PYPX and Third Cultures by Indira
This post is by Indira inspired by the Grade 5 Exhibition this week…
TCK ( Third Cultured kid)
Being a Third Culture kid can be hard. A big challenge is that you don’t know your real identity. Like me, I am from Indonesia,Australia and Canada. That makes me a Third Cultured kid. I like Indonesian food like: Spicy beef(Rendang), banana fritters( pisang Goreng), Fried rice( Nasi goreng),Fish cake( Otak-Otak) etc.
My sister likes Australian food like: sausage rolls, buns, beef pie etc. I also like rice.I am not full if I eat something without rice. Anyway, me being a Third culture kid is yes, indeed hard. My sister and I have conflicts about what food we are going to eat because sometimes I don’t like what my sister chooses to eat and sometimes my sister doesn’t like what I choose to eat.
Our unit of inquiry in Grade 4 is Keeping the Peace. How to resolve problems. So that made a conflict choosing what food to eat but I deal with it anyway. Being a Third culture kid is really cool. That means I have Third culture parents. Sometimes I say to myself, its great being a Third Cultured Kid.
As a third culture kid you dont really know where you come from and that is a hard question when someone asks me.
( Written by ILG. My dad is Jason Graham). (Revised May 6th 2013)
The Learning Journey 
Thank you for your insight, Indira. This is an important issue for so many children, parents, and teachers all around the world.
Thank you for the comment.
It is always important to take some time to think about the things that you like and the things you dislike and then wonder why that is. As a third culture kid, you have the opposite experience of my own sons. We live in a small town in northern Canada and always have. Instead, we travel to other places during our holidays. We were in New Orleans in March and we are going to Scotland this summer. Do you think that being a third culture kid has taught you a lot about cultures and countries?
Yes it has. I know Indonesian culutre and Australian culture and some culture from my friends at my international school like Chinese new year, korea new year, Thank you for the comment.
Indira, I liked reading your insights in being a third culture kid. It makes me think of my own daughter Matilda who is half Australian & half New Zealander. Now we live in Singapore. I wonder if this makes her a third culture kid? And if it does, what doe that mean for me & her mum? Thank you for making me think:)
Mr Tony, thank you for the reply. I like Singapore. Indira
Hi Indira Larsati,
You have a gorgeous name! My kids are Third Culture Kids too. I find it funny when they use vocabulary or pronunciations that are different than mine. I’m a Canadian but sometimes my kids speak British English and we don’t understand what each other is saying.
A few days ago, I was yelling at my kids to pick up the football! the football! the FOOTball! They kept on giving me blank stares. Then, it dawned on me the problem. I then yelled at them, “Get the AMERICAN football!” and then they understood. I use the word “soccer” but they use the word “football”.
I have not had a proper meal unless I have rice too. Asian food is my favourite (and there must be rice!)
Thanks for sharing.
Vivian
Thanks Ms Vivian. My mom is indonesian so we always have rice. my dad eats it sometimes too.
I forgot to mention that they speak British English because most of their teachers are British. We live in Switzerland now, but we used to live in Jakarta. We also lived in Hong Kong! My kids were born in Canada though.
At age 6 I left New Zealand and moved to Fiji where I spent the rest of my primary education. On returning to NZ I realised I was different to my friends (in a good way) as I looked at the world differently and really saw people – I had experienced cultures, religions and food that my peers could not comprehend. I was a third culture kid, although I have only just learned that term, and it set me up for a truly fantastic life. I wish that all children could experience the world in the way that you do every day.
Thank you for comment. I think i learn alot being with my friends from differnt countries.
You write beautifully, Indira. I moved to a different culture in Canada when I started teaching. I live in the north in a Dene aboriginal community where the traditional culture and mainstream Canadian culture co-exist. Your descriptions of food in relation to culture are very interesting. My husband and children eat their dried fish spread with lard, but I put butter on mine. We all love almost any wild meat cooked on an open fire with black badah. That’s potatoes that have been cooked in the coals of the fire. If my granddaughter comes over today I will share your post with her.
Kia ora Indira.
I am from NZ, my mother is from the Cook Islands and my father is NZ Maori. My daughter is Cook Island, NZ Maori and Niuean and we are currently living in Saudi Arabia. I think being a third culture kid is wonderful! How lucky you are to have an insight into so many different ways of living, different ways of being and different ways of communication. Thank you for your post, I hadn’t heard of the term ‘third culture’ till I read your blog.
Thank you NakataNZ
How are you in Saudi arabia? It must neat living there?