spain. "They now love grilled fish, oysters and mussels," she said.

Speaking for myself, my mom made dishes from India, Czech Republic, Greece, China, and Russia (to name just a few). It wasn't until moving back to the U.S. for college that I realized such diverse dinners were unusual among my peers!

What role did moving around play on your eating preferences? What would a neighbour be surprised to find you eating (and loving!)?

Do expats run in your family?

On April 28, 2006, The International Herald Tribune ran an article called "When expats run in the family".

MK Ruth van Reken (a co-author of Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds) is quoted throughout the article.

Robin Pascoe, a Canadian author and wife of a diplomat observes:

If a parent raises two children overseas, one will typically replicate the lifestyle as an adult, while the other will want to stay put and never move again.

Comment here and share your experiences. Are you still a nomad -- either physically moving or in other ways? Are your siblings? Are your children?

Among Worlds Author: Andy Kerr

Name: Andy Kerr
Species: Missionary Kid
Habitat: Wild cartoonists have been spotted in Costa Rica, California, Spain, and Germany. The most recent sightings indicate that this example is currently nested in northern Indiana. It is unknown as to whether the wild cartoonist can be fully domesticated.
Behaviour: The wild cartoonist often earns his living through the creative visual arts, principally as a graphic designer and webmaster.
Distinctive Markings: "You Know You're an MK When..." (Watermelon World Publishing); "Small World" cartoons (Among Worlds); MK-related article of unremembered title (Latin America Evangelist)
Photo: The wild cartoonist is too often found on the *other* side of the camera.
Websites: http://mklist.com - http://members.kconline.com/kerr
(infrequently updated)
Blog: http://winonalakekerrs.blogspot.com

Soon to come...

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our blog! Please use the links at right to navigate through our posts. We are excited to introduce our authors to you!

Items we are working on include:

• Profiles of more Among Worlds authors
• Lists of TCK resources
• Links to TCK blogs

While this site is still under construction, please feel free to comment below and leave us your thoughts on what you'd like to see on this site.

And if you know of TCK clubs or gatherings in your area, please share that info!

Among Worlds Author: Lisa McKay

Lisa McKay is an Australian forensic psychologist and the Director of Training and Education Services for the Headington Institute, a non-profit that provides psychological and spiritual support for humanitarian workers around the world. Lisa writes education and training material and runs workshops nationally and internationally on traumatic stress and humanitarian work, a role that draws on both her background in trauma psychology and her experiences growing up as a “third culture kid” in Australia, Canada, Bangladesh, the US, Zimbabwe, Indonesia and the Philippines. For fun, Lisa writes essays about her own adventures (and misadventures) on the road. Her first novel is due to be released in September 2007. Lisa can be contacted at: lmckay@headington-institute.org.
Among Worlds articles:
• “Where’s the fun in normal”, August 2006
• “Breaking the rules of transient living”, November 2005
Recent publications:
• Trauma and critical incident care for humanitarian workers, Headington Institute, July 2006 (online training module)
• The tired Samaritans, Notre Dame Magazine, October 2005 (essay)
After the tsunamis: Why aid the aidworkers? Headington Institute Briefing, April 2005 (article)
• Peace by Piece Headington Institute, 2004/2005 (monthly series for humanitarian workers)
• Helping the Helpers: Understanding, assessing and treating humanitarian workers experiencing acute stress reactions, Headington Institute, June 2004 (Continuing Education Module for mental health professionals)
• Church World Service Says Training, Counseling Help Staff Cope with Strain of Violence, InterAction Monday Developments, September 2004 (article)

Among Worlds Author: Jonathan Addleton

Jonathan Addleton was born and raised in Pakistan, where is parents served as missionaries. He recently returned to Pakistan as head of the USAID Mission in that country. Previously, he worked with USAID in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Yemen, Jordan and South Africa. His memoir on a TCK childhood in Pakistan was published by University of Georgia Press under the title Some Far and Distant Place. He has also published articles in a variety of publications, including Asian Survey, Asian Affairs, Muslim World, Foreign Service Journal and the Washington Post. His contributions to Among Worlds include articles on ideas of home and the challenges of raising children abroad.
Photo: This photo taken from http://www.usaid.gov/pk/mission/letter/index.htm

Among Worlds Author: Andy Fletcher

Andy Fletcher graduated from the American International School of Zurich (now the ZIS) in 1971 and attended universities in Texas, Japan, and California. He taught math and German in West Hollywood, math and history at the AISZ in Zurich and Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, and taught and coached part time at the International School of Geneva and College du Leman. He's living in his 42nd home, having lived in four countries in 26 cities or villages, had eighteen jobs and twenty-six cars, has skied in seventy-three ski resorts in five states and six countries, visited over 60 countries, and has friends from 123 countries. His wife is a TCK from the Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, and his children were TCKs in Geneva, having attended Swiss schools in French for their first five years of education. He's published close to 200 articles and radio commentaries along with portions of a number of books and a monthly humor column for five years, and has written several entire books that nobody really wanted to publish, so he published them himself. He is now the President and Executive Director of Life, the Universe and Everything, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to working with international schools and communities, offering seminars on faith and physics, and on Third Culture Kids, transition, reentry, cross-cultural assimilation, grief, depression, and other topics related to a transient expatriate lifestyle. He speaks German, Swiss German, French, Japanese, and Spanish, ranging in skill from bad to very bad.

Among Worlds Author: Nora Kohri

Name: Nora Kohri
Countries: My passport country is Japan, but I grew up in Bronx, New York during my elementary school years. I spent my high school and college (University of Toronto) in Toronto, Canada, and in between, lived in Japan. To me, going back home(?) was more foreign than going abroad. I also raised two TCKs in Singapore, Japan, and now in the US. So an Adult TCK raising new generation of TCKs.
Kind of TCK: Corporate brat
Current residence: New York, US
Current profession: Overseas birth and childcare consultant, International medical / clinical social worker. I have gathered information on birth and childcare practice of over 60 countries. I am also a counselor to expat mothers and ATCKs, many issues related to identity and language. I got my training as a clinical social worker and was granted Masters in Social Work from Columbia University where I concentrated in health, mental health, and disabilities. Lecture topics cover:
• "Overseas childbirth"
• "Difference in Discipline: East and West"
• "Life overseas with pre-schoolers"
• "How to be prepared for crisis during foreign mission"
• "How to raise a bilingual child"
• "Tips on life in Southeast Asia"
• "Bullying target: third culture kids"
• "Overseas Maternal and child health"
• "Preschool education in a foreign country"
Photo: Taken in front of the big drums at the temple in Tokyo, Japan, the country that's most foreign to me, but fascinating.
Among Worlds articles:
• “Not being able to become an ‘International Person’”, September 2002
• “Look at ME ! Not My Color”, September 2004
• “Global Gypsy”, December 2004
Articles and books:
All publications below are written in Japanese:
• Kohri, N., Having Babies Overseas. Tokyo: Japan Times, (1993)
• Kohri, N., Raising Children Overseas. Tokyo: Japan Times, (1994)
• Kohri, N., Living with your live-in Maid. Tokyo: Care the World, (1998)
• Kohri, N., Starting your new life abroad. Osaka: NOVA, (1999)
• Kohri, N., Raising Children Bilingual. Tokyo: Japan Times, (2002)
All articles topics below were written in Japanese:
• "Born overseas: Are we to be called returnee?" / "What's wrong with mix bilingual?" /"School lunch of the world" / "Difference in schools : West and East" / "I've been discriminated!" /"Name: it's my identitiy"
Website: http://www.caretheworld.com/eng/index.html
Contact me: info@caretheworld.com　

Among Worlds Editor: Margie Ulsh

Name: Margie Ulsh Countries: I grew up on the western half of the 2nd largest island in the world called Papua (formerly known as Nederlands Nieuw Guinea/Irian Barat/West Irian/Irian Jaya). I also lived in Malaysia (Cameron Highlands and Penang) during my high school years.

Kind of TCK: MK (Missionary Kid) Where you currently live: Lawrenceville, GA, USA Current profession: Editor, Among Worlds magazine Among Worlds articles: • “Letters from the Heart”, 2001 - Present Photos: The photo to the right was taken in the Baliem Valley of Irian Jaya - among the people I grew up with. I was 19 at the time. Contact Info: amongworlds@interactionintl.org, or call me at 678-469-5752.

Among Worlds Author: Vicki Ray

Name: Vicki Ray
Countries: I’ve lived, attended school and/or worked in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Kind of TCK: Corporate brat
Where you currently live: Austin, TX.
Current profession: I have an MBA and a brand new MA in Counseling. I’m excited about combining my ATCK, business and counseling skills to work with highly mobile professionals and their families.
Among Worlds articles:
• “Dancing Around the Edges of Authority”, June 2006 (co-author)
• “Re-Entry: Who Am I Now?”, March 2006
• “Faux Pas and Faux Amis”, December 2005
• “Navigating the Marginal Path”, September 2005
• “Our Multi-Dimensional Souls”, June 2005
• “What Color is Your Chameleon?”, March 2005
Photo: From an excellent holiday in Egypt!
Contact Info: I am gathering resources and stories from TCKs and ATCKs who have sought out counseling and would love to hear what worked well for you – and what didn’t work, too! My email: vray@austin.rr.com

Among Worlds Author: Rosann Collins

Name: Rosann Collins
Biography: Rosann grew up in Indonesia, and went to boarding schools in Malaysia and the Philippines. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is a 2nd grade teacher. She loves to write for herself and her students, and the only piece she has published is called "Lake Toba" in Among Worlds. The words came pouring out of her one rainy fall, as she was missing her ‘other’ home (Indonesia).
Photo: The pic is of me in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, where I was doing some tsunami relief work in the summer of 2005.

Among Worlds Author: Lois Bushong

Name: Lois Bushong
Countries where you have lived: Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Costa Rica, U.S.
Kind of TCK: MK
Where you currently live: Indianapolis, IN
Current profession: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Publications: Just this month I had a chapter published in a book. It is a new book just off the press titled, "Raising Global Nomads" with Robin Pascoe as the main author and Barbara Schaetti and I each have a chapter in it as well. It can be found on Amazon.com.
Photo: A picture of me on the zip line in Costa Rica just two years ago. My moments of terror and triumph over my fear of heights.
My email: ljbushong@gmail.com

Among Worlds Author: Scott Sutton

Name: Scott Sutton
Biography: Scott grew up playing soccer in the sands of Africa as the son of a missionary doctor. He has lived in Belgium, Chad, Germany and the USA. He attended the Black Forest Academy in Germany for high school and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for college. He currently lives in Crystal River, Florida, with his beautiful wife, Sarah. As a Communications Specialist for an electric utility, he handles all communications for 16 power plants and his passion is using communications skills to raise awareness of injustice around the world. Most recently he published "The Crisis in Darfur: Our Role as TCKs" in Among Worlds magazine. He maintains a personal blog at http://www.dyinginthedust.blogspot.com and welcomes all comments!
Photo: In the picture, I am sitting on a dusty road in Chad, Africa.

Glossary for Among Worlds

Key Terms:

Third Culture: This term was coined by sociologists Drs. John and Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s who studied Americans living and working abroad in India. They define the first culture as the home culture from which the adults came (for example, the US). The second culture is the host culture (for example, India). The third culture is the specific culture of the expatriate community in the host country (in this example, a community that is neither fully American nor fully Indian, and usually includes expats from a variety of other countries). Please note that “Third Culture” and “Third World” are not synonymous terms; the “Third Culture” experience can occur anywhere on the planet.

TCK: Third Culture Kid. This term was coined by Dr. Ruth Hill Useem in the 1960s. During her studies of expats, she realized that children who spend part or all of their formative years in a third culture environment were different from children raised solely in their passport country. Typically, TCKs are considered to be individuals up to 18 years of age.

ATCK: Adult Third Culture Kid. These are people who are now adults and who grew up as TCKs. Typically, these are people 18+ years old; however, college-aged individuals are sometimes referred to as TCKs.

Other Definitions:

Brat: This term generally refers to the son or daughter of a career military person. One possible source is that it comes from B.R.A.T. or British Regiment Attached Traveler. Use of the term has been expanded to include other children who accompany their parents’, such as “business brats”.

Corporate kid: Also know as a business brat. This refers to the child of a business employee or executive who is living or has lived overseas in a foreign culture.

Dip kid: Short for “diplomat’s kid.”

Global Nomad: This phrase was coined by Norma McCaig in 1996 and is defined as “someone who has lived abroad as a child because of a parent's career choice.” There is some debate as to whether a TCK and a Global Nomad have the same definition; however, these terms are often used interchangeably. An Adult Nomad is someone who is now an adult and who grew up as global nomads.

Global Soul: This comes from the title of a book by Pico Iyer, an ATCK and ethnic Indian who grew up in England and the US. He defines a global soul as “anyone born in several cultures”. As an adult, he splits his time between California and Japan.

MK: Short for “missionary kid.”

Mish kid: Alternative nickname for “missionary kid.”

PK: Short for “preacher’s kid.”

TC Adult: Third Culture Adult. This term is sometimes used to describe people who lived in their passport country as children, but then began traveling, living and/or working overseas extensively as adults.

TCP: Third Culture Person. This term is sometimes used to describe people who lived overseas as children.