Girl from Everywhere
As an avid traveler (before Covid), a common question I heard from fellow travelers was “Where are you from?” It’s a natural question that invites connection and conversation.
Even in my home country of the United States, “Where are you from?” is a common question — state, city, county, anywhere.
If you ask me where I am from, I can easily tell you. If you ask my husband, he can tell you, though he was born in one country and raised in another. We now live as expats in yet another country.
But, if you ask my daughter, she has difficulty answering.
Where is she from? Actually, I don’t know what to say. She was born in Thailand, but she’s not eligible to be a Thai citizen. She has American citizenship, though she’s only lived there about a year and a half. She has Filipino heritage from her father who is a Canadian citizen. She lives in Thailand now.
So, where is she from?
She has lived in Thailand longer than anywhere else, but she’s not Thai. She barely lived in America, but she’s American. She’s visited Canada, but she’s not a citizen. She has Filipino ethnicity, but she’s never been to the Philippines.
I have heard her answer the question with “I’m American.” She’s not wrong in regards to citizenship, but she may not be considered American by culture.
Pollock and Van Reken (2009) called someone like her a third culture kid. She is not raised in the country of her citizenship, and she has grown up in a different environment and culture than that of her parents.
While there are advantages and disadvantages of growing up this way, this is our life. On one hand, I feel bad that she doesn’t know how to answer. On the other, I feel that her multicultural experiences make her a better person.
Reference
Pollock, D. C., Van Reken, R. E. (2009). Third culture kids: Growing up among worlds. Nicholas Brealey.
