Stories of Filipinos growing up abroad (third culture kids, or TCKs)

Learn more about the experiences of Filipinos who grew up outside outside of the Philippines and how they navigate identity and belonging.

Filmed for University of the Philippines Open University DEVC207 Design and Production of Audiovisual Communication Materials.

Dr. Jose Rizal, one of the Philippines' most well-regarded national heroes, is often invoked as a defender of Filipino identity. Filipinos love to cite a quote that is often attributed to him: "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan." Many Filipinos believe Dr. Rizal meant that Filipinos should display pride in an authentic Filipino identity, though what exactly constitutes that "authenticity" is a subject of intense debate.

Within this discourse are third culture kids. Third culture kids are classically defined by Dr. David Pollock and Ruth van Reken in their seminal book, Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, as "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. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background." (2009, revised edition) There is a large section of the global Filipino diaspora that includes TCKs, and their experiences have challenged notions of what it means to be Filipino.

I am a Filipino citizen who was born in South Korea and raised there, the Philippines, and Grenada (a tiny island nation in the Caribbean), as well as pursuing undergraduate studies as a scholar in the U.S.A. In my late teens and into my early twenties, I was very interested in Filipino nationalism, but upon moving back to the Philippines in my mid-twenties, I learned that I was not considered a legitimate part of that conversation because of perceived differences stemming from my background. I have since made it a personal advocacy to talk about my experiences and hopefully contribute to the ongoing definition of what it means to be Filipino by challenging notions of "authenticity" and opening people's minds to the idea of diversity in Filipino identities.

For more of my work about this topic, I have written here:
• http://new-slang.com/2010/04/neo-fili...
• http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak...