TCK Part 1 Chapter Notes

Chapter 1: Where is Home? Key Points of Erikas

Story
- Erika is leaving Singapore and dealing with a lot of
grief. She questions her sense of belonging.
- Reflecting on past moving experiences, Erika
remembers the familys initial move to Singapore.
Even as a child she had experienced the grief of
giving up places, people, and pets she had grown to
love.
- With the onslaught of painful memories of her life,
Erika wonders, Where is home?
- She questions the significance of life events
including her many travels to different cultures and
experiences.
- What has been normal to her all her life in
Singapore, she realize is not the typical norm with
such diversity of peers.
- Stateside, Erika has only felt awkward and out of
place.
- Her parents call America home but she always
considered Singapore her home.
- Returning to Singapore as an adult without her
parents, Erika settled into a new way of life in the
place she called home but it was not the same.
- Because of the difficulty of life in Singapore with
not being able to get a decent job or afford an
apartment, Erika decides to move back to where her
parents live in America.

Ch. 1: How might you apply information in chapter

one personally and professionally?
- Personally, I experienced a lot of similar
experiences as I was a foster child and had to move
from house to house, family to family, and city to
city. The only things that remained constant were my
younger brother and sister. Not even our clothes or
stuffed animals remained with us from place to place.
We each processed grief differently with my sister
becoming very emotionally needy and dependent and
I became very anxious about everything which had
its effects both physically and emotionally as I
learned to not trust or truly love anyone. Although
my brother was just a baby, he was very reserved and
shy for many years except to my sister and I. When
talking of home, each of us describes a different
place where we have found belonging and peace.

Chapter 2: Define TCKs

Ch. 2: TCK Characteristics Apply

Personally/Professionally
Same as above.

A person who has spent a significant part of his or

her developmental years outside the parents culture.
The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the
cultures, while not having full ownership in any. The
TCKs sense of belonging is in relationship to others
of similar background. (p. 13).
Chapter 3: Who are CCKs?
Cross-cultural kids are people who are living or have
lived in two or more cultural environments for a
significant period of time during childhood.
Includes the traditional TCK; bi/multi-racial/cultural
children; children of border landers; educational
CCKs; children of refugees; children of immigrants;
children of minorities; international adoptees;
domestic TCKs.

- Professionally, as I begin to transition to Peru to

teach kids who have gone through similar transitions
and life movements, Erikas story helps me to be
sensitive to students specific experiences and it also
drives my desire to root them in Jesus as their only
tether and source of hope for life and eternity.

Chapter 3: Compare/contrast TCKs and CCKs

Commonalities among TCKs include:
- A cross cultural lifestyle
- High mobility
- Expected repatriation
- System identity
Commonalities among CCKs include the cross
cultural lifestyle and possibly high mobility. Because
each experience varies, the only thing that links them
is that they interact with multiple cultures.

Chapter 4: Explain pros of Cross Cultural Childhood

-- a variety of experiences
-- understanding of world matters
-- an appreciation of different cultures
-- identity not found in one particular culture
Chapter 5: Explain High Mobility
When children experience a pattern of movement for
a significant part of their childhood. It varies for each
type of TCK.

Chapter 4: Explain cons of Cross-Cultural Childhood

-- competing tensions of differing cultures, people,
and places
-- ethical dilemmas present and experienced at an
early age
-- lack of a stable foundation and sense of belonging
Ch. 5: Effects of High Mobility
-- a wealth of experience where traversing cultures,
countries, and landscapes is part of normal life
-- Multiple transition experiences going back and
forth between cultures and each transition involves
the following stages: involvement, leaving, transition,
entering, and reinvolvement.
-- Each transition brings its own issues with grief
which can be expressed through denial, anger,
sadness, bargaining, and acceptance.