Batgung

Coincidentally Mr Tall & I were talking along the lines of your question last night. In our cases it's a bit different, as both our families' children have local mums, speak Cantonese, and are going through the local education system. So we were talking more about what they'd feel about the UK (my daughters) or the US (Mr Tall's daughter) when they grow older, and if there was anything we could do to help. eg Are there 'British' qualities? If yes which are good? And how would I go about passing them on?

So, not exactly what you're describing, but definitely related. It'll be interesting to see what you learn about this - could you let us know some of your findings when it is complete?

Regards, MrB

Hi anonymous,

It sounds like you're talking about "3rd Culture" kids growing up or living in Hong Kong.

Have you looked at: 

Pollock, David C.  The third culture kid experience  : growing up among worlds. Yarmouth, Me. : Intercultural Press, c1999

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Culture_Kids#References

 Other item of interest:

 Selmer, Jan.  Using former 'third-culture kids' as a recruitment source for business expatriates with success potential. ong Kong : Business Research Centre, School of Business, Hong
              Kong Baptist University, [2002]

A dissertation from Murdoch U  

The ecology of “Third Culture Kids”:The experiences of Australasian adults

http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20041014.111617

An MPhil Thesis from HKUST - 1999

The unexplored myth of culture shock : the disempowerment of   expatriate faculty wives

http://ustlib.ust.hk/record=b651889

From a 1985 conference on Missionary kids

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8606971

I'm a parent like Mr. B and Mr. T - my husband is a locally born HK person and I think my kids identify as Hong Kong people, although they go to ESF schools. They have had the same school mates for the past 6 years. ESF school themselves now have a large number of HK permanent residents. 

Hi skmama,

 Thanks a lot for reccomending those readings! They all look like they will be very useful. I have never heard of the term '3rd culture kids' (surprisingly as I am one!) but it sounds exactly like what I am trying to explore.

My interview sample will consist majoritively of ex ESF students who are HK permanent residents so it will be interesting to see how they form their cultural identity.

 Thanks again,

 Steph

Hi Steph,

 Just an aside - 2 famous US authors were also "3rd Culture Kids" - Pearl Buck and John Hersey - both missionary kids. 

 Things to consider

- Will you be studying not just Euro-expats but South Asian "3rd Culture Kids" - some kids from families that have been in Hong Kong for generations (example, the Harilelas) and others who have arrived in HK more recently. 

 What about  kids from "Other Asian" countries? My kids are friends w/ a brother and sister in their ESF school - whose parents are Japanese expat permanent HK residents. Another kid whose one parent is Korean and the other HK Chinese. It would be interesting to see if these kids who "fit in" more visually would have different experiences from kids of Euro-heritage who stick out more.

What about "returnee" kids? Whose parents emigrated to Canada or  other places when they were babies or they were born overseas and then their families move "back" to Hong Kong.

Children of ABC or BBC or CBC parents who have been posted in HK?

 Children of mainlandborn & educated parent expats? Growing up speaking Mandarin, going to school in English - maybe w/ little facility in Cantonese? 

It seems like a fertile topic. 

Funny you mention that skmama, my son's kindergarten teacher last year was a 'returnee' . A HK chinese lady who was brought up in Canada. She was telling me that she was having the hardest time integrating with the 'locals' and that her whole friendship circle consisted of other canadian and american brought up chinese people!

By the way, the 3rd Culture kids book is just the best thing I ever read!  Thank heavens the put all that stuff down on paper!  I came across it about 3 years ago and suddenly a lot of stuff in my life and my kids life made sense for the first time! 

Though I haven't lived abroad yet I travel extensively for work (6 continents & 40+ countries) and know many expats around the globe. I have noticed that many of the people with the hutzpah to move around the globe were raised in international households. For some it was a series of countries, for others just a couple. But the thread is consistent in my circle at least; people with international careers are often raised in international households.

Perhaps an international upbringing fosters a less narrow view of 'home' and a wider view of the world.

An intriguing area of research, indeed. I'd have to say, once you have left the familiar confines of a country and settled elsewhere you are more likely to do so again if the opportunity arises. You might feel 'at home' somewhere, but you stand out from the crowd, so to speak, by virtue of your experiences. It makes it even more likely if you happen to find a partner who has grown up in another country. Between the two of us, my wife and I have resided in 5 countries, and I would not be surprised if we found ourselves on some other soil a few years down the road again. There is no true returning home, our familes are dispersed between multiple countries and the countries of our birth have evolved into very different places in the time we were gone, at least in some aspects.
The problem is, the more international exposure you have had, the more demanding you get, wanting the best of all you have known, and there's just no such place to offer it all :)