Meet Jiwon Lee, Third Culture Teen

By: Ann Nguyen ‘22

Quarantining has left us with a little extra time on our hands. If, like me, you are looking for new reads to add to your list, I have the perfect book for you: Third Culture Teen: In Between Cultures, In Between Life Stages — written by USC student, Jiwon Lee. 

Jiwon is a sophomore majoring in Cinema & Media Studies, and her manuscript has officially been approved for publication by New Degree Press, which is owned by a professor at Georgetown University. The book has a planned launch for July 2020.

You can pre-order and support Jiwon at her Indiegogo campaign: https://igg.me/at/the-third-culture-teen/x/23247495#/

She has been working hard to share her story and the experience of third culture teens. Because she is still a new and unpublished author, her publisher wants to see her build momentum before her book is put on the shelves for bookstores. Jiwon needs to sell 100 copies of her book by April 18th, so definitely check out her book and help out if you can!

In the following interview, Jiwon shares more about her book and why you should read about her story.

Q: Hi, Jiwon! Please tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do outside of your studies at USC and writing your book?

A:

I was born in Korea, raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for three years (where I learned English), then in Qingdao, China for roughly seven years (where I learned some Chinese).

I’m an aspiring filmmaker, serving board positions on USC’s Women of Cinematic Arts and Asian Pacific Cinema Association. When I’m not procrastinating on assignments or working on a film set, I host a weekly radio show called The Tenth Culture Kid at USC’s radio station, KXSC (online at kxsc.org/listen). Especially in the midst of this pandemic, you can find me playing Animal Crossing on the Switch.

Q: What does it mean to be a third culture teen?

A:

“Third culture teen” is actually a new term that I have coined and proposed a definition of, as the focus of my novel. Being a third culture teen is simply growing up as a “third culture kid.” Third culture kid, or TCK for short, refers to “a person who has spent a significant part of his/her/their developmental years outside their parents’ culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures with which they come into contact, while not having full ownership of any.” 

If this sounds familiar or relatable to you, despite not having grown up outside of your native country, you might fall into a larger umbrella term: cross-cultural kid, or CCK for short.

A cross-cultural kid refers to anyone who has “meaningfully interacted with two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during their first eighteen years of life.”

This might include biracial children, children of immigrants, children of refugees, and international adoptees.

Q: Why did you ideate the term third culture teen, and why did you decide to write a book about it?

A:

I realized the significance of my identity as a TCK when I moved here to Los Angeles for college, which inspired me to write this book for other third culture teens struggling to find a place in this world.

I believe that teenage TCKs and CCKs go through specific experiences that need to be told. My whole life I have struggled, and still struggle, with the question of my identity. Having spent more than half of my life outside of Korea, where I was born, I never had the confidence to call myself a true Korean…or really a true anything. I was a mish-mash of all the cultures that lived within me, and I’ve been insecure about my unfinished, incomplete self for a long time.

The term third culture kid gives a name to what I am and the community of people like me around the world who share experiences similar to mine. I wanted other confused teens like myself to know that they are not alone. They belong somewhere.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about what we will find in your book?

A:

Available in paperback and as an e-book, Third Culture Teen: In Between Cultures, In Between Life Stagesis divided into four parts and contains ten chapters.

Part 1 focuses on the concept of home, and the various ways third culture teens might define it. I also discuss the issue of technology — how it can both be helpful, yet also detrimental to the formation of our cultural identities. 

In Part 2, I discuss the various struggles that third culture teens face in their daily lives, including learning to “adult” in a foreign country and dealing with our differences while interacting with monocultural teens. I have also dedicated a chapter to ways in which we can maximize our advantages as TCKs.

Part 3 includes stories from Adult TCKs who have already overcome the struggles of being a “third culture teen,” providing insight into the lives third culture teens will be facing as adults. Because the term TCK is not as widely known yet, it is our responsibility to normalize it and, in turn, normalize our lives in society.

Part 4 provides additional resources that third culture teens can refer to, and an afterword from me.

Q: Thank you so much for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Is there anything else you would like to say to the USC community?

A:

Thank you for letting me share my story. I have poured so much of my time, resources, and hard work into turning this idea for Third Culture Teen: In Between Cultures, In Between Life Stagesinto a reality. I put my heart and soul into this project, and it’s so close to all coming together. I’d love for you to buy a copy or share this novel with others. It would truly mean the world to me!

Please use #ThirdCultureTeen and tag me @ssk05032 on Instagram, as well as my publisher New Degree Press, so we can help amplify your efforts. And if you have any more questions about me or Third Culture Teen: In Between Cultures, In Between Life Stages, please feel free to email me at leejiwon@usc.edu or DM me on Instagram. Thank you so much of all of your love and support. 

Fight On!

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