Stories — TCK TOWN

It Hurts Any Way You Say It

Why does ‘see you later’ make eyes sting…

GoodbyeBy Paul Kennedy (From The Western Pacific, South East Asia, Europe & Alaska. Living in Tokyo)31 July 2019TCK TOWN, TCK, Tck, bye, hurt, adios, sayonara, auf wiedersehen, adieu, farewell, emotionComment

Monteverdean Skies

I am celebrating my 27th birthday zip-lining along the emerald enclaves of Costa Rica that strangely remind me of the yawning valleys of my own tiny Lebanese chouf village...

Identifying with All Humanity: Bahrain Story #45

I have come to realise that I don't have to decide whether I am American or Indian. I identify with humanity above everything else…

BahrainBy Tanzeel Jabbar-Khadir (From Australia, Pakistan & India. Living in Bahrain)24 July 2019TCK TOWN, TCK, tck, Indian, expat, Goa, Mangalore, Florida, USA, Kuwait, unfamiliar, American, parents, Amwaj, IrishComment

Filipino Birthday Blowouts, Whether You Like Them or Not

There is a custom in the Philippines. When it is your birthday, you are expected to throw a party for everybody at your expense. So, on my birthday, I leave the country…

BirthdaysBy Anthony Arcis (From America, London, Istanbul, Bangkok & Toronto (mainly). Living in The Philippines)20 July 2019TCK TOWN, Tck, TCK, Philippines, social, celebration, party, blowout, grinch, Argentina Comment

6 People You Will Meet At A Pakistani Gathering

5. The Newly Weds. The couple will be watched like hawks. They are in the most unfortunate position. If they look too happy it will cause an uproar…

3 Simple Tips on Keeping Grounded

Sez knows a thing or two about staying grounded as a TCK and a TCA parent. Born in South Africa to a multicultural family, having lived in Sri Lanka, and now an entrepreneur and mother with two beautiful children, you’ll want to read her guidelines!

GuidesBy Sez Kristiansen (From South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, U.K., & Sri Lanka. Living in Copenhagen) 10 July 2019TCK, TCK TOWN, health, healthy, self, self-worth, self love, move forward, move, moving, home, identity, purpose Comment

Sri Lankans Drink Like Fish

Heading back home with my housemates, we would stop for tsukemen by the station - delicious yellow noodles dipped into a thick, hot broth that was ordered from a little ticket machine at the front of the store...

Let's Party, FunBy Ava Senaratne (From Sri Lanka, Dubai & Melbourne. Living in Sydney)6 July 2019Sri Lanka, TCK, Chinese, Melbourne, Victoria, Tokyo, hangover, Sri Lankan, hometown, TCK TOWN, third culture kid, drinking, tckComment

The Hale Boys Reunite In Bali

After a heavy meal we would scour the roads for a terang bulan stall. Terang bulan is a big, round Indonesian pancake, made of sugar and coconut milk and cooked in a pan smeared in palm margarine…

FunBy Danish Khan (From Melbourne, Perth, Karachi & Islamabad. Living in Karachi)3 July 2019TCK, TCK TOWN, third culture kid, Third Culture Adult, Bali, friendship, friends, men, high school, travelComment

When It Could Be Love

The earliest memory of me actively rejecting romantic love was in middle school. When I saw how nosy, gossipy and intrusive all my classmates became if anyone decided to date, I resolved to not be a part of this experience altogether…

Fear, RelationshipsBy Shannon Irby (From Ramstein, Tucson, Okinawa, Adana, D.C., San Antonio & Houston. Living in Okinawa.)29 June 2019TCK, TCK TOWN, Third Culture Adult, third culture kid, intimacy, friendship, love, romance, salsa dancingComment

I Fear Being Wholly Me

I am scared of my dreams. I quieten them every time they come out too strong. I calm my face when it lights up about wanting to leave this country…

The Great Tohoku Earthquake

March 11, 2011. Just an ordinary day. Then earth fell away beneath us…

Hopscotch

It's only when we got older that moving got harder and more difficult. Each time it felt as though you've left a little part of yourself behind. I've moved countries 5 times in my lifetime...

Following the Tuscan Sun

Once I stopped holding myself accountable to the status quo, I uncovered incredible niches that were a perfect fit for me...

HeroesBy Ava Senaratne (From Sri Lanka, Dubai & Melbourne. Living in Sydney)12 June 2019hero, heroes, tck, TCK training, TCK, third language, third culture kid, movie, lessons, life experiences, life, plans, fear, braveryComment

My Analogue Life

This ocean is not mine, I was born in another. I moved, learned, lived, cried and loved somewhere else…

AdulthoodBy Paul Kennedy (From The Western Pacific, South East Asia, Europe & Alaska. Living in Tokyo)5 June 2019TCK, TCK TOWN, third culture kid, Third Culture Adult, young, Islander, island, summer, spring, Ocean, moving, moving countries, belong, belongingComment

Cooking Up The Courage To Move Again

I recognised my discomfort for what it was quickly enough. I love challenging myself by meeting new people and throwing myself into new environments and experiences as often as I can, but that doesn’t mean I find it easy to do…

FearBy Ava Senaratne (From Sri Lanka, Dubai & Melbourne. Living in Sydney)1 June 2019TCK TOWN, TCK, Tck, moving, moving countries, disappointment, Australia, Middle East, challenges, judgement, Melbourne, life lessons, cooking, Dubai Comments

How I Learned Nomadic Resilience

I learned at a very young age that flights get canceled, baggage gets lost, water and electrical outages are a part of life, not everything can be purchased in a grocery store, military coups happen, and sometimes one gets evacuated from war zones. My primary hack is to make the journey part of your experience...

ResilienceBy Anthony Arcis (From America, London, Istanbul, Bangkok & Toronto (mainly). Living in The Philippines)29 May 2019TCK, Tck, TCK TOWN, survival, serial expat, Third World, physical resilience, psychological resilience, flight delays, immigration, preparedness, accept, flexibility, adaptability, positive outlook, minimalismComment

The Known Unknown

While waiting for information about her funeral, I found out it was already taking place and I would miss it…

This TCKness

This emptiness, rootlessnes, in-betweenness, nobodiness, neither here, nor there-ness…

Where Are You From?By Arisa Aylin (From Istanbul, New Delhi & Tokyo. Living in Tokyo)22 May 2019TCK TOWN, TCK, tck, identity, emptiness, rootlessness, multicultural, hybrid, self-worth, belongingComment

When Solo Travel Isn’t So Solitary

Jay and I stayed up till almost 3am that night realizing we had much more in common than we thought, shedding tears and spilling our life secrets…

A 5-day Intensive to Remember

Getting to my final year, I had an existential crisis—I hadn’t done an exchange semester yet...