UAE | General
Youngsters torn between cultures find a grounding in the UAE
"The UAE is home," say youngsters who are part of a growing generation of third-culture kids (TCKs) who have stronger ties here than in their home country.
- By Amelia Naidoo and Rania Moussly, Staff Reporters
- Published: 23:03 March 14, 2009
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
- Barry Moore Hamoudi, whose mother is Irish and father Iraqi, likes to describe himself as an international citizen.
Dubai: "The UAE is home," say youngsters who are part of a growing generation of third-culture kids (TCKs) who have stronger ties here than in their home country.
However, at least some members of the community complain that they feel lost despite assimilating the positives from diverse influences.
Expatriate TCKs and their parents spoke to Gulf News about their identity, loyalties and sense of belonging.
Russian national Lessichka Awar, who is of Lebanese, Russian and Brazilian descent, said she struggled to integrate with Russian and Lebanese cultures when she was an adoloscent.
"I tried to mix with Russian and Lebanese people, but found I was something different. Everything about me seemed different, down to the music I listen to. I felt like an outsider. People misunderstood me; no matter what I tried to do, I was misunderstood," the SAE Intitute student said.
The main disadvantage of being a TCK, she said, is belonging nowhere. "I can't say I have a place to call home. Dubai is fine; you get to meet open-minded people from all over."
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"Having no attachments means you have nothing to hold on to& It's hard when it is time to move but you get used to it," said Lessichka.
Ben Turnball, 19, is a British national of Filipino and English origin and was raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
"I had to deal with a lot of racism being half-Asian half-English," said Turnball about the time when he joined the English College in Dubai.
"People started doubting who I was," he recalls.
The experience however taught him to pick his friends carefully. "I really didn't know who to talk to at the time," he said.
However being a TCK does have an upside.
"I feel like a better person because I know more than other people. I'm not racist. I have a different perspective and feel for what other people feel. It's nice to have such an understanding," says Turnball.
Turnball seems to feel Dubai is home for now. "I'm proud to be who I am and feel I belong here [Dubai]. I know I don't belong in the UK."
When asked about his roots, he is not so sure. "I don't really know how to answer that question, I'd say mixed. I can't just be one nationality."
Barry Moore Hamoudi, 17, said he didn't consider himself British at all despite having a British passport. His mother is Irish and father Iraqi.
"I have a British passport and all it is to me is a document," was his frank assessment of his cultural identity. Hamoudi was raised in Dubai since he was a few days old.
He said he was not confused about his identity. "When people ask me where I'm from I say I'm an international citizen."
He agrees he has a completely different culture, which is an amalgamation of his Irish and Iraqi roots and his experience of living in the UAE.
Research shows that TCKs often have conflicting loyalties, but Hamoudi is clear about his moorings. "I belong in Dubai and wouldn't choose to leave of my own accord& Many people I know want to leave Dubai but I don't understand it. It depends on how long they've been here - if they've been here more than six years they like it, if they've spent about two years here they don't."
"Research shows TCKs are a unique group. They are more similar to each other than people in their home countries," said Dr Annie Crookes, senior lecturer in psychology and campus coordinator of the Psychology Programme at Middlesex University Dubai.
TCKs in the UAE have an international outlook on life and are not as isolated as some in other countries may be.
Dr Crookes said most TCKs abroad tend to adopt the culture of the country of residence.
The UAE is unique in that youngsters don't necessarily adopt Emirati culture.
Dr Crookes said the yearning for the home country is not as strong in the UAE, as students are excited to be here. "They don't feel forced to be here and go home quite regularly."
Talien Huisman, a student counsellor at the University of Wollongong Dubai, said: "People who have lived outside their home country and culture tend to develop a sense of independence and autonomy, as their experiences are broadened." However, such people may "struggle a little in finding their own identity."
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