Third Culture Footprints | 1

Warwick Third Culture Society:

FEBURARY 2012 | ISSUE 6

inthisissue

2Wrapping upterm 2!

Elections

3 OWW Forum

5 Circling

6 OWW Fashion Show

10 Shisha Time

This TCS term has flown by. We’ve explored the global culinary world (well…fake Japanese and Leamington Lebanese), integrated into traditional customs of the natives (circling and Skool Dayz anyone?) and learnt about what being third culture means in terms of larger social contexts through our first ever forum! The forum wasn’t our only involvement in One World Week, as we smashed the fashion show with our brilliant performance. It’s been a great term, and I can only hope the rest of it will be just as terrific.

Love you TCS!

Third Culture Footprints | 2

PresidentThe role requires overseeing everything that the society is involved in and coordinating roles appropriately. They will also be in charge of communicating with external contacts, and promoting the society both within the UK and globally. Previous experience within the society is desired so as to ensure effective development.

Vice PresidentThe Vice President will work closely with the President to coordinate the society. Crucially, there is a very important administrative role; this includes taking minutes at meetings, sending mass emails, and updating the Facebook group. VP is also responsible for the development of the ‘Third Culture Footprints’ newsletter.

TreasurerThe Treasurer is responsible for all finance-related issues, most importantly keeping an eye on the balance sheet and ensuring the financial stability of the society. Applicants should be wary of their availability during the summer months, as sponsorship is usually sought out during this period.

Social Secretary (2 positions available)

The Social Secretaries are responsible for the organising of all socials and events. A Social Sec has to be consistent, outgoing, passionate, a good communicator, and creative. You should apply for this position as an individual, not as a pair.

TCS Exec Elections

Elections are almost here! To apply: su595@warwicksu.com

Third Culture Footprints | 3

The question “Can we live with our differences?” was posed at the One World Week Forum on Social Integration. It is a strange question for Third Culture Kids, because we live our lives permanently inhabiting a space of difference. However, there is an argument being made by many of prominent political leaders, from Cameron to Merkel, against multiculturalism. The forum explored the two sides of this argument, though unanimously pro-multiculturalism in conclusion.

At the heart of being a TCK is not having a concrete sense of home, and themes of belonging and community weave through the discourse on the subject. These themes were explored under the umbrella of social cohesion, by the speakers James Lawrence, Nils Holtug, Ted Cantle and James Mitchener. Personally, the discussion made me question whether my TCK way of life undermines social cohesion. As a member of the globalized populace, am I furthering a breakdown of social capital, such as trust and reciprocity, and

deepening fractures in ethnic divisions rather than promoting ethnic diversity? Though there are prominent figures who believe so, another possibility is that the definition of what constitutes our personal communities is changing, and this is not necessarily because of increased diversity but the way we lead our modern lives, with factors from social media to high residential turn over.

Looking Back at our first ever FORUM

by Tanya Matthew

Third Culture Footprints | 4

The transformation of community is not necessarily going in a wrong direction – just because the traditional boundaries of community have been broken down, it does not mean we are worse off. In this age, the local does not necessarily have to be a building block to create social cohesion.

The forum went on to explore subjects such as the idea of primordial difference and identity as a multi-layered, dynamic concept

rather than ascribed. James Mitchener, our TCK speaker, reconciled these subjects with the personal. He followed on from Ted Cantle’s ideas about human identity, believing that we should have a human heritage as a well as a cultural one. This can confront the paradox of diversity (the paradox of diversity is that the more we become diverse, the more we fear globalisation). I thought this spoke to larger topics that I had not really related to TCK living before but had always troubled me. Why do we value certain

people differently? Why do we constantly reward difference rather than human commonality? If we can create a duality of human and cultural identity by rewarding the concept of human identity, we could make steps in reconciling the issues that are brought up when discussing social integration.

Third Culture Footprints | 5

Week 8 Saturday2 March, 20137:45

CopperRooms**your dress code will be school uniform as per usual and your lecturers/professors will punish you for lack of enthusiasm!**

There will be punishments for latecomers!

Third Culture Footprints | 6

Emma’s OWW Fashion Show Diary

January 14Today is the castings for the 2013 One World Week [OWW] Fashion Show. I was involved in Third Culture’s first ever participation in the show last year, but this year I have the official title of ‘Fashion Coordinator’ so the pressure is on. I have come up with a concept and planned the entire composition for TCS with the help of Olena, Luisa and Ruta, and now I just need the models. But on the way to the first meeting I find myself manically re-choreographing the whole thing in my head for the ‘worse-case-scenario’ - no one turns up and the show finale turns into the TCS President, Kiara, and I walking up and down the catwalk awkwardly for 3 minutes.However, I am delighted by the encouraging turn out and I realise, as always, I should never doubt the enthusiasm of TCS members. I love TCS for this. So fingers crossed for the next two weeks! 

January 15Facebook group created. It’s official: let the TCS-OWW Fashion Show preparations begin. Ecstatic with how well the first rehearsal went and confident for tomorrow’s rehearsal in front of the fashion show organisers.

by Emma Kong

Third Culture Footprints | 7

January 21 After the weekend’s snow, Friday’s rehearsal and Saturday’s dress rehearsal are cancelled. But I’m not panicking [yet]. Today we are back into the swing of things and rehearsal runs late but we get a lot done and I'm still confident with how the piece is coming along. Also, the bad weather meant I was able to stay in all weekend to start and finish making the costumes whilst eating an obscene amount of chocolate and drinking gallons of tea – the exciting life of a fashion coordinator.

January 22The first costume fitting is today at rehearsal. The theme for this year’s show is I Was Here – the title from Beyoncé’s ballad. TCS have the important role of bringing all the cultures in the show together in the finale and I’m hoping the costumes I have put together represent them all, with an element of style.

Third Culture Footprints | 8

January 24Kiara to the rescue! I have caught the resident sickness bug and haven’t left my bed all day so Kiara steps in to take today’s rehearsal. It was a success: I was able to see the results from the rehearsal on a recording and it was great to see how much the show had come together. The walking and flash-mob section are perfect, the model pout is spot on. Tonight I will need as much rest as possible, as the snow has meant that some of the costumes still have arrived and a last minute shopping trip is needed.

January 23 Finally, the first official dress rehearsal is here and everyone gets in model mode. I’m filming the guys strut their stuff today. But after reviewing the video some issues arise: the ‘walk’ isn’t right, what to do with their arms? - #TCSmodelproblems – So I schedule a model walking session for tomorrow.

Third Culture Footprints | 9

The show is today! Call time is 12pm, which is not too bad at all, although there is a big day ahead. We get squeezed into our dressing room and in true diva fashion we complain it’s too small and get moved – into an equally small dressing room. Then we get shown the catwalk – it’s about 10ft shorter than we had been practising with. After my mini freak-out, we get on with our final rehearsals and the run-through on the teeny tiny catwalk. All goes well. While the models lunch, I rush home to get ready myself, then its back to the Butterworth Hall for final preparations. Backstage is buzzing as everyone is getting ready and getting way too excited over the

freebies the sponsors have left in our dressing room. My nerves are building but I seem to be the only one who is suffering with them and after delivering a bottle of something-to-calm-the-nerves backstage, I head back to my seat to watch the show.

TCS smash it and I can breathe again! Now we all go to the after-party to dance and unwind!

The OWW Fashion Show was the best way to start my final year at university. I'm so very proud to have been a part of it all and very thankful to all those who took part.

January 26

Third Culture Footprints | 10

After OWW was over, we decided to relax with some shisha and Lebanese food. With so many of us involved, through TCS or not, it was nice to be able to take a second to chill with our friends.

ShishaTIME!

Third Culture Footprints | 11