mother — Stories

“Where are you from?” Thrill and dread. That question we all prepare a thirty-second elevator pitch for…

How lonely my life could’ve been had I stuck to my culture which tells me to value the thick ties of family above all else...

We're Inspired, Advantages, Family, FriendshipsBy Farah Beaini (Living in the land of the Kulin nation)14 November 2020tck, third culture kid, TCK, TCK TOWN, family, cultures, culture, cultural, Lebanon, Lebanese, mother, parents, views, violent, relatives, sister, sisters, aunt, Australia, Australian, British, Canberra, Scottish, brother, Greek Comment

Social Hide & Seek

Our version of a corsage was a motia flower and though street vendors would sell these readily, they were not durable enough to hang around the hands of people as they danced…

Hope and Healing in Flores de Villa

As a child who grew up in a suburban bubble in Minnesota, coming to Flores de Villa was shocking. I was unaware of the poverty that existed, and to see it first-hand changed me forever...

Dear Chook-Chook (A Letter To My Daughter)

You once said to your father: “Papa, you are brown.” He gently took you to mirror, “Yes Chook-Chook, so are you”…

Swallowing the Shame-Anger Pill

Having edited TCK TOWN for two and a half years now, having dated a very, very troubled TCK who was battling with his cultural identity, and through living TCK experiences myself, I could imagine that his past had made him this odd, awkward and uncomfortable rageaholic…

AngerBy Ava Senaratne (From Sri Lanka, Dubai & Melbourne. Living in Sydney)27 March 2019TCK, TCK TOWN, third culture kid, anger, relationships, relatives, mother, father, sister, Melbourne, Australia, race, culture, conflict, familyComment

No More Walking on Eggshells

My dad’s anger had been a constant in my world of inconsistencies…

Anger, Moving, FamilyBy Molly Kaitlin (From Peru, Costa Rica, Minnesota & Florida. Living in Tennessee)6 March 2019TCK, TCK TOWN, third culture kid, anger, parent, parents, familiy, moving, home, mother, dad, father, sister Comments

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...

My (P)lucky Mum (An Inspiring & True Tale)

In the past 6 years I have watched my mum utterly transform - a shift that started the first day she stepped into her chosen university. She went from calling us about the location of her saved files to independently researching university databases and overloading her bookmarks tab...

What The Birthday Gods Delivered

Then there was the McDonald’s birthday trend. Uncle Sam had muscled his way into the Karachi youth’s minds, and a Happy Meal and rides on colorful slides were the dream in the late 90s. I didn’t have one, but I was invited to one. It was an utter disappointment...

What I Would Have Done

I visit my grandad’s grave and give unrequited apologies to a piece of stone – forever an unforgiving experience...

FamilyBy April Goh (From Australia, Singapore, China & USA. Living in Singapore)18 March 2017tck, Tck, TCK, third culture kid, home, home country, father, grandad, grandparents, grandfather, love, adulthood, family, kids, mother, airport Comment

Only Girls Sew

In early autumn when female students in Japan were expected to be making scarves/mufflers and sweaters for their boyfriends as love tokens, my professor would walk into the cafeteria, walk up to a group of women knitting and ask for someone’s. He would peer at it with a critical eye and start knitting and hold a conversation with anyone in the group who was currently a student of his.

ANAM

Pakistan has been flagged by the Australian government as a "terrorist country" and yet I consider it home...

Speak EasyBy Anam Javed (From Pakistan. Living in Melbourne)16 November 2016TCK TOWN, tck, TCK, third culture kid, local, multilocal, Pakistan, Pakistani, Malaysian, Malaysia, music, work, Brunei, Melbourne, Australian, Australia, passport, rituals, relationship, relationships, mother, happy, call, Islam, Identity, home, identity, travelled, travel, world, United Nations, hope, bucket listComment