Photography by Wazha Dube

TCK Wazha Dube submitted a series of photographs for this project. Take a look at the sampling below.

All photographs & descriptions are copyright of Wazha Dube


1. Act of God

I wouldn't say I'm a religious person, if anything i'm spiritual. We often spend our lives running around from one pace to the next with few opportunities to stop and 'smell the roses'. When I'm able to capture pictures like this it's hard not to believe in something greater than yourself and even harder to not to stop appreciate the beauty of the world that we live in.

Location: Kane'ohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i







2. Empire State of Mind

I've had the opportunity to live in a series of different countries in everything from a urban to rural area and everything in between. Some say that if you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere. Some also say that New York City is the ultimate TCK city... For many TCKs, life is a constant search for somewhere were we can be comfortable without thinking about our moving average, for me NYC is one of those places.

Location: New York, New York







3. Forward into the Unknown

For most of us, we have little to no control over the first eighteen years of our lives. We are often giving a destination and then we're sent into somewhere in the world that can be so foreign from what we're used to it almost feels like another planet. This photo represents the fact that we are so often en-route to the unknown that after a while you just start going with the flow. Just like the river, life is always changing and you won't know where you're actually headed until can actually see the end destination, but even when you get there, it's not the destination that matters but the journey itself.

Location: Yangtze River, China







4. No matter where you go, don't ever forget where you're from...

We spend our lives hopping from one place to the other, adopting more cultures and and histories of countries that we are not part of. So often do we see the beauty of other countries that we sometimes forget what makes the places we actually come from so amazing.

Location: Chobe Game Reserve, Botswana







5. Celebrate Originality

As TCKs, our lifestyles allow us to get along with anybody, whether TCK or Non-TCK. Nevertheless, even with our own TCK peers, we all come from different places, with different backgrounds and different stories. The fact that no one has a life that is an exact copy of our own is always something to be proud of, so it's only natural to be proud of not only our heritage and background but also everything that makes us so different.

Location: Beijing, China

Free write & choreographed improv...

I was at a dance educators seminar held by the City Center here in NY a couple weekends ago and the theme was Nijinksky's Afternoon of a Faun since it is the centennial anniversary of the piece. We had workshops with Mark Dendy and another lady who teaches the repertory of the original Nijinsky ballet. In the afternoon, the City Center hosts came up with exercises to unleash our own personal adaptions and inspirations from the ballet. We had to listen to the music, read the poem, and free writes. I wanted to share my free writes because I ended up writing about birds in flight and travel.

"These flocking swans, these naiads, rather, fly or dive." - Mallarme (Read the whole poem here)

The vast lake of flocking birds fly high into the sky of the blue abyss. Like a giant white cloud they soar through the skies in search of a better place because the winds are changing and the weather is getting cooler. The colder months brings sorrow for those not travelling. Flying to a climate more favorable.

Free write about a time that was a moment of awareness or monumental for you:

Unsettled and constantly pining for memories, I lie awake at night longing for my memories of a home that no longer exists. Friendships I have gained and lost. Returning to an already familiar pattern of constant change. I gather. I seek. I travel. Meeting. Saying good-bye. The cycle of impermanence continues.

Alaine in the Studio from Alaine Handa on Vimeo.

"I am a TCK" (2005)

This is a mash-up of the project I did as a senior at UCLA's Department of World Arts & Cultures. This project premiered at the Electric Lodge in Venice, CA in May 2005.

The interviews/documentary film, and the dance pieces are being recreated and explored more in depth currently.

My hope is that this current project will bring the cross cultural, multi cultural, third culture kids, cross culture kids, global nomads, bi-cultural, internationally-minded, expatriates, recent immigrants, families, travellers, sojourners, wanderers all together. Its a big dream but I think we can do it.

- Alaine

Photography by Rob Oandasan

I received the following pictures (Amazing!) and titles/captions from TCK photographer Rob Oandasan to be included in my Families in Global Transitions proposal and TCK/CCK multi-arts production next Spring 2010. Enjoy!
- Alaine

1. There is always someone less fortunate than you.
As TCK's, we sometimes we forget we are the fortunate ones. We might get lost in our personal problems, but we just have to remind ourselves that there's always someone less fortunate than us.
Picture: A makeshift home on a boat on Pasig River in Manila, Philippines.
















2. Don't be picky with what you eat.
I used to be a picky eater. I quickly realized how much I would have missed out on if I continued to be a picky eater. The world offers so many delectable dishes - be adventurous and keep trying on new things to eat!
Picture: Sashimi at the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo Japan. It was so fresh, the fish head was still moving.


















3. The world is a beautiful place we need to preserve.
I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel to many beautiful and pristine locations. Being a city dweller all my life, the difference between places that are man-made and those that miraculously remain untouched for me is more pronounced.
Picture: White sand beaches in Boracay, Philippines.


















4. Respect other cultures, in all its aspects.
We are all taught to tolerate people who are different from us. But to actually go through the culture shock and learn how to live with these differences makes you learn this lesson in a more personal way.
Picture: Different bathroom settings in Singapore.























5. Slow down and enjoy the view.
TCK's daily lives can be very hectic. With so many different things to keep track of, we can often forget how important to is to take a breath and just enjoy the view.
Picture: Ice Skating in Central Park, New York City.



















6. Look at the bigger picture/Keep an open mind.
It is sometimes easier and cognitively more convenient to look at things through one view. Our experiences as TCKs force us to look at some things from a broader perspective.
Picture: A view of a couple of churches through a hole in the wall at the Emperor's Palace in Rome, Italy.