THIRD CULTURE KID

Words by Helena Emmanuel

Third Culture Kid

The "third culture" to which the term refers is the mixed identity that a child assumes, influenced both by their parents' culture and the culture in which they are raised.

/THərd/ /ˈkəlCHər/ /kid/

Being introduced to this phrase in my late twenties has been quite cathartic, knowing that there is a space that defines someone who grew up in a household with parents and grandparents from different cultural backgrounds. It created an environment of inspiration but could also breed misunderstanding.

For context, let me introduce myself. I am a Black British woman, brought up by British parents and Caribbean grandparents. Though my parents were born in London, my dad spent his secondary school years in St Lucia. He would be the poster child for a third culture kid, moving from London, to the Caribbean and back again. You could argue that he almost had two personas, raised partly by his St. Lucian Father and then by his Jamaican mother in London.

London in the sixties was a harsh place for black people, children often being placed in “special schools” assuming they had a low IQ. So it wasn’t a surprise to hear that my dad began his childhood being chased by kids in the playground in London, to then being enrolled into private school in St Lucia, a school that didn’t allow them to speak patois.

Fast forward 40 old years, I definitely felt a loss of culture only knowing a few words and then sometimes feeling too awkward to use them outside of my household for fear of shaming. In comparison to my peers who are 3rd generation immigrants who can fluidly switch between London and Caribbean/African accents.

Similarly to my dad, I also moved countries quite frequently, living in Copenhagen, Costa Rica and Canada. I internally referred to myself as the Black Hannah Montana, having to learn different cultures and adapt to new environments. Though, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more confident in who I am and my culture. Not needing language or other signifiers to define it. I visit the Caribbean semi regularly, and to them you will always be seen as foreign no matter how well you’ve perfected your accent or can cook ital food. I’ve been able to carve out a new culture for myself, being influenced by my heritage and the places I have lived, different from my parents and grandparents. A third culture so to speak.