What does TCK mean and where does the term come from?

TCK stands for Third Culture Kid, a term coined by sociologist Ruth Hill Useem. It refers to individuals who spend a significant part of their developmental years in a culture different from their parents' or passport culture.

Because belonging isn’t always simple.

Exploring culture, identity and belonging through the lens of a Third Culture Kid.

Stories, research, interviews and reflections on psychology, anthropology and life between cultures.

World Mental Health Day: Making Space for the Parts of Ourselves We Don’t Always Understand

This World Mental Health Day, Giulia reflects on self-awareness, identity, cultural experiences and why listening to ourselves and others matters for mental health.

Giulia Tricamo

7 hours ago

university applications craziness for Dubai seniors

Trying to Have a Future While Still Living the Present

There is something very strange about being a senior and having almost every adult around you ask, “So, where are you going to college?” While I’m researching universities, writing essays, keeping up with school and extracurriculars, and trying to take care of my mental health, I’m also realizing how easy it is to feel like I should already have my future figured out. As a TCK, choosing a university also means imagining a new place to call home.

Giulia Tricamo

Sep 29

Can You Miss a Place You Don’t Remember?

Can you miss a place you barely remember? Growing up between countries can make the idea of home surprisingly complicated. Sometimes the places that shaped us most are the ones we remember the least, living on through family stories, old photographs, familiar smells and fragments of childhood. This is a reflection on memory, migration and the strange feeling of belonging to places we can no longer fully remember.

Giulia Tricamo

Aug 25

Why Do I Sound Like a Different Person in Different Countries?

Why do we sound like different people in different countries? After my cousin noticed how differently I speak to my friends in Milan, I started paying attention to the way my voice, humour and behaviour change between Italy, Dubai and the US. Maybe changing with our surroundings doesn’t mean we’re being different people. Maybe it reveals how much of who we are is shaped by the cultures, languages and people around us.

Giulia Tricamo

Jul 15

ABOUT TCK MIND SPACE

TCK Mind Space is a space created by Giulia Tricamo, a Third Culture Kid, exploring what it means to grow up between cultures.

Through personal experiences, research, and ideas from psychology and anthropology, Giulia explores topics such as identity, belonging, culture, language, and the meaning of home.

Based in Dubai and shaped by life between different worlds, TCK Mind Space brings together personal stories and research to better understand the experiences of young people growing up away from their home culture.

Connect with me: giuliatricamo@gmail.com