Front Row Underdogs: Third Culture Kid

I've never felt like I belong to a certain culture. Whenever I’m asked where I’m from, it takes me a good minute to sum up an answer, and even then it’s a long ass answer. Should I say I’m from Africa, because I was born there? Am I Serbian because my Mom is and I lived there for 6 years? Or am I British because I live in London and my Dad was born in Kent?

It’s never really seemed right. A few years ago I stumbled on an article speaking about “Third Culture Kids” - people who have spent a large portion of their formative childhood years in a culture different than their parents. Pollock wrote that TCK’s assimilate all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. That seemed right; I was part of a culture defined by the fact that they have no culture, while having characteristics drawn from all of them. This notion has strongly influenced the way I dress; I often employ elements drawn from Eastern European kitsch, British punk and the comfort of African life.

Now that I've officially started working in London, and can no longer go all over the place to visit my extended family, I’m starting to feel caged, like I have to belong here. That’s why I love this bookstore so much. Daunt bookstore is mainly centered around collecting literature on all the different countries of the world. And the fact that it’s stayed mainly untouched since the Edwardian era means that it could belong anywhere in the world. This is one of the rare places I feel like I belong, a place where the boundaries between cultures are paper thin, and I can let go and believe I’m wherever I want to be.