Among Worlds - TCKs & the Arts - December 2021 by amongworlds

DECEMBER 2021

Vol. 21 | No. 4

TCKs & the Arts

Contents Curated TCK Creativity Hannah Mathews

Project Roots Camille Deniau

Another Land Raised Me Elizabeth Wood

Papua New Guinea Scenes Kadynn Williamson

Uprooted Malik Dieleman

Conflicted Katie G.

Silver Thread Ellen Michelle Beard

Painting the In-Between Christine Rasmussen

Art Has Served Me Well Kathleen Gamble

Citizens of Limbo Kelly Pickering

Photography in Black & White Michael Pollock

The Audacity to Just Be Yoomee Ko

Finding Beauty Marc Curless

Finding Peace in Aloneness Chozi Ya Chui

December 2021 • Vol. 21 • No. 4 Cover Art: “San Fernando Road” by Christine Rasmussen Editor: Rachel Hicks Copy Editor: Pat Adams Graphic Designer: Kelly Pickering Digital Publishing: Bret Taylor

Among Worlds

Editor’s Letter TCKs & the Arts

We decided to end 2021 with a bang—an explosion of color and beauty and depth and light! These are heavy times we’re living in, and many of us feel that heaviness as a deep weariness. We’re tired of the COVID pandemic, some of us are grieving loved ones lost, many of us have experienced extra levels of loneliness or isolation, and conflict in many parts of the world has made us tense and perhaps pessimistic about it all. For those reasons and more, we wanted to offer this artistic feast to you, our fellow TCKs, as an end-ofyear gift.

“But how can art help? Or poetry?” But how can art help? Or poetry? The arts can’t solve the world’s geo-political problems, stop a virus, or bring back a loved one. But perhaps as we slow down and take the time to look, to reflect, and to savor all the creative works included in this issue, they might remind us who we are, give us words for complicated emotions, teach us new ways to see, celebrate the good, or make us wonder, explore, and question. In this issue, TCK artists, photographers, poets, and writers give us more than windows into their own thoughts and lives—they help us to see what they see. They reflect our world and our complicated identities back to us from new perspectives. They show us how to be okay with the tensions in our paradoxical lives. They remind us to look for beauty, sometimes in unexpected places. Poet William Carlos Williams once wrote, “It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day / for lack / of what is found there” (from “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower”). If we expand his idea of “poems” to include the arts in general, I believe the sentiment still rings true.

Among Worlds is on Instagram! Follow us at amongworlds. The mission of Among Worlds is to encourage adult TCKs and other global nomads by addressing real needs through relevant issues, topics, and resources.

The creative arts help us—whether we are artists or consumers of art—to access life from the right side of our brains, from our creative center. In encountering visual art, poetry, music, or artistic photography, we access ways of knowing and understanding that bypass our reason and logic, but that still reveal truth about our humanity and our world. Each submission in this issue was created by a unique individual and has particular meaning for that artist or writer. And yet good works invite the viewer or reader in as a participant in their meaning—we encounter the universal in the particular. Different images, sounds, and words will resonate with each of us, and we hope that each of you will find something in these pages to take with you, to remember, to contemplate. As you celebrate this holiday season and the end of 2021, please enjoy the special gifts we’ve curated in this issue on TCKs and the Arts!

A TCK is an individual who, having spent a significant part of the developmental years in a culture other than the parents’ cultures, does not have full ownership of any culture. Elements from each culture are incorporated into the life experience, but the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar experience.” - David C. Pollock

Among Worlds magazine would love to hear from you! Any comments, feedback, or reflections that you may have on this issue or previous issues are welcome and will be printed in the following issue. Write to us at: amongworlds@interactionintl.org

Wishing you all good things in 2022,

Rachel

AMONG WORLDS ©2021 (ISSN# 1538-75180) IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY INTERACTION INTERNATIONAL, P. O. BOX 863 WHEATON, IL 60187 USA. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER. WE LOVE WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS AND NGOS AND WILL NEGOTIATE A RATE THAT WORKS WITHIN YOUR BUDGET. CONTACT US AT AMONGWORLDS@ INTERACTIONINTL.ORG OR CALL +1-630-653-8780. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN AMONG WORLDS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEW OF AMONG WORLDS OR INTERACTION INTERNATIONAL.

December 2021

Curated TCK Creativity By Hannah Mathews

Hannah Mathews is the founder of CultureMiKs, a website of curated TCK creative works—visual art, spoken word poetry, music, and more—by TCKs around the world. She shares with us some of her favorite pieces here. You can find more TCK creativity at https://culturemiks.com. Hannah grew up in Ghana and the US, and she has traveled widely as an adult.

“Gone” Song by Haddie Grace

“No Roots” Song by Alice Merton (video)

This is a song about going away to college and starting over, but it really could apply to any situation where one is starting over. I especially love the way the song points out that even though new beginnings are often thought of as exciting, for TCKs sometimes “old” relationships are more desired. To be known is a very powerful thing.

I love that this song is “mainstream,” because that’s how it should be! The world is moving in a global direction, and I believe TCKs are the citizens of the future. One thing I appreciate about this song is how it speaks to the common TCK theme of not having roots and yet does it from a positive standpoint.

“A Different Time” Spoken word poetry by Josh Gibson (video)

“Putting the K in MK” Video by Michele Phoenix

https://youtu.be/DFgmzqRKKxA

https://youtu.be/U8z2dQR98bA

This spoken word poem is a very powerful look at what it feels like to be an adult TCK. It speaks into the heartache of looking back, and also the hope of looking forward. The first time I heard it, I was very moved.

“Complicated and Confident” Spoken word poetry (video) https://youtu.be/pIIZTFQhPWs

This spoken word poem is about what it looks like to live as a “hidden immigrant.” It talks about blending in and standing out, about adapting to a new culture but not losing the old. It is a celebration of the internal complexity of being a TCK.

Among Worlds

https://youtu.be/PUdyuKaGQd4

https://youtu.be/cga6fBJwzWE In this video, young MKs are asked to recite answers given by older MKs to the question “You know you’re an MK when….” Some of them are pretty hilarious!

“Transitions” Video by TheGhanaKids with music from A Great Big World https://youtu.be/S3rfVuAEIXg

This is a video made by two young TCKs upon the occasion of their transition back to their passport culture. It’s very nostalgic, and I think it is relatable for any of us who have left a place that we love. It also speaks to the need for closure and goodbyes done well.

December 2021

“The Oak” design Commission / 50x70 cm

Camille Deniau 5

Among Worlds

Project Roots By Camille Deniau

A London Plane Tree Bespoke Commission / 40x60 cm

Camille Deniau is an artist and the founder of Project Roots, an art and lifestyle brand that she has created to bring stability, strength, and roots to the lives of all those who, like her, feel rootless and in search of “home.” She does this through an artistic exploration of trees and sells her art online and through private commissions. Camille has spent the last twenty years following art classes at studios and at the University of the Arts London. She is based in London and previously worked as a partnerships manager at Google for over six years. Camille was born in France and soon after moved abroad with her family and lived in Singapore, Milan, and London. You can discover Camille’s artwork at www.projectrootsart.com or on Instagram and find out more about Project Roots by watching this video.

“ To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.” — Simone Weil, The Need for Roots

An Old Plane Tree in a family estate Bespoke Commission / 50x50 cm

March 2021 December 2021

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“Love B Edition o

A Singapore Rain Tree Bespoke Commission / 50x50 cm

Camille Deniau 7

Among Worlds

Bespoke Wedding

Birds” Paper Embossing from a tree bark / of 2 / Frame size 30x40 cm - For Sale

e Ginkgo design g Gift commission / 20x26 cm

A Special Loquat Tree in a family home Bespoke Commission / 40x60 cm

December 2021

Another La Raised M

Elizabeth Wood was born in Pennsylvania, USA, but grew up in Sigüenza, a small town tucked between hills in central Spain. Currently she is a PhD student in Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on vowels and prosody in K’iche’, a Mayan language of Guatemala. Website: https://elizabethwoodlinguist.wordpress.com/

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Among AmongWorlds Worlds

and Me

By Elizabeth Wood This land birthed me It heard my first cry, it saw my first step It brought me into being It introduced me to a world It gave me a face, a name, a place It wrote them all down on a piece of paper And by those it tries to claim me What could be more official? But this land did not raise me Another land raised me It took me in and made me its own It nurtured a child to mature and grow It watched me step into myself It adopted me Am I by that any less its child than those it birthed? The rolling hills, the sun-dried grass, the open sky The cobbled streets, the tile roofs, the ancient stones They claim their land: We have always been here I have not But I claim them Does that make them any less mine? ¿Cómo explicar la conexión del alma con la tierra? ¿Cómo explicar que lo que un día fue mío me es ahora extraño, extranjero? Que los robles, las aceras, las ardillas, las casas de ladrillo Son tan míos como los cráteres de la luna Que nuestra conexión se ha perdido Que no deseo encontrarla Y que lo que es ahora mío Son las colinas, la sequía, los castillos, las calles empedradas That the Stars and Stripes, the American dream Belong to me no more than to any alien Lo mío es sobremesa, humor negro, vergüenza ajena, la ley del mínimo esfuerzo De tal palo tal astilla But the mother that I am like Is not the land that birthed me But the one that raised me

December 2021

“Papua New Guinea” Acrylic

Kadynn Williamson 11

Among Worlds

“The Iski Church” Acrylic

Papua New Guinea Scenes By Kadynn Williamson

“The Iski Church” is set in Papua New Guinea, in the village where I grew up. I used a picture of the teaching as a reference for my painting. One of our elders, named Jon, is featured teaching the crowd. Five days a week for two hours the Iski village would come together to hear God’s word spoken in their language. They were transfixed by the story of their savior. I remember seeing their faces as they heard the truth, so it was a key part of my childhood. I thought I would paint it looking a little more abstract because the moment seemed dreamy to me. On the middle post you can see the word “Goto” which means God in our language.

Kadynn Williamson is a TCK from Papua New Guinea.

December 2021

Uprooted By Malik Dieleman

ow does the past affect the future? How has my past led me to where I am today?

No matter which direction I go, there’s no way to abandon the experiences that have formed my identity. I look at roots as symbols of these life experiences: the foundations of human identity. While they are underground and unseen, roots continue to nurture growth. However, not all roots are permanent. Through every time of transition, or uprooting, some will break off. I grew up moving frequently, transplanted from one place to another. Like the cross-section of a tree trunk, the past becomes exposed during times of transition. I have the chance to selfreflect. Many of my roots are different from each other, accustomed to different soils. As they shape me, I reshape them, too, with my fractured and selective memory. But some roots can’t be broken. These ones are permanent, forever affecting my future. Bronze casting allows for the fragile, organic shapes of roots to find permanence. The process allows for a high level of detail to be reproduced, with the patina emphasizing them. I chose to display the piece beside broken tree roots as a way to contrast the temporary and the permanent. I imagine these roots as a part of myself, as if in a moment of uprooting, exposed for everyone to see. Nature can be a beautiful tool to help us understand humanity.

Malik Dieleman 13

Among Worlds

Malik Dieleman is a Toronto-based photographer and multidisciplinary artist. Having grown up internationally between France, Senegal, and Canada, he carries with him a complex multi-cultural identity. With an interest in the arts, he studied at Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD). Today, Malik manages a freelance business providing photography, videography, and graphic design services. Instagram: @malikdieleman_artist Website: malikdieleman.com

December 2021

Conflicted Canvas and Acrylic Paint

Among Worlds

Katie G.

Conflicted By Katie G.

his piece is a visual representation of the TCK heart being torn between countries. In my case it’s the United States and Peru. As a TCK I never really feel like I belong to a single place. When I visit the US I feel out of place and a little isolated from the people around me. People I grew up around in the States, friends and my church family, know who I am, but they don’t know me. They don’t know me because they can’t understand my experiences or my life. In Peru I feel more in my element, more at home. Even though Peru is more my home than the US I still feel out of place sometimes. My heart is torn; my heart is in conflict with itself.

Katie G. was ten years old when she and her family first moved to a new country. She lived in Costa Rica in 2013, and in 2014 she moved to Peru and has been living there ever since. She helps her parents with children’s programs, providing food and Bible lessons, and she participates in a Bible study for Venezuelan refugees which takes place in her home. Instagram: katie.g_art

December 2021

Silver Threa By Ellen Michelle Beard

Ellen is a visual and verbal artist. Born in California, she grew up in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, and Hanoi, Vietnam, and has spent the past decade living in Los Angeles, USA, and dreaming about her next international transition. She spends her time exploring the arts, cuisine, and nature of local, international, and imaginary places.

Among Worlds

There is a silver thread that extends from my chest fluoresced glowing wispy ghost-possessed wafting in the windblown east by the wind in the west As soft as a breath caressed the silver thread stretches over the stormy sea distressed billowing and snapping through tide and tempest lapped by each wave’s crest Each tug reverberates back in my chest with tension compressed It does not brittle or crack under the bleaching beating sun But the heat of the thread is felt in my chest quietly sharp like lemon zest Every snag and billow echoes in my chest Unaddressed The silver thread shaken by the wind and waves still stretches on hard-pressed guided by the celeste toward the east where it is attached to another chest like a long tin-can telephone pulled taught whispering vague but constant thoughts suggest wandering like a letter misaddressed a secret sliver of silver static barely professed guessed Spider silk is stronger than a bulletproof vest The silver thread outmatches that silk compressed It will not break no matter how stressed But alas it is too thin for me to walk along like a tightrope across the ocean the impossible quest cruel jest So I stay in house arrest and feel every tug

December 2021

Painting the In-Bet By Christine Rasmussen

Christine Rasmussen 19

Among Worlds

tween A

s a painter I investigate the inbetween, depicting urban landscapes that hover between familiar and imagined. In observing these cityscapes devoid of people, I play with themes of belonging versus aloneness, memory versus daydream, and narrative versus abstraction. These themes interest me as a global nomad who has often found myself hovering between multiple cultures, time zones, languages, and identities. Close observation of my surroundings in every city I encounter reveals recurring materials, shadows or shapes that I paint as symbols of our shared humanity across perceived differences. Through capturing these commonalities—the wondrous details of urban environments—in my paintings, I explore the many complexities and multiple identities of our rich inner lives.

Beyond Oil on canvas, 2017, 24 x 30 inches

December 2021

Citizens of Limbo By Kelly Pickering

or my final year of my graphic design degree in Edinburgh, Scotland, we had to create a major project, where for a year we explored a topic in depth. So, naturally I decided to look into my upbringing being a third culture kid. This led me to my project concept where I explored how this type of nomadic childhood affects TCKs once they are adults and are having to figure out who they are and where they belong. In my project I am questioning whether there is a way that we can widen our definition of belonging to accept those that have fragmented belonging. Globalisation is creating a whole new side to belonging. Being a global citizen means you belong in multiple places. This idea is not yet well understood by the public.

Find your place to come home to. Apply to be a citizen of Limbo today.

Kelly Pickering 27

Among Worlds

The world is a dazzling place with so much travel and opportunity, we often lose sense of who we are and where we belong. Where do we belong? If we belong nowhere and yet everywhere, we belong to Limbo. Two hundred forty-four million people, or 3.2 percent of the world’s population, live outside of their countries of birth, and this number is constantly growing. Our belonging can no longer be defined as one place; our belonging is fragmented. We have left parts of our belonging all over the world. These fragments piece together to create our identity and our place in Limbo.

Kelly Pickering is the graphic designer of Among Worlds magazine. She was born in London, her parents are South African, and she has lived in Holland, Australia, New York, and Scotland, and now has gone full circle and is living in London. Portfolio: https://kpickering.myportfolio.com/work

December October 2021

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Journey with us! Among Worlds magazine is accepting submissions for upcoming issues. We are looking for original, high-quality writing, poetry, photography, and visual pieces. We invite you to share your stories and talents with us! Click here for submission details.

March 2022

Hospitality Submission deadline: January 30, 2022

June 2022

Politics Submission deadline: April 30, 2022 If you or your organization would like to purchase bulk subscriptions or advertise your services in Among Worlds, please contact amongworlds@interactionintl.org.

“I remember when I was growing up.

my great wish was to understand who I was and how I fit in the world.” — Yo-Yo Ma