Routes from Roots: Recent Episodes
Dani B, Hela J, Isra R
Have you grown up across multiple cultures? If you’ve ever struggled to answer “where are you from?” and feel that home encompasses more than just a single place, then join Routes from Roots community members and hosts: Dani, Hela and Isra as we explore our journeys as third culture and cross-cultural individuals through raw conversations that aim to deconstruct the complex interplay between identity and belonging.
We invite you to join our conversations to share ideas, stories and lessons as a community so we can all make sense of our mixed cultural journeys.
To connect with the community, access content created by and for members, join us on instagram @routesfromroots
Another paradoxical yet exciting element of the TCK experience is ‘Love and Relationships’. In the final episode of Season 1, hosts Dani, Hela and Isra discuss the experience of dating as a TCK and being in intercultural relationships, while also identifying and understanding relationship patterns and attachment styles that emerge from constantly moving around.
Developing a deep and long-lasting connection with a partner can sometimes be a challenge for people living a transient lifestyle. What are some of the challenges we face being in intercultural relationships? Considering the interplay of cultural differences, what constitutes forging a secure and meaningful partnership? And moreover, how do we maintain balance between our sense of self, identity and home while cultivating an authentic relationship that also acts as a container for personal growth? We hope you enjoy it!
Resources mentioned:
Book by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller, Attached, 2010
Attachment Style Test Link: https://www.web-research-design.net/cgi-bin/crq/crq.pl
The concept of ‘Home’ is complex and multi-layered for most TCKs. In this episode, through storytelling and personal experiences we discuss why it is a struggle for us TCKs to attach our identity to a single place as we unpack what home means to us.
Join us in answering a series of rapid-fire questions around what home tastes like, looks like, smells like, sounds like and feels like. We share some of the rituals and activities we incorporate to create a feeling of home in our consistently changing environments and provide a few recommendations that have helped us gain a sense of stability no matter where we are.
Resources mentioned:
Book by Sally Morgan, My Place, 1987
Book by Simon Weil, The Need For Roots, 1952
Book by Radha Agrawal, Belong, 2018
TedGlobal by Taiye Selasi, “Don’t ask where I’m from, ask where I’m a local”, 2014
Link:https://www.ted.com/talks/taiye_selasi_don_t_ask_where_i_m_from_ask_where_i_m_a_local?language=en
How can we understand the term TCK? In this episode hosts Dani, Hela and Isra dive deeper into the meaning of the term TCK through their personal stories. They share the origins of the term, how they first came across it and what it meant to them then and what it means to them today in their experiences as TCKs. They then reflect on how the concept is continuously evolving while recognizing that multiple cultures can co-exist within all of us in a multicultural world.
So, what would you answer to the questions we posed? We'd love to know, connect with us on Instagram @routesfromroots or email us at rfrcommunity@gmail.com
Resources:
Quote on Gratitude Shaming by Sahaj Kohli
Book by David C. Pollock, Ruth E. Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock, Third Culture Kids: Growing up Among Worlds, 1999
Welcome to our first episode! Who are we? Why “Routes from Roots”? What are we talking about when we say “TCK make-up”? Why is a community important as a cross-cultural individual? Hear about this as well as the kinds of topics we will dive into and what to expect in the upcoming talks...
We hope you enjoy this episode!