Third Culture Kids

Third culture kids are those that have spent their formative years in a culture that is other than that of their parents. Many of us in the expat community have kids that fall in this category. My kids definitely are third culture kids or TCKs. Both of them either through birth or through residence, lived in countries other than India in their formative years. This has left our family with a mixed bag of experiences; some very happy moments and memories and some a bit painful and difficult. Relocating to a new country, new continent, new neighborhood and new school every three or four years is extremely challenging. Saying goodbye to friends, classmates, building doormen and neighborhood grocers etc is heart wrenching each time. Relocating after all is the third most challenging situation in life after death and divorce!

At the same time saying hello to a whole new world is equally thrilling and exciting for everyone in the family. To those who have never moved it appears to be impossible to imagine, this constant uprooting and replanting. My boss, Professor S at Adelphi University would say to me often, how do you do it Padmini?! Having lived on Long Island his entire life, it was incomprehensible. Some relatives and friends in Mumbai would look at me puzzled, trying to figure out if there was some problem in our lives  which made us move every few years!

But my kids, the TCKs, are such a beautiful blend of British, Japanese, American and Philippino cultures and yet are essentially Indian. They are at home whether in Mumbai or New York;  feel equally comfortable in rikshas or underground trains and find shopping in street markets as exciting as shopping on fifth avenue, love eating sushi, panipuri and shepherd's pie!

When they are much older they will look back at their unique childhood and rejoice in the fact that they are truly global citizens. Until then we just march on, welcoming new friends into our lives and overcoming the tragedy of growing distant from the friends we made in our last port of call.