This Is Home Surely?

Book excerpt: "Where are you from?" An easy question for most to answer, but a very tough one for Third Culture Kids (TCKs). These children grow up outside their parents' home cultures, neither belonging entirely to their home culture nor to their host culture. They face unique challenges in establishing their identity and a sense of belonging, especially when returning to their home country. An increasing number of Singaporean families are living overseas for various reasons, and their children are growing up as TCKs. On returning to Singapore, these Singaporean TCKs will have to cope with a variety of re-entry stresses when adjusting to Singapore culture, making new friends, and continuing their education in the Singapore education system. Many existing books about the TCK experience are written from the perspective of other cultures, chiefly the US. This book addresses some factors unique to the Singapore environment and provides Singaporean parents with suggestions to smooth their children's re-entry to Singapore. With experience drawn from the real-life experiences of the authors' children and others they know personally, this book will be helpful to families of TCKs through the whole process: preparing to leave Singapore, while overseas, and, especially, when they return.