TCK or Not???
I’ve been wondering lately about a girl in my class here in Phuket, Chanelle. She’s German-German, but moved to Switzerland when she was 3 months old. Apparently, she then moved when she was 11 to Koh Samui, and now, lives in Phuket. Because Phuket and Samui are really close, and both in Thailand, she’s really only lived in 2 places, as she doesn’t count Germany. My friends and I say that she’s German, as Deutsch is her first language, her parents are German and she was born there, but her home is Switzerland. She says that she’s Swiss, not German, even though her French isn’t very good and she has no connections there, and that her home is Phuket, despite being a boarder. I always tell people that I’m an Australian New Zealander, and that my home is the Pacific, as I grew up there. I’m curious to know what others think, in your opinion is she Swiss or German? It’s really irritating as she’s always commenting on it, and I’d like to have an unbiased opinion, as she is a ***** , and thinks that I only call her German to get her angry.
Anna Woods
Born in Australia, and grew up on a boat.Related Posts
13 Comments to “TCK or Not???”
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 am
She’s TCK. I think that’s more or less all there is to it.
Besides, the Swiss speak German, so it’s no big deal that she doesn’t speak French. Lots of Swiss Germans speak very little French. So there’s nothing wrong with speaking German and considering yourself Swiss.
But I don’t like it much either when people call me American. Actually I don’t like it when people limit me to just one country, and I imagine it’s a bit similar to her.
Especially when we’re still living out there, we don’t know how to define ourselves, and so we pick a nationality to call ourselves, even if we have little relation to it, because as far as we know, we have to pick SOMETHING.
It’s later we learn that we can “pick” TCK, and it’s amazingly comfortable. And maybe afterwards we can just stop picking, and incorporate everything into one.
But for now, I’d say she’s TCK. And let her pick her home culture, because it’s her choice, and she can change it if she finds it doesn’t fit her.
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May 22nd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Yeah I get pretty angry when people try to tell me what I am or enforce their idea of where I am from on me, especially when it is in a way that attempts to exclude me from a group or from a certain part of my identity. Actually, people have been doing that a lot lately and it’s reallllllyyyy getting on my nerves. REALLY. People seem to pick “the other nationality” than the one I “pick” (just like Uncle dan says we have to pick SOMETHING) just to piss me off I feel.
Anyways, sorry for the angry ramble…But yeah, she’s TCK…if she picks Phuket or Switzerland then its because she feels more comfortable there (or maybe she feels she needs to pick the place she’s most obviously NOT from as a way to say she’s a TCK without saying it). Just ignore it if it bothers you… but don’t try to enforce “German” on her… if she doesn’t feel german then she doesn’t have to feel german…passports don’t mean identity.
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May 25th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
What? How can you say she’s not a TCK? You sound like the Americans that are constantly telling me that “You’re American” just because I sound like one. It’s kind of disrespectful for you to tell her she’s German, especially since SHE doesn’t call herself German and she left Germany when she was a baby. According to you, I shouldn’t be TCK either, because my parents are from Ghana and I was born there…
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May 26th, 2008 at 12:24 am
She’s definitely a TCK. Of course she gets angry when you insist she’s German. People stereotype me as a Japanese just because my parents are both Japanese and I have Japanese passport…but whether I am the same inside my head is a big ‘?’ to this date.
I’d get annoyed too if someone insisted I was Japanese just because of the way I look + my passport.
You have to appreciate that she may not agree with a lot of German values and feel different inside about a lot of things…
Let me try to explain to you what you are doing to her by insisting she’s German: You are basically denying her ‘identity’ - the part of her that makes her a unique individual. She also might take it to mean she needs to change herself to fit your description of her as being German, which means losing her identity because she is so far removed from the typical German.
Make sense?
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May 26th, 2008 at 1:05 am
On a side note: I don’t know what your friend is but whatever it is, it’s not German. I think that’s the main point.
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May 26th, 2008 at 1:57 am
Oh, one more thing to keep in mind…
Germans get a bad reputation almost anywhere they go. Somehow people can’t think anything other than “Nazi” when they *first* meet a German, and to be honest it’s probably the most prevalent thing that people learn about Germany in any History class. Often, it’s the only thing. Which is a real shame considering the depth of their history and culture.
I just want to say that there is NOTHING wrong with her being German, if she decides that. Really, when you’re young and the only thing you’re taught is that Germans were Nazis, you don’t want to be given that social stigma. ESPECIALLY when you might well be the only German around.
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May 31st, 2008 at 6:53 am
no, i dont think that there’s anything wrong with germans, our school is mainly swedes and germand, and i know that as she calls herself swiss, she is. But it’s her heritage i mean. she has german heritage whether she likes it or not. i hate being descended from criminals, but i get with it. she refuses to believe that she has german blood. Looking back now, i figure i was seriously pissed at her when i wrote the post ’cause she’d just stolen my best friend, and she was trying to take my other best friend. That combined with just plain tired made me pretty stupid about my wording, i never meant to suggest she wasn’t TCK. She is Swiss, i get that, but she says Phuket is her home, but then says: “Phuket is so lame, I want to go home,”. And I get that she’s homesick, but it’s so contraditing that i try to get her to actually think where her home is if she hates Phuket so much..
actually right now, even i think my post is biased for personal reasons, whoops, and so sorry
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May 31st, 2008 at 7:27 am
Jr_Yachtie,
I understand that when you are in negative emotions, the wording can come out offensive whether you really meant it or not. How are your relationships with her and your best friend going? I am afraid it could be frustrating if you feel like you are just about to be taken away another close friend of yours.
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May 31st, 2008 at 10:51 am
JR:
I suggest you watch ‘Mississippi Burning’ and ‘Heaven’s Gate’….and please come back and tell me if Americans are descended from criminals. :p
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June 15th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Ayako:
What do Americans have to do with it? I’m Australian, descended from theives. I never said anything about America. And I’m not talking about Australians either, I know that some are and some aren’t, I know that I am because my grandma traced back my family.
miyon: my friend and I are friends again, but she did end up taking my other best friend by taking her books and putting them in my bag and pretending I’d bragged about stealing her stuff to her, which ended up looking bad, but my mate Scottie pointed out to me that she wasn’t my friend in the first place if she could believe that I’d do that. So I’m not really talking to either of them at all.
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June 15th, 2008 at 3:27 am
JR: It’s not about Americans. It’s about saying that,”she has german heritage whether she likes it or not. i hate being descended from criminals, but i get with it.”
I’m just pointing out to you that if you look hard enough at any group of people they are all descended from criminals.
We are the survivors of the survival of the fittest after all. Aren’t we the descendants of the cavemen who managed to club the weaker ones to death?
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June 15th, 2008 at 5:30 am
If you look hard enough, yeah, every group of people are descended from criminals, but wasn’t Australia Britain’s big jail less than 500 years ago? For me, it’s my not so far back ancestors that are, you don’t have to look hard back through history to see I’m a direct descendant of a theif, and I hate that but I accept it. Chanelle is of German heritage and if she hates that, she’s got her reasons but it’s not really up to us to ignore our direct heritage and she should just accept it. If she says: “I’m not of German heritage” she’s lying, and I get really pissed she can’t just accept it.
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June 30th, 2008 at 6:41 am
i say…introduce this forum to her right now.
because she’s a TCK
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