What it’s Like to Belong Everywhere And Nowhere at the Same Time
Mark Twain once said: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it solely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
A Third Culture Kid, coined by American sociologist Ruth Useem, is also known as a child who is a blend from parents pertaining to different cultures (thus, broadened global perspectives), and who then spends a significant time of their developmental years outside of their parents’ culture.
Third Culture Kid is kind of my middle name. With a Japanese mother and a French father, I am bound to have already experienced two contrasting cultures; predetermining my eternal lack of real cultural identity, which many of my friends seemed to have. In addition to that, I left Japan at the age of 7, to Vancouver, then Paris from the ages of 9-16, Geneva for my last 2 years of highschool, London for university, and suddenly travelling on my placement year in NYC (study abroad), and Amsterdam (6-month-internship). If this gave you a bit of a head-ache, that is perfectly normal. Usually, when people ask where “home” is, I tend to have a mini internal panic before cheesily saying “wherever my family is”.
Consequently, this raised an interesting topic: the evolution of the international student into professional life. Exploring the advantages and drawbacks of such a unique type of person, I have interviewed students, an employee at the United Nations, along with the principal of the International School of Geneva (Campus des Nations), for a holistic view on how it impacts personal and professional life.
Interviewees Jaimie Williams (left) and Saaya Fujimoto (right)
1. The Rise of Multiculturalism and its Power
The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of “international” is power. The cunning ability to adapt, an unrivaled general awareness of the world, and the capability to connect with people regardless of cultural differences. Perhaps this is the solution to an undivided world? Are international schools the answer to biased perspectives or pejorative racial commentary? You’ll probably be able to make your own assumptions following this article.
Jaimie Williams, the principal of the IB Diploma Program at the International School of Geneva, sees a rise in multiculturalism, with currently 84 foreign languages spoken. However, he explains: “I’m just worried that by being in such an international environment, everyone’s culture merges and we spit out the ‘international student’.” In turn, rather than emphasizing the students’ individuality advantageously, they relate to each other in a more globalized way, emphasizing on how they resemble one another, contrary to how they are different.
Furthermore, Saaya Fujimoto, a fellow international student, has always lived in Kobe, Japan. However, since preschool she attended the Marist Brothers International School, stating that, “My mom threatened me to go to public school when I would act out as a teenager, because I never wanted to leave.” She continues, “I knew I didn’t fit into Japanese culture anyway, I was usually made fun of, because I didn’t understand slang, or some other jargon they used.” Although Saaya was fully Japanese, growing up in a multicultural environment mostly meant that she could never go back to a local, Japanese one. Most people in Japan do not plan to leave the country, hence the idea of teenagers living in many places is seen as extremely unique. Some may see this as alienating, with an inevitable disconnect to their cultural identity, but it is in fact powerful. Being able to leave the country you were born in, to then go and experience new ones, only opens the mind, and in consequence, many parents are deciding to grant their children this opportunity.
2. Advantages - A Global Citizen
There are certainly countless advantages of being a TCK (Third Culture Kid), including open-mindedness, adaptability and different perspectives on the social/environmental climate. According to the IBO Blog, some students were asked about their take on diversity, tackling questions on identity from their unique experiences, along with understanding their position as a global citizen. Eman Elraie portrays this as: “your actions can amplify kindness and underneath all the difference we all have the same values of empathy.”
Currently, the talk of inclusivity and representation in business is all around, as allowing individuals to represent themselves and their differences is important to raise conversations, allowing future innovation as well as acknowledgement of global differences in general. Additionally, it is no secret that the more you understand international relations, the more considerate you are in business, thus, the more chance you have of succeeding. Erin Meyer’s “The Culture Map”, decodes how different cultures think, exploring the methods of cultural consideration and rising over potential clashes in the workplace. Saaya also speaks about Japan’s homogenous culture: “if you don’t look or speak Japanese, you’re a foreigner,” and her experience in New York City has shown her that not every country sees people this way. World Trade Organisation employee Mona Shresta explains: “I think a key thing that third-culture individuals bring is adaptability, being able to adapt so much on a personal level, leads them to become highly adaptable professionally too, and in the future, take lots of leadership initiative.” Therefore, if someone has already been raised in an environment that emphasizes on consideration and open mindedness for new experiences, the adaptation process becomes a lot easier and even fun.
3. Disadvantages: What is Your Identity?
Conversely, there are disadvantages of being so multicultural. What is our true identity? Where can we call home? Many people struggle with this, especially when being around friends whom are so certain of where they come from. Thus, because of persistent geographical adjustments, a TCK becomes independent, sometimes resulting in a lone-wolf effect, making it difficult to function in society in a healthy manner.
According to TCKWorld: “TCK’s can never change back into a monocultural person (...) enriched by having shared life in their formative years with other people.” Similarly, Saaya has definitely felt this being fully Japanese going to an international school. After interviewing Mona Shrestha at the WTO in Geneva, she expressed that some drawbacks of hiring highly international people are: “They move a lot. Being international probably means that they are used to moving so much that now it feels restricting to remain in one place.” This is certainly something I have felt over the years. I am almost incapable of staying in one place for more than three years, with a constant need to travel and discover more of the world.
Moreover, some cultures find it more difficult to adapt, explains Jaimie Williams: “Some students fly directly from Japan and struggle to settle into school, as they already tend to keep an extremely strong link with home, and also experience language barriers.” Comparably, Saaya highlights her difficulty with: “being away from family, because in Japan, everyone goes to the same country, so you’re not really close to your friends either, especially with timezones.” then she explains: “I feel like I am losing touch with my Japanese culture by being far from it. I only speak it with my mom.” Hence, staying in touch with your individual culture requires lots of effort; speaking the language, watching the local news, along with spending time with people from that same culture.
Another matter that was raised is the idea you may have of your culture. Perhaps you remember growing up in a certain country, or maybe you never did but your parents belong to that country, the idea you have of this place can be deceiving. Jaimie Williams focused on his daughter: “She lived in the UK for probably 9 months when she was little, but wanted to go back to university. She was really lucky to have enjoyed the experience because so many students have felt disappointed, realizing they are actually so different to this culture they thought to have belonged to.” Moreover, being disappointed in such a way can only emphasize this feeling of non-identity.
4. Coping Mechanisms
Several organisations aid the possible emotional distress that is felt during periods of change. At the International School of Geneva, the school gets visited very often for intra- and trans-cultural understanding, to ensure a welcoming and global environment. Every year, the school organizes a “Kermesse”, a fair with global food, activities and games, designed for the students to feel the school spirit. However, Jaimie finds it “a bit superficial” and that “it’s a bit of a shame because we are not very explicit about it, our students don’t have many opportunities to promote who they are.” Consequently, this is a topic that has been on his mind for a while, and has created a project with the Student Council, to grapple with the ideas of cultural biases. “It’s a minefield but very interesting,'' he confirms, as he pushes for further implication of the Student Council referring to social matters at school: “They interview people, help write policies, chair, and also we make public all policies so people know their rights, which I think is very important.”
In addition, Mona notices how international Geneva is and the opportunities there are for openness. With many cultural events such as the photographic exhibition “The Light at the End of the Tunnel,” the film screening “Interdependence,” or the talk “4 Corners of Expression,” along with books such as Ibram Kendi’s “How to be an Antiracist,”all cater to educate people in an international environment. I do remember Geneva as significantly open and aware of how globalized the world is. I went to an international school, but my mother attended these events as, she too, was a complete foreigner.
5. An International School’s Effort to Link with Local Institutions?
Exploring the notion of international schools is one thing, but seeing if international schools can be more monocultural is more complicated. Jaimie Williams felt disheartened in telling me that ISG does not partner extensively with the local community: “Antoine (coach) was very good in this however, because if you play football at nations, you can play in the local team (Versoix or Grand-Sac).” Other than that there are no links to local communities. Nevertheless, something could be done if it is embedded in the curriculum, connecting the students to the place where they live in addition to where they study. Personally, I have met one actual Swiss person in my year group, meaning my connection to Swiss culture was very significant.
Nonetheless, Saaya views links to culture within an International School as relatively impossible. “I immediately click with people just because they are an international student, and it would be hard to make friends with someone who is super true to their culture,'' she explained as she described a conflict between a Chinese and Japanese individuals. Although the majority of international students have identity crises, you ultimately belong to this crowd, and there are many of us in this case.
Evidently, there are numerous reasons why being multicultural is difficult and sometimes lonely, but it is also quite amazing. I would never trade any of my opportunities back for one less goodbye at school or one less big moving van. This is what makes me who I am today and I truly believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, especially considering social media platforms, where I occasionally spend virtual dinners with my friends abroad — after calculating the time difference of course!