CELEBRATING CROSS-CULTURAL IDENTITY
WWW.CULTURSMAG.COM
WONDER WOMAN DIRECTOR
PATTY JENKINS & SCREENWRITER SAM SHERIDAN
CROSS-CULTURAL FAMILY THE SUPER DUO BEHIND TNT’S LIMITED SERIES I AM THE NIGHT
THE MILITARY B.R.A.T. ISSUE Display until May 30, 2019
WHAT IS AN
WHAT GROWING UP
DESTINATION
MEANT TO ME
ACROSS THE POND
ACCENT? MILITARY LONDON WHAT DOES IT MEAN ALL THE GOODNESS FOR IDENTITY 1
Summer 2018 | www.CultursMag.com
$11.95 US
Spring 2019
$12.95 CAN
We are a global, multicultural philanthropic brand that uses media, lifestyle products and experiences to foster human connection in geographically mobile and cross-cultural populations. Created for immigrants and refugees, military B.R.A.T.s, Third Culture Kids, missionary kids, minoritized populations and those interested in their experiences, we empower communication at the intersection of social justice and cultural fluidity.
celebrating cross-cultural identity cultursmag.com
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
I
“
hope your day gets better,” said the handsome young man as he made a point to walk by me, touching my knee as I sat numb, trepedacious about the upcoming flight. It was difficult to look him in the eye as he’d been trying to make contact for a while — to empathize and let me know he cared. A stranger in the airport, feeling my pain as I quietly sat in the almost incredulously low, standard-issue airport row chairs, tears slowly and selectively rolling down my cheeks; waves of despondence crashing against my brain, my chest, my heart. After 19 hours of travel and weather delays, I was to miss the celebration resulting from decades of striving: the Los Angeles Premiere of “I am the Night,” a limited series on TNT inspired by the life of Fauna Hodel. Just then, I received a tag on Facebook — three years ago today two of my most cherished friends Hodel and Paulette Martinez Bethel met at a restaurant in Hawaii and become fast friends themselves. The two women, one black, one white, look as if they could have been sisters; but more than that (unbeknownst to any of us at the time) they had a similar foundational life experience and identity: one that drove them to strive for belonging — even if they did so in different ways. The dimensionality and intersectionality of their lives created a bond whereby they discussed with each other things the rest of the world wouldn’t quite understand. Hodel passed away last year after a valiant fight with cancer, but not before achieving the life-long dream of telling her incredible story to the world and working to spread a message of love — love beyond color. The result is “I am the Night,” and a collaboration with “Wonder Woman” Director Patty Jenkins and Screenwriter Sam Sheridan, starring Actor Chris Pine. I had
Left — (l to r) Fast friends: Paulette Martinez Bethel and Fauna Hodel. Right — Patty, Doni and Sam on the set of “I am the Night” in Los Angeles.
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the honor of representing my friend as a consultant on the series, and took the role to heart because I know this win was hard-fought for a woman who deserved everything that comes with it. Thus the tears I spoke of above. Initially, I felt like I’d let my friend down, but the timely Facebook memory reminded me to choose joy — just as Hodel would have wanted. Jenkins is a military B.R.A.T., which is the major focus for this issue. In Making Art for All of Us, pg 80, she and Sheridan show how family dimensionality and the power of a team can inspire greatness. The Military B.R.A.T. Art project, page 36, highlights the forgotten work of B.R.A.T.s curated from closed U.S. Department of Defense schools around the globe; while B.R.A.T.s share what memories are meaningful to them, page 42. Thanks to Jenkins, I also had the great opportunity to visit the set of “Wonder Woman II” while filming in London, which is our destination of choice this issue. TCK Xiaoya Cheng tells us why you should fall in love with it, page 88; and our Must List gives some unique gift ideas straight from the Queen’s stomping grounds, page 52. I hope you enjoy this issue, dedicated to Hodel — as she and I had always discussed her face gracing the magazine’s cover when it went into print. I’m 100 percent sure she’d be proud that the Sheridan-Jenkins clan with its hidden diversity is here in her stead. Choose Joy,
Doni (Dawn-ee) Publisher
Spring 2019 www.CultursMag.com
GURU
Volume II, Issue IV
PUBLISHER & FOUNDER
Doni (Dawn-ee) Fort Collins, Colo.
EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR
EDITOR
FASHION EDITOR
MUSIC EDITOR
Tammy Matthews
Jill Jones
Sonja Motley
Tommy McMillion
Boulder, Colo.
Loveland, Colo.
Denver
Aurora, Colo.
AUTHENTICITY GODDESS, RADIO HOST
Robin Alexis Mount Shasta, Calif.
COLUMNISTS
INTERNATIONAL LIAISONS
Antonia Naje Allsopp
Fran Wilson
Andrea Bazoin
Fort Collins, Colo.
Fort Collins, Colo.
Fort Collins, Colo.
Chumba Limo Aisha Jama
Donnyale Ambrosine
Donna Musil
Dr. Rhonda Coleman
CONTRIBUTORS
Fort Collins, Colo.
Denver
Koya Cheng
Babin Dada
London, UK
Lucknow, India
Yvonne Eisenring
Boulder, Colo.
Hayden Greene
Julia Hubbel
Brooklyn, New York
EUROPEAN LIASION
Crystal McDonald
New York City
United Kingdom
Claudia Koerbler
Tammy Matthews
Switzerland
Denver
Michele Davenport
Denver
Washington D.C.
YOGA DIRECTOR
Angelia McGowan
Terry Mairley
Denver
Littleton, Colo.
Sonja Motley Denver
ART ART DIRECTOR
COLLATERAL DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
MAKEUP
Liz Bilotta
Tineal Puaoi
Sedrique Olison
Denver
South Pacific
Gerald Ambrosine Hayden Greene Brien Hallowell Peng Angelia D. McGowan
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN
WEB DESIGN
Shreenal Patel
Max Ratkai
Fort Collins, Colo.
Denver
SALES
MODELS
Aida Sow Joyce Green STYLISTS
Sonja Motley Mona Lucero
SUPPORTERS
VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES
MARKETPLACE DIRECTOR
ADVISORY BOARD
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Jill Goldberg
Bob Bordernero
East Coast, United States
Brooke Martellaro Gregory Moore Donna Musil Ruth VanReken Antoinette Williams
• Department of Journalism and Media Communication Colorado State University • Visit London • Turner • TNT
West Coast, United States
Connect with Culturs on social: @CultursMag
SUBSCRIPTIONS: www.subscribe.Cultursmag.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES, Contact: advertise@culturs.org MEDIA INQUIRIES, Contact: press@culturs.org CULTURSTM magazine, Volume 2, Issue 4. Copyright Culturs Global Philanthropic Lifestyle Network. All rights reserved. Published quarterly; Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, by Simply Alive, LLC, 1800 Wazee Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO, 80525. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Culturs magazine, 1800 Wazee Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO, 80525. Reproduction in whole or part without express written consent is strictly prohibited. Simply Alive LLC does not assume responsibility for the advertisements, nor any representation made therein, nor the quality or deliverability of the products themselves. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts, photographs, and other material submitted. Culturs makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising and editorial content, however, does not make any claim as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and accepts no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information. PRINTED IN THE USA www.CultursMag.com
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American English-
Not
the Real An East Indian student reflects on his British-Danish-American influences.
English
“R
eally, you are from India, but you don’t have an Indian accent!” This statement has revisited me on different occasions in different settings. The food we consume in our daily diet and the clothes we choose forecast our cultural practices and ethnicity. Likewise, the way we converse also can be a determining factor of our cultural background. We, humans, have developed a psychological preset to categorize individuals based on linguistic pronunciation. We can easily determine a person’s origin by the way one speaks a common language, e.g., English and the way we spell ‘color,’ but what happens when we have mingling of two cultures over a period of time? As time advances, we see the embodiment of the exposed culture, which may be different from the origin of the individual. I have had the opportunity of growing up with multiple cultures and interact with different identities. From a very young age, I was exposed to a specific linguistic style. However, I was unaware of this entire dilemma until my eighth-grade Parent-Teachers
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Meeting (PTM). At this monumental event (of my life) my mother was approached by my English teacher with an interesting complaint against me. I was accused of regular usage of “slangs.” When asked to elaborate on this matter, my teacher stated that I had an “American Accent” and I should resort to British English as it is the correct form of the language. Studying in a British school and living in a country dominated by the British education system, this was a serious allegation. Fast forwarding my life to Orientation for International Students at an American University, I was introduced to a group of graduate students with a similar origin to mine. As conversations rolled up, I was once again defending another interesting but a similar crime as previously. My accuser joked (with
a mocking tome), “It hasn’t even been over a day and you already have an ‘American Accent.’” These events have led me to question my links to my origin. Does growing up in a Third Culture lifestyle distance us from our origins? When do we pick up a specific accent and is this consensual or by accident? Linguistically we, Third Culture Kids, are a unique cluster. The accent we acquire is not only a contribution of the cultural setting of our juvenile but a homogeneous blend of multiple influences. However, I can certainly assure that these developments are by no means consensual. The acceptance and incorporation of a specific linguistic behavior is purely by accident.
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MUST l SEE Photography by Hayden M. Greene
K-born Brooklyn photographer, Hayden M. Greene, hails from Trinidad and Tobago. He always had been a fan of surrealist art, and Belgian Surrealist René Magritte is one of his favorites. Greene became aware of Magritte when the artist’s piece, “Son of Man,” was featured in the movie, “The Thomas Crown Affair.” “Son of Man” is oft considered Margritte’s most famous and compelling painting. The circa 1964 work portrays a man in a dark overcoat wearing a black bowler-style hat as he faces straight ahead whilst standing in front of a low wall with bright blue sea and cloud-filled sky behind. The man’s face is all but obscured by a large, hovering, green apple. In a 1965 radio appearance with interviewer Jean Neyens, Magritte described the essence of the painting in a way to which the Culturs audience can very much relate: “It hides the face partly well, so you have the apparent face, the apple, hiding the visible but hidden, the face of the person. It’s something that happens constantly. Everything we see hides another thing; we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present.” Perhaps that’s one of the reasons the series haunted Greene for decades — it reminds of his own hidden-yet present; visible, but invisible culture. (Greene was born in the United Kingdom to Trinidadian parents, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, USA, at age three, then to Trinidad and Tobago at age nine; and returned to the U.S. at 18
to attend university.) This year, Greene decided to pay homage to Magritte with a project called “Magritte Reimagined.” The “Magritte Reimagined” project recreates Margritte’s original work as photographs — presenting them with a modern eye. Greene also wanted to pay homage to the history of photography in the same way that Magritte focused on objects from the natural world. As such, many of the reimagined images contain classic cameras and photographic equipment. Green also worked to include subjects who are members of the nine historically Black Fraternities and Sororities of the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC). This, for the photographer, broadened the scope of appreciation for the original work, exposing it to a wider audience and adding a multicultural flair to work of the Belgian surrealist. “Magritte Reimagined” represents years of creative work from the award-winning photographer. Greene’s flair for the ironic and use of images to tell stories is born out of a love for spoken word. See more of Greene’s work in person at Barataria Gallery in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York on 880 Atlantic Ave.
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Re-envisioning Art: Cross-Cultural Style GOLCONDA
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MUST l KNOW
The Value of Friends: Why I Quit My Career in TV Richard Hart
Eisenring in New York, 2018.
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By Yvonne Eisenring
Swiss bestselling-author and former anchorwoman Yvonne Eisenring wants to prove that the real network of people is more valuable and stronger than the virtual one. Here’s her story:
W
hen I was a little girl, both of my parents only worked part-time as teachers because they both wanted to spend enough time with us kids. Stay-at-home dads were unusual in the 90s. Very unusual. But my father didn’t care. He was happy. Actually always. That he did not have to owe that simply to a sunny mind, I should learn only later. Summer 2001. I was 14 years old. It was ten o’clock in the evening. My father said that I should finally switch off the computer. Five minutes later he was dead. Heart attack. When my friends started studying after school, I immediately started working. After an internship I got a job at the biggest Swiss newspaper. One year later I became a TV reporter. I attended journalism school and used my free time to write articles. I got a column, later a second one. Today I’m amazed that I didn’t fold earlier. But at 23 I was convinced that I was on the right track. From the outside it looked like that. I won prizes, became newcomer of the year. I ignored that I wasn’t really happy. I didn’t have time to think about it either. I got sick when I was 25. Not seriously. www.CultursMag.com
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MUST l KNOW
I had a severe flu that didn’t want to disappear. I was forced to stay home. Without stress, without pressure, without praise and without criticism it was terribly quiet. Being stressed and driven in recent years, the hectic of my everyday life, the sometimes cramped, I cried and cried. I was so disappointed and
frustrated. I had worked so hard, damn it! I had kneeled down, fought for my success. Why wasn’t I just happy? Was dad proud of me, I asked my mother and she said, definitely. But he would be anyway, success or not. Because I should have known one thing, what he had lived for was us and he gave us early advice, but what I never wanted to hear: “Your father always said that the most valuable thing you have is time and therefore you should use your time
for the things you love the most. That’s why he didn’t work full time. He loved his job, but he loved you more.” I didn’t change immediately. It took me two years until I dared. I was incredibly scared of this step and it took a while until I knew what I loved the most and what I wanted to use my time for: my friends, my family and traveling. I quit my job when I was 27. Everyone declared me crazy. Why now, they asked. Why when my career was doing so well? I pretended to know what I was doing. But to be honest, I had no plan. Today, three years later, I know it was the right decision. The last years were not always easy. I am a freelancer now, writing books and plays. I never know how much I will have in my account at the end of the month. It’s usually not much. But I only work as much as I have to in order to get through. I almost never buy new clothes, have no fancy handbags and expensive furniture. I have started studying Philosophy. It is an online program because I travel so much or live abroad.
Anja Glover
CHOOSE HAPPINESS
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Eisenring writing in a library in Colombia.
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I know it was the right decision because I’ve never been so happy. Not only because I travel so much, but because I can spend so much time with my friends. It’s not surprising that my personal happiness depends on it. According to the largest international study ever conducted on the subject, friendships are the key to a happy, healthy life. Surveys of over 3.4 million people around
Clockwise from top left: Traveling together in Columbia with friends from Paris. With two of her very best friends in Warsaw. Visiting her friend Debbie for Oktoberfest in Munich. At a concert in Lucerne, Switzerland with friend Dominik. www.CultursMag.com
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MUST l KNOW
Nadja Zimmermann
the world were evaluated and neither alcohol nor cigarettes or a healthy diet have the same impact on our physical and mental health as friendships and social interactions. My story is one of the reasons why my sister and I started “Yuujou,” a project focused on friendship. We want to prove that the real networking of people is more valuable and stronger than the virtual one. Thanks to the financial support of a friend, six people from all over the world will be able to travel together for 100 days in spring 2019. Today I regret that I didn’t
Above: Eisenring gives talks about why, and how, she lives. This photo was taken in Zurich. Right: Eisenring on a journey in the Rocky Mountains while taking a break from writing about cowboys.
Michael Crouser
Opposite: Traveling in Colombia.
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100 DAYS OF FREE TRAVEL: SIX PEOPLE: EPIC FRIENDSHIPS
Anja Glover
Yuujou is an international media art project with 30,000 people from 167 of the 194 countries applying to join a cast of six for this extraordinary project. Yuujou wants to show that we are all connected — not only virtually, but in real life. Soon, Yuujou will choose six of the 30,000 applicants to travel the world free of charge. In April 2019, two teams of three people each start in Berlin and head off in opposite directions. Within 100 days, both teams try to make it to the other side of the world — Japan. The route unfolds during the trip as the travelers let their next stop be picked by the person they’re currently staying with.
JOIN THE ADVENTURE: Culturs will follow YuuJou during the journey of six new friends around the world. Watch videos of their adventures, get updates and find out more about their adventures here: cultursmag.com/travel-the Weekly video updates will be uploaded to cultursmag.com Follow their travel experiences and friendship stories in real time at yuujou.world and on social media.
remember my father’s advice earlier. I should have known better, because I experienced for myself how quickly life can be over. I am very healthy, but I don’t know how much time I have left. Nobody knows that. How long can you still do what you want to do? How long can you use your time for the things you love the most? I think it’s a lifelong weighing of who or what gets the most valuable thing you have: your time.
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MUST l WEAR
MONA LUCERO Indie Designer Extraordinaire Cross-cultural fashion designer Mona Lucero designs clothing that is fun, flirty and decidedly feminine. She indulges us with lush fabrics, vibrant patterns, layers of lace, frilly tulle and appliquĂŠ. Her fashions are not only show-stoppers, they are very wearable; comfortable and flattering. Let us introduce you to her world of butterflies and hearts. Afterward, sashay over to her website to see more styles. www.monalucero.com
Online Exclusive For more on Lucero’s cross-cultural background, designs and inspiration, visit cultursmag.com/Mona
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Photography by Brien Hollowell
A signature style from Lucero is the circle skirt. Adorned with flowers and butterflies over layer on top of layer of feminine fun, you can’t help but twirl when you wear it.
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Art and fashion should be colorful, unexpected, and inspirational. Art and fashion aren’t frivolous. They help us through the difficult times, inspire us to understand each other and to appreciate life. They give us hope. — Mona Lucero
Who says shorts are just for the weekend? Paired with a heart embellished halter top and jacket of boldest red, these shorts will take you from a day of work to a night out. 48
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Stripes of a different color are the order of the day. These versatile column dresses come with a message of peace and love in the form of leather appliqués down the front. Accent with a letterman’s jacket to make a real statement.
Makeup Stylist: Sedrique Olison Clothing Stylists: Sonja Motley and Mona Lucero Models: Aïda Sow and Joyce Green www.CultursMag.com
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MUST l BUY
PENG SUCCULENTS
W
ith a penchant for miniature succulents, this London-based award-winning Horticulturist brings her love to the world through Etsy and Instagram. This five-star rated seller ships to destinations worldwide for a relatively small cost. See for yourself why on Instagram @PengSucculents and link to her Etsy shop to get your own.
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W
hen we met Kareem in London, he spoke of fragrance being a gift of the human spirit. He created a candle line in homage to his babysitter, a woman who consistently went above and beyond to enhance the lives of the children in her care. Her dreams and stories of world travel would ignite his own yearning for adventure. As a young man, he visited one of the places from her stories, and decided to show his gratitude for her inspiration to him. His thank you gift was three perfumes that distinctly represented the pastoral town of Grasse, South of France (which is known as the global capital of perfumery), along with a collection of postcards and other memorabilia. All these years later, his former caretaker was overjoyed and overcome with emotion in smelling the perfumes and reading about a town she had once loved. This built the foundation for Magma London — a home fragrance brand that aims to deliver global scent collections with snapshots of the culture from which it stems. Choose beautifully packaged candles and diffusers with scents like Fig & Sea Salt; Amber & Musk; Congac & Blond Tobacco, Bouquet Blanche & Bergamot and more. Priced at £ 25. Visit magmalondon.com
MAGMA LONDON Distinguished Home Fragrance www.CultursMag.com
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BOOK REVIEW
THE PERFECT NON-TCK BOOK FOR TCKS
Becoming Through Crossing Boundaries By Fran Wilson
M
ichelle Obama introduces her thoughts by asking a typical question of childhood. What do you want to be when you grow up? “Becoming” is our former first lady’s response. Michelle Obama’s journey is not easy. It is full, not only of successes, but of her fighting spirit in understanding her talents, self-doubts and hidden histories of dear family and friends. She was seemingly born to cross borders starting with the shifting demographics of her childhood neighborhood. She notes the effects that racism had on her family and South Side, Chicago. Through parental sacrifice, she attended Princeton and its Ivy League culture. As she navigates the cultures of home, university, a legal career, a municipal career, she asks, “Am I enough?” Her marriage to Barack Obama, our Third Culture president, added more cultural texture to her experiences. With kind forthrightness, she demonstrates how the layering of culture and history nourishes her becoming.
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Michelle Obama may not be a Third Culture Kid (TCK), but who knew her cross-cultural background and mid-western U.S. family values would lead her to accidentally decode one of the most culturally prolific of TCKs (if not the most well-known) — Barack Obama. Throughout her book, Michelle uses phrases in how she and/or others sometimes describe or outcomes of interacting with her culturally elusive husband. “He’s not one of us” “He’s not a real black man” “The in-between” “Backward intellectual ideas about race and class” “Hybrid” Each of these deftly, though inadvertently, describe the in-between-ness of the Culturs population. Military B.R.A.T.s, Missionary Kids, TCKs, trans-racial and international adoptees, mixed-ethnicity and mixed-race people know these spaces all-too-well. Barack happens to navigate quite a few of these spaces as shown in the diagram below. What Michelle tackled, on top of being a newlywed, was subtle differences in cultural understanding, wants and needs. What she perceived as matrimonial challenge may indeed have been subtle cultural differences that those who grew up in homogeneous cultural environs may never-before have had to navigate. Though she had to navigate them alone, she did so deftly, seeking assistance and working with her husband to create understanding along the way. Michelle Obama may not be a TCK, but we predict the distillations and observations she shared in this memoir will go a long way in helping those in relationship with culturally fluid partners develop better understanding for each other.
TABLE COMPARING COMMON FACTORS OF THIRD CULTURE KIDS’ (TCKS) UPBRINGING WITH THOSE OF OTHER CROSS-CULTURAL KIDS (CCKS) BACKGROUND
CROSS-CULTURAL NTERACTIONS
CYCLES OF MOBILITY
ANTICPATED REPATRIATION
ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM IDENTITY
APPEARANCE SOCIOCOMPARED TO ECONOMIC SURROUNDING FACTORS MAJORITY CULTURE
GROUP SPECIFIC ISSUES/HIDDEN LOSSES
TCKs
High Change cultural environments frequently
High repetitive between countries
Yes
Very often, usually the sponsoring agency/corporation
May change with each move
Varies, but many live with certain “status” due to parent’s career
Each sector deals with issues specific to their purpose for existing
Children of Immigrants
Likely to be high 1. Probably interacts with very different cultural worlds daily — at home and at school/ work
Varied… 1. Big move to new country 2. May or may not travel within new country or back to visit country of origin
No
Less often
Depends where they came from, where they immigrated to
Varied
Loss of lifestyle in original country
International Adoptees
Depends Some keep contact with country of origin while living in adoptive parents’ cultural world
1. Usually one major original move. After that, depends on family
No
Not usually
Depends Often different from majority culture of adoptive parents
Often middle to upper socioeconomic scale as it is expensive to adopt internationally
Face normal adoption issues as well as cultural issues
Children of Refugees
Depends
1. May be high Hoping so mobility for short or long periods 2. May be little for long time while in refugee camp
Not usually but can begin to get their identity primarily as “refugees”
Depends where they are refugees and where they have come from
Generally poor. Even those with means often cannot access them during a war or crisis and live in an impoverished situation
Often have faced the violence of war, starvation, displacement… may still be living in fear of current and future violence
Children of NonImmigrant Minorities
Depends 1. Some live in a strong subculture and change cultural worlds each day from school to home. 2. Others live more like majority culture - don’t exchange cultural worlds as markedly day by day
Varies Citizens 1. For some, already mobility between cultural worlds is daily 2. Others live in a more monocultural environment for years 3. Some move for parent’s job like any other family
Sponsoring system is not the most usual place for identity, per se, but can depend on parent’s career
Usually unlike surrounding majority culture
Varied All socioeconomic groups included
Can face issues of prejudice because of ethnicity/ nationality
Bi-racial/ Bi-cultural Children
Depends 1. On frequency of interaction with each parent’s cultural world 2. If they have one strong ethnic culture at home and another in their school/job
Depends… 1. On where parents are from 2. How often they visit family who live afar
Not necessarily
Depends May resemble in one culture, not another, maybe in both, may be in neither
Varied All socioeconomic groups included
May face issues of rejection from one parent’s cultural group or another or both
“Domestic” TCKs
Our definition assumes the moves have been between different cultural communities in home country
High Citizens Have moved from already place to place
Depends on parent’s career
Depends May be same as or different from majority with each move
Varied All socioeconomic groups are included
Face many of the same issues traditional TCKs face of rootlessness, etc.
Live in the culture of the refugee situation but often it exists in the midst of another cultural world of the non-refugees around them
Varies 1. To which parent’s culture? 2. Some are dual citizens
All socio-economic groups included
Chart information courtesy of crossculturalkid.org www.CultursMag.com
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MUST l WATCH By Donnyale Ambrosine
Making
ART
India Hussey Isley and Sam Sheridan talk about the making of “I Am The Night” during a moderated panel discussion.
For All Of Us
he sat easily, confidently in the director’s chair — discussing the finer points of the scene’s essence with her lead actor, Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot. They nodded, both apparently pleased with the brief conversation’s outcome. As Gadot strode away, the director turned to focus on the large black screens in front of her. Just then, a reassuring hand cradled the small of her back and she turned to find herself the recipient of an unexpected and ever-so-slight kiss. A simple, yet sweet conveyance of love at what otherwise was close to the end of a long day, the culmination 80
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Patty Jenkins and Sam Sheridan at the Sundance Film Festival viewing of “I Am The Night.”
of months of filming in an all-too-familiar, yet foreign space. “Hmmmm,” she hummed, with a joyful lilt at the close, almost like a silent “thank you.” As she raised her gaze to meet his, he glanced deeply and lovingly into her eyes and walked away. Nothing more needed to be said.
How Three Generations of Cultural Fluidity — two military B.R.A.T.S an Adult Cross Cultural Kid and a Third Culture Kid — make meaning for us through film
“Wonder Woman” Director Patty Jenkins and Screenwriter Sam Sheridan are Hollywood’s culturally-fluid power couple. From the outside looking in, it’s the stuff of which relationship dreams are made, resulting in concrete outcomes like the ability to be together ALL DAY. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. Working, living, rearing their tight-knit family with nine-year-old son Asa, glimpses of sweet moments like this abound. Their son is the recipient of these subtle and unexpected expressions as well. This is one piece of the duo’s formidable superpower, one piece of what adds to the inherent intuition with which they
create: the empathy they bring to their art — emboldened to even greater heights when their work comes together as one. What could have been anyone’s guess, however, is the depth of this couple’s inherent understanding of straddling culture and how it would make them the perfect team to tackle an enormously complex topic on many levels.
Illicit Beginnings For the first time in a major production, Sheridan and Jenkins collaborated on screen to conceptualize, create and produce the noir thriller, “I am the Night,” a www.CultursMag.com
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Jenkins directs India Hussey Isley on the set of “I Am The Night.”
six-part limited series on Turner Network Television that debuted Jan. 28. The series is inspired by the real life of Fauna Hodel, whose juxtaposition in race, identity, class and family led her on a search to discover her origins. Little did Hodel know that search would yield more than any person could imagine. A roller coaster of experiences resulting in shocking discoveries and emotional upheaval led the real life Hodel to cultivate and continuously spread a message of love to anyone she touched. The light she exuded among the darkness she encountered along the way is part of why Jenkins was intrigued by and championed the making of Hodel’s story. “I just super adored her [Hodel] as a person, but where her story started going, I was absolutely shocked. I have heard a lot of stories and I’m a connoisseur of good stories, but this one, I was stunned by,” Jenkins shared. The thing that grabbed and stuck with the prolific director was the potential impact of one of the more taboo themes in a story rife with taboo
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themes. She could then understand the desperation of one of the main characters “to be a great man,” encapsulating the “greatness-at-what-price-vibe” of this real-life character who was George Hodel — Fauna’s grandfather. Hodel was a famous, or infamous (depending on one’s outlook), Hollywood gynecologist accused of the 1940s-era Black Dahlia Murder in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, here was Fauna, who had gone in search of her identity and found out the worst about her lineage yet still chose to live in love and light. “There’s something about the journey that people are on to find their identity and the fact that the person who found out the worst possible thing rose above that. And there was this incredibly happy, at-peace-with-herself, person,” Jenkins mused with a bit of incredulity, still, at the idea of someone being so joyful among all the disfunction.
Keeping It In The Family Both Jenkins and Sheridan studied
oil painting during their undergraduate years. An avid artist, Sheridan was enthralled (or used to be) by the work of surrealist painters — a perfect link for the unbelievable story his wife soon would bring home. “The surrealist thing with George Hodel and his ‘greatness at any price’ — looking at those surrealists again and realizing just how misogynistic and hateful of women and sort of destructive it was and how aggressive,” remembered Sheridan. “Like all of Dali’s stuff is toward women — it was a shock and I was very intrigued because those guys were held on pedestals as these genius great men who should be indulged and here was this clarity of how misogynistic it was.” Digging deeper, Sheridan was appalled and fascinated at the idea “of
this guy who may have killed the Black Dahlia as an art project.” This guy being Fauna’s grandfather, the elder Hodel. But the project was a daunting one — with it came not just the possible intrigue of an unsolved murder, but an inbred tale of abandonment, deception, denial and ultimately, a search for true identity. It was a lot to tackle.
Finding The Key “So Patty had talked to Chris (actor Chris Pine, of “Star Trek” fame) about it on the set of “Wonder Woman.” Then Chris wanted to be involved and the question was, who is he going to be — is he going to be George Hodel? Then my breakthrough came when I thought if there’s a classic noir foil — you know
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L
ondon, a city full of history and culture, the perfect blend of the contemporary and the classic, a land between fantasy and reality. When thinking of London, how many symbols can you recall? The prosperity brought by the Industrial Revolution, the myth of the empire where the sun never sets, the acme of fashion, the strength of British soccer players, or the rhythm of the Beatles? How many of you’ve been dreaming of receiving a train
London skyline with Big Ben and the London Eye at dusk.
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ticket all the way to Hogwarts, entering this mysterious and charming land from the Platform 9-3/4? The winter in London is mostly overcast with the trace of melancholy. Walking in the streets of the city, I was surrounded by the buildings of ancient centuries, felt the sea breeze from the Atlantic blowing freely, and looked up to see the sparkling glowing lights during Christmas. London is so alive.
The city of London is a melting pot of ethnics, religions and cultures. It embraces people from all over the world so that it became a city with diversity while retaining the charm of the historical amorous feelings. London tower bridge, Westminster Palace, Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral and other
famous sites have become British proud landmark sceneries. But you can also find as much fun either in the middle of Soho or Chinatown. There’re always new things from corner to corner so it took me ages to explore it all. This is how I love it. Samuel Johnson once said: “Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
By Xiaoya Cheng
Destination:
LONDON
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Tower Bridge at night
Gherkin Building
British Museum 90
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Southwark Cathedral at night
National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
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