Thanks to my best friend who introduced me to this article, I got to read this on page 88 of Marie Claire July 2006 edition. Reading this article made me think about how much pain Sabine must have gone through as a TCK. My sincere hope is that Sabine is aware of the TCK issues and has been able to put language in her identity and experience.

————

Sabine Kuegler, 33, spent an idyllic childhood in remote West Papua. When she finally left the jungle for her native Germany at age 17, the culture shock was crippling. Here, her story

As TOLD TO KATY REGAN

The MOMENT I ARRIVED in the Lost Valley will stay with me forever. It was January 1980, I was 7 years old, and my family had already spent a year living in a small jungle base in West Papua, Indonesia, where my parents, both linguists were studying tribes.

My father was in a more remote area, documenting the undiscovered language and culture of the Fayu tribe, untouched by the outside world. We couldn’t wait to join him and set up a home there indefinitely. We stepped out of the helicopter into a towering rain forest. It was eerily deserted- just the propellers whirling, only my father to greet us. Out of the trees came tribesmen, naked except for bones through their noses and feather headdresses, carrying stone axes. My sister panicked. But the tribe was scared, too- they had never seen white children before. They even rubbed our skin to see if it was black underneath.

The Fayu tribe was so isolated that members didn’t even know they lived in Indonesia. But my father respected their culture and earned their trust. They became like our family.

One boy especially stole my heart. Ohri was disabled, and my family took him under our wing. And soon, he could walk. He was a big reason I stayed in the jungle for long- I loved him like a brother.

Nothing could have prepared us for life in the Lost Valley. We had only a simple wooden house with no running water or electricity. We had to radio in to the base every morning to let them know we were OK. The Fayu were cannibals, and even though we never witnessed this ourselves, there was always the risk that they might eat us.

Other Fayu beliefs were dangerous, too. In November 1983, we found Ohri desperately ill. His chest was covered in mold, and he had a terrible skin infection. He had been burned in a fire, and the wound was left open. His people believed it was his punishment for eating forbidden crocodile. My mother bathed the wound, and after several weeks, he got better. Had we left the tribe to its own devices, Ohri would undoubtedly have died.

Apart from things like this, it was an idyllic life. But my sister and I dreamed about the Western world after an American woman came to the jungle and told us about this thing called “McDonald’s.” We imagined that with burgers and running hot water, the people in the West must be happy. So when I was 12 and my parents announced we were leaving the jungle, I was very excited.

But far from my dream come true, what followed were two years of hell in German and the U.S. I was terrified of the traffic and the endless choices available to me. I remember going into a supermarket and watching my brother break down in tears at the overwhelming selection of chocolate. Ironically, when my family decided to return to the jungle two years later, I was ecstatic.

But not for long. I felt stuck between two identities: my Western heritage and Fayu culture. Then Ohri died from tuberculosis. I was destroyed by grief. It was then, in December 1989, that I decided to leave the jungle for good, to discover the “white” me. My parents agreed to send me to a Swiss finishing school to teach me Western ways.

Arriving at school, at age 17, was a nightmare. I was used to being free as a bird, but windows were barred and we were only allowed out two hours a day. I suffered panic attacks.

The girls taught me about makeup and how to dress and introduced me to alcohol. I stumbled through the next few years and never felt like I fit in. Growing up in the jungle continues to affect me today.

I’m now 33, with four children. I’ve been married twice, but neither relationship worked out. For years, I shut out my childhood. I had an unbearable sense of loneliness, but then I dreamed of seeing Ohri again. When I awoke the next morning, I had an inner peace I had not felt for a long time.

Finally, I feel like I’m living again, not just existing. My parents still live with the Fayu, and I visit them- after all these years, I still need my regular jungle “fix” to stay sane.

Sabine Kuegler’s Child of the Jungle (Warner Books) will be published in the U.S. in March 2007. It was previously published in Germany.

[p.88 Marie Claire July 2006]

You can buy Sabine’s book here: http:/#

/www.amazon.com/Child-Jungle-Sabine-Kuegler/dp/1844082628

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Popularity: 8% [?]

June 17, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As globalized market forces increasingly lead families to temporarily relocate to other countries, parents should be aware of the challenges facing the youngest family members upon their return home.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Children who live abroad with their parents on extended sojourns may experience a setback to their psychological wellbeing, say researchers in a recent study. But not in the way experts initially thought.

Traditionally in the United States, large companies, Christian missions and the State Department considered regularly repatriating back to the country beneficial for children in helping them retain their national identity and a sense of “home.” Some missionaries are even required to spend a year in the U.S. for every three or four abroad.

However, a recent Smith College study of 170 children of American parents found that multiple repatriations to the U.S. seemed to compromise childrens’ adjustment abilities as adults. Meanwhile, the total number of years the children spent living abroad did not affect their ability to ultimately adjust to life back in the U.S.

The study examined American citizens aged 18 to 25 who had returned to the U.S. For men, researchers found, multiple repatriations earlier in life were related to a less positive psychological wellbeing. For women, multiple repatriations were associated with higher levels of prejudice, lack of introspection and feelings of moral superiority.

“It seems that while periodic return to the U.S. may sound good in theory, in reality it may be something that parents should not take for granted,” said Bill E. Peterson, associate professor of psychology at Smith. “Vacationing in the U.S. is probably fine, but coming back to live in the U.S. for a more extended time between sojourns may be bad for the later adjustment of their kids.”

Peterson co-authored the paper, “Third culture kids and the consequences of international sojourns on authoritarianism, acculturative balance, and positive affect,” with Laila T. Plamondon, a Smith undergraduate at the time. It is available online in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Third culture kids – or TCKs – is a term first coined in the 1950s to designate the numerous cultures these children inhabit – the “first culture” being their country of origin; the “second,” their host country; and “third,” the transient community of expatriates, said Plamondon. Importantly, while a parent makes a conscious decision to go abroad, the children accompany them whether or not they want to.

Instead of transitioning back and forth between the U.S. and foreign assignments, it may be better for children to stay abroad in a larger chunk of continuous time.

“For example, it might be better for someone working in business to take her family to India, Japan, and Korea in succession rather than come back and live in the U.S. between sojourns,” said Peterson. “This, of course, has serious implications for sending agencies and families living abroad.”

More research needs to be done to replicate the findings, according to the researchers. “TCKs provide a fairly unique opportunity for psychologists interested in studying the effects of globalization on culture and identity,” added Peterson.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

TCKID has released its first annual list of the top 10 cities in the world in which TCKs live, ranking them by popularity based on its membership of 21,458 Cross Cultural people. (This is not a poll or a survey. It’s the location of our members based on their I.P addresses as given to us by Facebook.)

The table below lists the largest 20 cities in the world based on population for the year of 2009 of people who identity themselves as “Cross Cultural” and/or “Third Culture”.

The most popular city is New York!

Top 10 Cities

1. New York 474
2. Bangkok 381
3. Singapore 306
4. Hong Kong 290
5. Washington 279
6. London 274
7. Sydney 259
8. Los Angeles 222
9. Makati 213
10. Jakarta 210

Other Cities

Toronto 210
Seoul 204
Dubai 202
Chicago 197
Kuala Lumpur 177
Seattle 166
Melbourne 163
Atlanta 157
Houston 157
Oslo 148

Learn more the TCKID New York City group.

Join a local TCKID group (over 50 cities)

Top Countries

United States 8,549
United Kingdom 1,829
Canada 1,003
Australia 841
China 453
Thailand 387
Germany 348
France 342
Netherlands 313
Japan 311
Philippines 308
Hong Kong 302
Singapore 299
Indonesia 274
India 259
South Korea 221
Norway 218
Malaysia 215
United Arab Emirates 206
Switzerland 202

Where to meet TCKs?

Want to meet TCKs in your area? Join a local group and meet other TCKs from 50 locations.

Popularity: 14% [?]

The diverse community that I longed for was evolving right before my eyes. What used to be a bicultural community is growing into a global society. See http://theinterculturalpost.blogspot.com for the complete post.

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People say that when you’re homeschooled it’s easy. You can study in your pajamas and you can wake up whenever you like. It’s actually kind of the opposite. My mom makes my schedule and I have to wake up at a certain time everyday. I’m sure some of you can relate to this. Last week I was sick when I had exams that day. I got through, thank God! That same night, I was reading my Bible before I went to sleep. I remebered the verse Phillipians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” I thanked God that He was with me always and I, Jirah, can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

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(Continued from Part 1) As I registered for graduate school, the diversity that UAB had attracted caught my attention. Students and scholars from around the world converged on a daily basis on the Southside alongside Blacks and Whites whose families had lived here for over a century. One of the most memorable moments was when students from Bombay, Japan, South Africa, and a few Middle Eastern countries asked if we could go to a soul food restaurant… See http://theinterculturalpost.blogspot.com for complete story.

Popularity: 6% [?]

In the interim between college and career, I was looking for an escape from an infrequent lecture by Granddaddy. He asked, “Do you realize Atlanta and Charlotte had to start from somewhere–Use your talent to build Birmingham.” One of my cousins rescued me. She had read that Birmingham was hosting a music festival similar to Summerfest in Milwaukee. We were able to raise
$ 5.00 each for weekend passes to the first annual City Stages. It was surreal. I couldn’t remember another occasion in Birmingham where so many people of different races, creeds, colors and musical tastes were in the same two square blocks. How could I leave for the east coast with all this excitement in Birmingham? (For the entire post, visit http://theinterculturalpost.blogspot.com)

Popularity: 6% [?]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/5005019/20-ridiculous-complaints-made-by-holidaymakers.html

This is a list of 20 of the most insane complaints that travel agents have received from unsatisfied customers. All of these are awesomely stupid, but some of them are so culturally inept, you just have to laugh.

Some choice quotes:

“The beach was too sandy.”

“It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England it only took the Americans three hours to get home.”

and my favorite

“On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food at all.”

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“Anderson, a self-described “third culture kid,” was born and raised (until the age of 12) in Thailand. She relocated to the United States in her teens. In both cases, she understood what it meant to feel excluded, either because you did not look like or sound like the majority, or because you lacked a shared history or world perspective. Anderson knew that her life’s work would be dedicated to creating welcoming, healing and culturally responsive environments and to helping people who were on the outside looking in.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29174896/

NBC

HealthEast Care System Names Elizabeth Walker Anderson System Director, Cross Cultural Services

Fri., Feb. 13, 2009

ST. PAUL, MN – HealthEast Care System announced today that Elizabeth Walker Anderson will become its system director for cross cultural services. The change becomes effective February 23.

Anderson will primarily focus on helping HealthEast be an advocate for change in an area with constantly emerging challenges. She will oversee a wide range of responsibilities related to organizational diversity and culturally responsive care, including managing the Cross Cultural Care department. These areas, which are directly tied to the organization’s quality journey, include improving patient access to care, expanding language services, developing community partnerships, and piloting innovative programs that bolster clinical outcomes. She will also collaborate with the organization’s Human Resources department to strengthen its abilities to deliver compassionate care in a way that mirrors its community’s needs.

Anderson has spent the past 25 years helping individuals from a variety of backgrounds begin life anew. Her first cross cultural assignment was directing refugee camp operations for Indochinese refugees in Thailand applying for resettlement in the United States; she helped approximately 4,000 individuals each month make this life-changing transition. She then served as a political asylum officer for the Justice Department and Immigration and Naturalization Service, interviewing applicants from 25 countries who were seeking refuge in America.

At Regions Hospital, Anderson directed the international services department. She secured numerous grants from local foundations for cross cultural health care education and programming and built strong community partnerships with patients and providers. While at the Minnesota State Department of Human Services, she concentrated her planning and strategic talents on ensuring the best possible use of scarce resources for refugee and immigrant services.

Anderson also brings compliance and regulatory knowledge, as well as community relations expertise, to her new role. She managed codes of conduct and best practices at U.S. Bancorp and launched programs at Thrivent Financial that addressed the connection between financial wellness and personal wellness in diverse communities.

Craig Svendsen, MD, Chief Medical Quality Officer for HealthEast, says that “Anderson’s personal and professional experiences are a testament to two key principles: 1) the ability to truly understand and respond meaningfully to diversity opportunities extends beyond color, language, religion and other markers people typically use to define diverse populations and 2) all of our backgrounds reflect some type of diversity. We’re excited to have this kind of ‘out of the box thinker’ who can get things done join HealthEast.”

Anderson, a self-described “third culture kid,” was born and raised (until the age of 12) in Thailand. She relocated to the United States in her teens. In both cases, she understood what it meant to feel excluded, either because you did not look like or sound like the majority, or because you lacked a shared history or world perspective. Anderson knew that her life’s work would be dedicated to creating welcoming, healing and culturally responsive environments and to helping people who were on the outside looking in.

Anderson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and criminal justice from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota; a certificate in multiculturalism and diversity from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a mini MBA in Health Care Administration from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. In 2004, she earned her juris doctor (JD) from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Anderson is a contributing author to two books that explore multiculturalism and diversity entitled, “Healing Heart” and “My Heart it is Delicious.”

HealthEast Care System is a community-focused, non-profit health care organization that provides innovative technology, compassionate care and a full spectrum of family health services. HealthEast includes Bethesda Hospital, St. John’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Woodwinds Health Campus as well as outpatient services, clinics, home care, pharmacies and medical transportation services.

Practicing financial responsibility, HealthEast is the largest locally-owned health care organization in the Twin Cities’ East Metro with 7,300 employees, 1,200 volunteers and 1,400 physicians on staff.

Popularity: 5% [?]