To be born and raised in the same town, attend the same school and continue on to a local university is fast becoming a thing of the past. Further more so than attending a university not local to your area, is the popularity of enrolling in a higher-learning institution abroad. This developing international tribe has also given rise to the Third Culture Kid (TKC).
在同一个城镇出生、长大、就读同一所学校并继续进入当地大学的情况很快就会成为过去。与就读您所在地区以外的大学相比，更受欢迎的是就读国外高等教育机构。这个发展中的国际部落也催生了第三文化小孩（TKC）。
“I’m a fourth generation expat and I try to regularly remind myself of how lucky I’ve been growing up the way that I did”, Erika Felton, a TCK who spent her teen years in Nanjing and currently resides in Sydney, Australia, studying at film school, told The Nanjinger. “I’d say the number one thing that’s been difficult growing up as a TCK is the severe lack of roots.”
“我是第四代外籍人士，我经常提醒自己，我能以这样的方式成长是多么幸运”，在南京度过青少年时期、目前居住在澳大利亚悉尼、在电影学校学习的 TCK 成员埃里卡·费尔顿 (Erika Felton) 告诉《南京人》。 “我想说，作为 TCK 成长过程中遇到的第一件困难就是严重缺乏根基。”
So what is life like in Expatria? “Every year it was a waiting game to figure out who was leaving or staying or who’d been extended or whether you’d be the one to go”, commented Felton. “That puts a lot of stress on friendships. I’ve seen a lot of friends come and go, very few having stayed in touch just because of the work that’s required to make long distance friendships work. However, there is a lovely bond that comes with reconnecting after years apart, and that similar experience is something that then brings us back together”.
那么外籍人士的生活是什么样的呢？ “每一年，这都是一场等待游戏，要弄清楚谁要离开或留下，谁会延期，或者你是否会离开，”费尔顿评论道。 “这给友谊带来了很大的压力。我见过很多朋友来来去去，很少有人只是因为维持远距离友谊所需的工作而保持联系。然而，分开多年后重新建立联系会产生一种可爱的纽带，而类似的经历会让我们重新走到一起。”
In a survey conducted by American Adult Third Culture Kids (AATCKs), it was found that there are now as many bilingual children in the world as there are monolingual, and that “Expatria’s children were proven highly educated and are four times more likely to attain a Bachelors Degree than non-expatriates”.
美国成人第三文化儿童组织（AATCKs）进行的一项调查发现，目前世界上双语儿童的数量与单语儿童的数量一样多，而且“外籍人士的孩子受过高等教育，获得学士学位的可能性是非外籍人士的四倍”。
If most TCKs are being educated at international schools, then it is safe to say that their level of education is indeed that of a private school in any Western country. Couple this with their unique experience of living in a culture other than their nationality and some will argue that this cocktail of an upbringing is breeding generations of well-rounded young adults. Yet, there is always two sides to every story, and while these claims do ring true for the majority, evidence that TCKs can fall by the wayside has surfaced as well.
如果大多数TCK都在国际学校接受教育，那么可以肯定地说，他们的教育水平确实相当于任何西方国家的私立学校。再加上他们在非国籍文化中生活的独特经历，有些人会认为这种鸡尾酒式的成长环境正在培育一代又一代全面发展的年轻人。然而，每个故事总是有两个方面，虽然这些说法对大多数人来说确实是正确的，但 TCK 可能半途而废的证据也已经浮出水面。
TCKS may possibly experience a prolonged adolescence, while they might also find it hard to adjust and suffer mentally from identity problems. Shanghai Community International School Early Years Coordinator with a background in teaching IB and Love and Logic specialist, Ms. Jillian Eyre-Walker, spoke with The Nanjinger, saying, “The biggest challenge international expat children I believe have is navigating between languages when internalising or expressing the concepts that they are being tought or have learned. However, understanding that they are in a classroom where most of the children are experiencing the same challenges and many support systems are in place, gives them the confidence to take risks in overcoming these challenges”.
TCKS可能会经历一个漫长的青春期，同时他们也可能会因为身份问题而难以适应并遭受精神困扰。上海社区国际学校幼儿教育协调员、具有 IB 教学背景以及爱与逻辑专家 Jillian Eyre-Walker 女士在接受《南京人》采访时表示：“我认为外籍儿童面临的最大挑战是在内化或表达他们正在学习或学到的概念时如何在语言之间进行转换。然而，了解他们所在的教室中大多数孩子都面临着同样的挑战，并且有许多支持系统到位，这让他们有信心去克服这些挑战。”挑战”。
The online magazine dedicated to today’s Third Culture Kids, Denizen Mag, revealed in their latest survey that the average age a TCK experiences their first move is nine or younger, while those surveyed have lived in four countries, on average. If a child finds it particularly tough changing schools or leaving countries and friends, it has been reported that this may pose a risk to the child’s mental state into adulthood.
专门针对当今第三文化儿童的在线杂志 Denizen Mag 在最新调查中透露，TCK 第一次搬家的平均年龄为 9 岁或更小，而接受调查的人平均居住在四个国家。据报道，如果孩子发现转学或离开国家和朋友特别困难，这可能会对孩子成年后的精神状态构成风险。
“You’re virtually not allowed to be closed minded when growing up in such a unique situation, and that’s pretty cool. We’re all shaped by the people we’re raised by and the places we’re raised in. I’ve had the opportunity to learn and grow as an individual thanks to the diverse range of people that I’ve met growing up as a TCK. However, being a TCK feels like you’re in this weird bubble”, Felton went on to say.
“在如此独特的环境中成长，你的思想几乎不被允许封闭，这很酷。我们都是由养育我们的人和我们长大的地方塑造的。由于我作为 TCK 成长过程中遇到的各种各样的人，我有机会作为个人学习和成长。然而，作为 TCK 感觉就像你处于一个奇怪的泡沫中”，费尔顿接着说道。
“As teachers we give them a bit more of a break, when we know they are coping with a recent move, because we understand this about them, but because they recognise that everyone else at the school is just like them, they grow stronger. TCKs tend to have a broader acceptance of difference as a result of their upbringing”, observes Eyre-Walker.
“作为老师，当我们知道他们正在应对最近的变动时，我们会给他们更多的休息时间，因为我们理解他们的这一点，但因为他们认识到学校里的其他人都和他们一样，他们会变得更坚强。由于他们的成长经历，TCK 往往更广泛地接受差异”，Eyre-Walker 观察到。
According to The Expat Survey online, “Third Culture Kids of Japanese origin have posed both a domestic difficulty and a potential solution to a nation, like all, needing individuals with a three-dimensional worldview. In 2011, they grew to 780,000 and have been a cause of periodic domestic issues due to their difficulties in reassimilation. In light of the global climate, the Japan Times has called for this oft-marginalised group of bicultural and bilingual returnees to assist Japan, as its industries grapple with globalisation”. The same thing could it be argued of Chinese returnees; TCKs will all perhaps eventually be lured back to the countries of their passports in order to help with national development.
据在线侨民调查报道，“日本血统的第三文化儿童既给国内带来了困难，也为一个需要具有三维世界观的个人的国家提供了潜在的解决方案。2011年，他们的人数增长到了78万，由于重新同化困难而成为周期性国内问题的根源。鉴于全球气候，《日本时报》呼吁这个经常被边缘化的双文化和双语归国者群体援助日本，随着其行业应对全球化”。同样的事情也适用于中国海归。 TCK 或许最终都会被吸引回其护照所在国，以帮助国家发展。
It is important to note the rising population of Expatria and “help” that is becoming available to expats around the world, including podcasts by certified psychologists such as Mindful Expat, support groups and online communities. While most of the TCKs and teachers with which The Nanjinger spoke admitted to unique difficulties as a result of the lifestyle and upbringing, not one said that they would have it any other way.
值得注意的是，外籍人口数量不断增加，世界各地的外籍人士也能获得“帮助”，包括由 Mindful Expat 等认证心理学家、支持团体和在线社区提供的播客。虽然接受《南京人》采访的大多数 TCK 和老师都承认，由于生活方式和成长经历而遇到了独特的困难，但没有人表示他们会以其他方式度过。
