Third culture kids

We threw a party for third culture kids and this is what happened

One very hot Hong Kong afternoon in Central, in a Korean dive bar called Edition, we gathered a handful of third culture kids (TCKs) for a magazine shoot – and to ask them a few very important questions

Starting with: where are you from?

The traditional definition of a TCK is a person who was born in one place and brought up in a second, with the result being a new third culture springing up around them. (Read more here.)

 

The answers were mixed.

Some were born in Hong Kong, but had spent considerable time in the US or the UK. Others were of mixed heritage (Filipino/Spanish/New Zealand; Filipino/Scottish) but were brought up in Hong Kong. One was Scottish, brought up in Hong Kong and has just given birth to a third culture baby with her Fijian husband.

 

And how do they feel about being a TCK?

They value their third culture upbringings and lives, and regard it as being a real asset – they can empathise with many different cultures, and can look at the world through the number of languages they invariably spoke.

They also felt strongly about Hong Kong: its openness and multicultural flavour. All agreed that Hong Kong was a natural home for TCKs. But the best comment by far was from Harry Oram, who’s even setup a website dedicated to the subject, Third Culture.

‘Hong Kong itself is a third culture kid.’

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Discovery online brings together all the inspirational travel writing from our two inflight magazines, Discovery and Silkroad. Be sure to look out for the print editions when you next fly with Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon.
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