Being a Third Culture Kid - Unit 11

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Reading · Ready for C1 Advanced 4th Edition Workbook, Macmillan Education

You are going to read an article by a young woman called Blandine West about her experiences as a ‘third culture kid’. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

As a ‘third culture kid’, you live a particularly interesting life growing up abroad in a culture different to that of your parents. This experience is often very difficult to explain to those who haven’t been in your situation. I’m half French and half English, and I grew up in Thailand. My father is from Kent and working in the engineering industry meant that he was assigned to various countries around the world. My mother is French, although she is of Spanish descent, and I was born in Singapore where Dad was on assignment, before moving to France for a year and then to Thailand where I lived until I finished school. My family still lives there. I’m currently studying at the University of Bath in the UK and spending a sandwich year doing a ten-month internship in Munich, Germany. ‘Where are you from?’ is the most nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing question and usually requires an in-depth explanation of your life story, which is exhausting when your parents are from two different countries, you’ve grown up in three others and are currently living in an entirely different one. The concept of ‘home’ doesn’t mean the same thing, and even filling out your home address on official documents makes you uneasy. Having spent many years outside of your home culture and not quite fitting into your host culture, you end up feeling that you fit in nowhere and everywhere. Those who listen to someone’s accent in order to figure out where they’re from will definitely struggle after meeting a third culture kid. Labelled ‘international’, your accent may well resemble an American one the most, but there’s bound to be a twang of another depending on the various countries you’ve lived in, whom you regularly speak to and which TV shows you watch. Given that you’ve lived in a few countries, you probably speak at least two languages fluently and end up mixing them together without noticing. However, that does not necessarily mean you speak much of the language of the countries you’ve lived in. You will, of course, know a few greetings and some directions to give taxi drivers, but you’ve grown accustomed to living in a country where you can’t understand everything that’s being said around you. Most people are surprised to hear this, but between attending an international school and having other expats as family friends, for me it is understandable. Growing up with my immediate family, far from the rest of my relations, holidays were usually spent together on trips visiting the latter. However, once you’re at university or working abroad, these holidays become even more of a struggle to plan. With family spread between two or three countries and friends on almost every continent, when you have a few days off work, it is almost impossible to decide what to do and who to see. You get used to people leaving when attending an international school where goodbyes are way too frequent. Once you leave for university, you’re moving countries instead of cities, away from childhood friends and family. It’s fair to say that third culture kids really know the meaning of friendship: after all, friendships that survive distance mean friends for life, right? For those who moved from a relatively cheap country to a much more expensive one, you probably went through a period where everything seemed ridiculously expensive. It all really hits you when you realise that you can’t actually buy lunch for 50p or afford to go to the cinema more than twice a year. When you get asked about a typical day at home, you may be unsure whether you should be honest or make something up that they can relate to. Spending your days at the pool, eating out every weekend and travelling to new countries may not be the answer they’re expecting. Third culture kids can be wary of sharing certain things about their life abroad for fear of coming across as a snob. Growing up abroad, you don’t realise that the concept of living in a country other than where your parents are from is actually quite peculiar. You eventually get used to the ridiculous comments and questions from those ignorant of life abroad. Here are some of my favourites: ‘So you grew up in Thailand — did you ride an elephant to school?’, ‘Your English is really good considering you grew up in Thailand!’ Yes, of course it is — I’m British. After living abroad and being exposed to the diversity of cultures, people and history, it is nearly impossible not to continue travelling. Many third culture kids find it hard to comprehend those who choose to stay in one place; we just don’t understand what it’s like to grow up in your home town, continue to live there and never experience life somewhere else. Whether you choose to take a gap year, make the most of holidays or work, study or volunteer abroad — any opportunity to explore a new place is an opportunity not to be missed. We crave adventure and all have a serious case of wanderlust.

France, Singapore and Thailand

Spain, Germany and the UK

The UK, France and Thailand

Singapore, the UK and Germany

What countries does Blandine consider to be her three cultures?

annoyed that people assume she’s from a single place.

stressed because she can’t provide a simple answer.

uncomfortable about not belonging anywhere.

confused about the concept of ‘home’.

When people ask Blandine where she’s from, she feels

She speaks it with an American accent.

She is fluent but uses a lot of English words.

She is frustrated about not understanding all she hears.

She didn’t need to use it much while growing up.

What does Blandine suggest about the Thai language?

having plenty of choice of holiday destinations.

ending up with friends all over the world.

having frequent opportunities to make new friends.

being sure who your true friends are.

Blandine mentions that one benefit of being a third culture kid is

feels embarrassed that it sounds so luxurious.

is shocked that she can no longer afford to eat well.

is tempted to pretend she has a similar lifestyle now.

adjusts her answers to meet other people’s expectations.

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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