The Haunted Ice Rink in Deira
The Haunted Ice Rink in Deira

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL:

The golden part of the evening, though, was trick-or-treating. For those of you who may have already thought ahead, yes oh yes, that meant the building became a 31 storey candied lolly-land, with at least 20 apartments on each floor to choose from—though chose we did not—we made sure to pay a visit to every single one…

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Traditions & CustomsBy Ava Senaratne (From Sri Lanka, Dubai & Melbourne. Living in Sydney)tck, TCK, Tck, third culture kid, Halloween, Dubai, Deira, U.A.E, home, apartment, childhood, childrenComment
Owning My Culture Crown
Owning My Culture Crown

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL:

I put my gown on and placed my tiara on my curly updo. Finally, I awarded myself the “Miss America” sash that I had marked with a sharpie to say “Miss ATCK,” instead…

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Traditions & CustomsBy Megan Norton (From the United States, South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Japan, Israel, Austria, Greece, Hungary, and Poland. Living in Michigan)TCK TOWN, tck, Tck, atck, Halloween, the States, South Africa, South Korea, Germany, Japan, Israel, Austria, Greece, Hungary, costume, Christian, holidays, identity, belonging, values, creativeComment
Staying True As A Javanese Woman
Staying True As A Javanese Woman

I was afraid that by identifying as a Javanese woman, I would be mistaken for being submissive, accepting and feminine. I would be misunderstood as being passive, when there is power in subtlety, courtesy, initiative, emotional mastery and consciousness...

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Us, Traditions & CustomsBy Dea Safira Basori (From Tehran, Mumbai & Lagos. Living in Jakarta)Tck, TCK, TCK TOWN, third language, third culture kid, cultural, cultures, culture, gender, women, woman, men, oppressed, oppression, patriarchy, Jakarta, Soeharto, identity, Java, Indonesian, Indonesia, Javanese, past, western, Asian, colonization, history Comment
Micronesian Chinese Money in Alaska
Micronesian Chinese Money in Alaska

My family lived abroad. The arts embraced in Micronesia were very different from those in British Hong Kong. There was little chance to delve into interpretive or classical art. When you weren’t taking the aspects you liked, discarding what you didn't and establishing your own local spin on painting, dance and music, you had to go microcosmic...

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Thank You, Traditions & CustomsBy Paul Kennedy (From The Western Pacific, South East Asia, Europe & Alaska. Living in Tokyo)TCK TOWN, tck, Tck, TCK, third culture kid, cultural, culture, art, the arts, Micronesia, creative, mother, father, family, school, parents, museum, France, Austria, Holland, Hong KongComment
Food for the TCK Body & Soul
Food for the TCK Body & Soul

Before speaking to my mom, I believed I had no habits to uphold as an adult living on my own, but perhaps I was wrong…

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Traditions & CustomsBy Shannon Irby (From Ramstein, Tucson, Okinawa, Adana, D.C., San Antonio & Houston. Living in Okinawa.)TCK TOWN, tck, Tck, food, travel, religion, Arizona, Christian, God, Arlington, Baptist, A.M.E. Church, Methodist, Lutheran, cooking, holidays, soul food, Thanksgiving, Easter, smell, taste, Fayetteville, Germany, North Carolina, New Year's, East Coast, Santa, AsiaComment
The Siren Speaks
The Siren Speaks

Never mind the ancient routes that fed, blended and bumped you and I together - I know that you want nothing more than to fit me into your size 9 1/2 shoe box, and tell me about the great Lebanese place that serves tabbouli... 

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Where Are You From?By Farah Beaini (Living in the land of the Kulin nation)TCK TOWN, third culture kid, journal, where are you from, question, eastern, western, Lebanese, culture, kitchen, foreign, Afghan, Andalucia, Persian, books, belong Comment
Up In The Air
Up In The Air

I can’t fly on this damn plane because, at age 27, I have lost two wonderful people in my life. Two people who had come to define my experience of being free of boundaries, and my freedom to live fearlessly. I feel my mortality more than I ever did before...

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Where Are You From?, AdulthoodBy Marie Chung (From Brunei & Australia. Living in Melbourne)TCK TOWN, Tck, tck, TCK, third culture kid, plane, flight, culture, family, free, boundaries, travels, where are you from, adulthood, Australia, Brunei, AsiaComment
I Broke Up With Alabama
I Broke Up With Alabama

"Hi. Where are you going?," a man asked me as he sat across from me at the bus station in Alabama.

We just got off the same bus from Atlanta to some city in Alabama, Birmingham, maybe? I don't know the geography of Alabama at all. I still can't look at maps of Alabama without crying...

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Where Are You From?By Coco Spencer (From America, China & Russia. Living between Moscow, Detroit & Oakland)TCK, TCK TOWN, third culture kid, journal, Alabama, bus, question, where are you from, california, american, race, English, parents, grandparents, heritage, Filipino, Japanese, AsianComment
Where Do I Begin?
Where Do I Begin?

I became the ‘Pakistani Australian’ or the ‘Australian Pakistani’ depending on whether I was meeting Sam or Sameet…

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Where Are You From?By Danish Khan (From Melbourne, Perth, Karachi & Islamabad. Living in Karachi)TCK TOWN, tck, Tck, identity, Pakistan, Karachi, social class, Australia, Perth, belonging, diversity, acceptance, Melbourne, foreign educated, India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Morocco, Delhi, Srinagar, Jammu, Kashmir, Kanpur, Western AustraliaComment
The Standard Relationship Model and Me—I'd Rather Be Alone
The Standard Relationship Model and Me—I'd Rather Be Alone

So, in the end, I’m alone. Although I have no intimate relationships with anybody at the moment, I find that I don’t particularly miss that. I’d rather be alone than settle for less than what I feel that I deserve...

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In Love, Mental HealthBy Anthony Arcis (From America, London, Istanbul, Bangkok & Toronto (mainly). Living in The Philippines)TCK TOWN, TCK, Tck, relationships, family, love, religion, Jewish, Thai, alone, Asia, Philippines, Catholic, casual, respect, intimate, desperation, content Comments
Sunny Side Down
Sunny Side Down

I find it hard to reach out to my colleagues. In my Australian culture, grief is largely seen as a private affair, punctuated by long and absent silences. Needing a national ‘Are you OK’ day says a lot about us, and how hard it is to have conversations outside socially acceptable boundaries...

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Resilience, Mental HealthBy Farah Beaini (Living in the land of the Kulin nation)TCK TOWN, tck, Tck, TCK, third culture kid, Australia, grief, tears, death, loss, culture, Lebanese, community, Lebanon, Australian, time, missing, communal, grieving, resilience, love, cultures, cultural Comments