“I’m someone that you call a third culture kid, right?”: An Educator’s Journey Across Cultures

In an increasingly globalized world, individuals across the globe access opportunities abroad: a new job opportunity in a different state, a new school year to look forward to in the city a train ride away, and even building families in countries halfway across the world. 

In the contemporary world, growing numbers of individuals are raised across cultural contexts and nations, a rise in a categorization of these individuals as “third culture kids.” 

Third Culture Kids (TCKs), categorized as those who live or grow up in a nation that is different from their parents’ country of origin, often find themselves developing intricate and complex relationships with cultural identity, language, and belonging. Drawing from the experience of an international educator, Ms. Izumi Tsurumi, whose life has spanned Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Cameroon, China, Vietnam, and the United States, this article explores how mobility and cultural shifts can shape a sense of identity that is fluid. 

Through this insightful interview, we understand that identity, even when fluid and sometimes uncertain, is still profound and beautiful. 

A Life Across Borders 

Ms. Izumi describes herself as “someone that you call a third culture kid,” being born and having lived in Japan until she was seven. Then, her family moved to Singapore due to her father’s career. She notes that in between, there were years when her family moved to Jakarta, although she ended up returning to Singapore, where she graduated high school. 

She spent her university years in the States, and her first teaching job was in Cameroon in West Africa. She later moved to Shanghai, after two years, and returned to the States for graduate school, followed by her move to Vietnam, Japan for eight years, then back to Singapore, where she currently works. 

In terms of understanding her primary motives for working internationally, Ms Izumi explains that she was inspired by service, where she explored volunteering opportunities in the Philippines in high School. “Maybe because I lived abroad and I was fascinated by the different cultures, but also my drive to serve (in service), has led me to just be curious about these different places and wanted to contribute.” 

Growing Up Between Cultures 

Reflecting on her upbringing, Ms. Izumi explains that she has sometimes felt alienated growing up in between cultures. 

“I felt that a lot growing up. Especially with being outside of Japan since I was seven.” Explaining her disconnect from Japan for a period of time in her life, she notes that English became her dominant language, which created a loss of confidence in her home language. “I think that makes it very difficult to feel like you’re grounded in Japan.”

Even after returning to Japan for eight years following four years in Vietnam, her process of reconnecting was a gradual one: 

“At the beginning, I must say it was a bit of a struggle to really find my place, but after several years, I did start to find things in Japan that I genuinely felt connected with. It's almost like a rediscovery of myself, and then I think I also got more comfortable with the Japanese language over time.”

When asked about the emotional weight of navigating a fluid identity, she explains that rather than feeling distraught as she had come to accept this fluidity after many years, there is still a certain sadness she feels. She attributes much of this to language and shared culture, explaining the back and forth between her comfort with Japanese and English: 

“ I think coming to Singapore, because my husband is Australian, we speak mainly English. And so my Japanese language becomes rusty when I come out of Japan. I get self-conscious, and then I don't vocalize as freely as I want to in Japanese. That self-consciousness makes me a bit timid, and it's hard for me to connect genuinely with Japanese people. I think that shared culture is really important. That language to bind us together is really important, and it makes me feel quite sad that I don't have that.”

Reconnecting & Rediscovery

Despite experiencing moments of confusion, Ms. Izumi also shared stories about how her fluid background has allowed her to find places where she feels culturally comfortable. 

Characterizing herself as someone who listens a lot but doesn’t “say things,” a trait she explains is quite stereotypically Asian, Ms. Izumi expressed a sense of contrast during her experiences in the US, where she implied that society emphasized open verbal expression. She realized that she did not quite fit into this culture. 

 In Cameroon, her experiences similarly made her feel foreign, where she felt discomfort as the dominant culture did not resonate with her values as an individual, resulting in her feeling the need to return to East Asia in order to regain a sense of belonging and comfort. This experience of discomfort was still quite valuable as Ms. Izumi describes that it taught her a lot about her identity. 

These experiences have helped Ms. Izumi recognize places where she feels culturally comfortable. Over time, she notes, you will find places and experiences that connect with you, and that there will always be characteristics of places that one may find hard to adopt, no matter how much they try. 

Cultural Identity in Practice

Ms. Izumi’s reflections reveal how cultural identity is both personal and grounded in practice. Reflecting on aspects of Japanese culture she connects to, she discusses the culture around craftsmanship, noting the spirit of “trying to gain mastery by working hard and practicing over time” as an attitude that shapes her daily life. She also embraces the “beginner’s mindset,” which she values because it reminds her to approach things with humility. 

Many aspects of her home continue to influence her day-to-day experiences: “I think I'm just in love with my town, which I was in for eight years before coming here. And it was just a beautiful forest. And people lived very simply; I like the simplicity.” 

When asked where she is from, she affirms, “I would still say I think I'm from Japan. I think the reason why I would say that is because there are certain cultural aspects that I really connect very deeply with.” 

Ms. Izumi’s story shows that even amid constant movement and shifting cultural contexts, identity is not lost. 

Her story demonstrates that identity is shaped, stretched, and refined. 

This journey reminds us that grounding oneself in the values, practices, and experiences that resonate most profoundly can provide a sense of belonging, no matter where your life takes you.