Throughout this article, interviews sharing the experiences of Third Culture Kids in the Cayman Islands are explored, alongside insights from a Caymanian family with Third Culture Kids now living in England. All names used are pseudonyms.
"Although I am a generational Caymanian raised in the Cayman Islands, I grew up with a sense of existing between worlds. As I explored research on Third Culture Kids (TCKs), I recognised how closely my experience mirrored theirs. It is easy to say where I am from; far harder to explain what that means. By the time I was born, many elements that once defined Cayman’s culture and way of life had disappeared. That left me and others in my generation between worlds, much like TCKs who spend a significant part of their developmental years living outside their parents’ passport country." – Carol Kumassah
Moving to the Cayman Islands from England was an exciting prospect for the Smith family. Gwen was looking for warmer weather and a better work experience. She and her husband, Alistair, looked forward to exposing their children, Jenn and Emily, to new experiences and taking advantage of the outdoors, including Cayman’s underwater world. However, amid the excitement of settling into a new life, Emily had a difficult beginning, revealing that she cried every day after the move, something Gwen only discovered during the interview.
What is a Third Culture Kid?
International moves can bring opportunity, adventure and growth while also creating grief, uncertainty and emotional upheaval for children trying to understand where they belong. For many families with third culture kids (TCKs), this contradiction is familiar.
The term 'TCK' was coined by American sociologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1950s while studying American expatriate children living in India. She noticed that these children did not fully belong to their parents’ culture or the culture of the country they lived in. Instead, they formed a “third culture”, blending aspects of both. Her husband, John Useem, later joined her in expanding the work and the term 'third culture kids' is now widely used across several fields. Research into TCKs has identified both common challenges and advantages for internationally mobile children.
Rootlessness
One of the most common experiences among TCKs is repeated loss. Children leave behind friendships, schools, routines, family members and familiar environments. The move also affects those left behind. The Smiths spoke about grandparents struggling with the distance, an issue that remains despite regular visits and communication. Research on transnational families shows that extended relatives often experience their own adjustment, including sadness and the challenge of maintaining close bonds from afar.
Because TCKs repeatedly leave friendships behind, maintaining close long-term relationships can become difficult. Alistair, himself an adult TCK who grew up between England and two African countries, shared that he does not have any longstanding friendships. He attributes this, as research also suggests, to constantly moving and repeatedly leaving friends behind.
This repeated transition can also create a feeling of “rootlessness”. TCKs often have weaker ties to place, and instead find belonging through people rather than location. This sense of rootlessness appeared consistently throughout interviews conducted for this article, with home commonly defined as being with people they feel comfortable and happy with, instead of a geographical location. Both Emily and her father, Alistair, independently gave this same definition, only realising after their interviews that they shared this in common. The same view was echoed by Yao and Setor Agbo, who moved to Cayman three years earlier from a large African country.
A feeling of 'rootlessness' is common amongst TCKs, with home commonly defined as being with people they feel comfortable and happy with, instead of a geographical location.
Acknowledging Emotion
Research in child development, popularised by John Gottman, suggests that children cope better with major change when their emotions are acknowledged. Parents who recognise feelings such as sadness, worry or anger, rather than focusing only on the exciting aspects of a move, help children develop stronger emotional regulation over time. For families raising TCKs, that can mean recognising that excitement and grief often exist side by side and making room for both. Gwen explained that they tried to support their daughters by creating a safe space for open conversations, nurturing relationships and arranging mental health counselling if needed.
Erin and Jon Bodden left Cayman for England with their two young children. Erin shared that their oldest child “noticed differences and struggled”. She explained that they supported him through calm conversations as he asked questions and expressed his feelings. Eventually, the family moved to a more diverse area of England where Caribbean culture was more visible, something important to both Erin and Jon as they continue exposing their children to Caymanian food, dialect and music. Maintaining connections to family culture can help children develop a stronger sense of identity and familiarity. Other parents interviewed for this article also spoke about intentionally preserving traditions through celebrations, food, music and cultural practices.
Absorbing Other Cultures
At the same time, TCKs often absorb aspects of the cultures around them that differ from those of their parents. With Cayman being more diverse than some places, the Agbo children were exposed to a wider variety of personalities, values and styles. Setor shared that he found the behaviour and attitude of other children “interesting” when he first moved to Cayman. He admitted it was something he was still getting used to. His older brother Yao shared that his clothing and hairstyle preferences now tend to conflict with those of his parents. He would prefer to wear his hair in cornrows, something common for both genders in the Caribbean. However, this is frowned upon for males in his home culture and is not permitted by his parents. He discussed this calmly, apparently accepting their stance.
Unique Challenges
Education can also become complicated for internationally mobile families. TCKs may experience gaps or overlaps in curriculum and interrupted continuity. Alistair shared that as a child, his parents tried to minimise this by moving between important educational stages, such as between primary and secondary school and between GCSEs and A Levels.
Aku Agbo, Yao and Setor’s mother, said that if she could do it again, she would have researched more beforehand. Her family moved in the middle of the school year, making it difficult to secure school places and, when they did, both the curriculum and year groups differed from what her children were accustomed to. Although the children are now settled, have formed friendships and are progressing academically, she reflected that better preparation could have prevented multiple transitions after arriving on the island.
A Picture of Cayman's Third Culture Kids
While Cayman collects data on non-Caymanian children aged 0–19, it does not distinguish between refugees, long-term residents and those who would be considered TCKs. Still, the figures provide some sense of scale.
As of January 2026, the Cayman Islands Economics and Statistics Office estimated the overall population at 91,362. Based on population trends between 2021 and 2026, the number of non-Caymanian children likely continued rising, potentially reaching between 7,000 and 8,000, reflecting a steady increase in internationally mobile families. However, recent changes to the Immigration (Transition) Act, including higher income requirements per dependent, may influence future numbers.
Being a Third Culture Kid in Cayman
Families who were interviewed shared how Cayman presents its own challenges and advantages for TCKs. Because it is such a small community, there is often a sense of being constantly visible, as Emily explained: “you can’t escape it.” Social impressions can feel fixed, with Jenn describing it as: “if you’re weird once, you’re weird forever.”
For families arriving from more liberal countries, differences surrounding sexuality or religious beliefs can also be difficult to navigate, especially where social norms feel more rigid than those children are accustomed to. While the Smith family expressed respect for Cayman’s Christian foundation, Emily and Jenn spoke candidly about how it had made them question their future, wondering whether relationships and personal choices would be accepted or valued within Cayman’s small, Christian-centred community.
Yao offered a different perspective on living in a smaller population. He shared that he is more mindful of his manners and the respect he shows others, knowing he is likely to see people again.
Alongside the challenges of raising TCKs in Cayman, parents also described many benefits. Gwen commented, “It’s so much nicer for us to have had them younger for longer and not […] do all the things that are rites of passage in England”. She also discussed the range of activities available in Cayman that her family would not have been able to enjoy in England.
Aku spoke about the extracurricular opportunities available to her children through school. She also noted that she has more time to spend with her sons because her work-life balance is better in Cayman than it was in her home country. She expressed how she's now able to be a part of her sons’ lives more than in her home country, since she was “always running back and forth… It’s really changed a few things, which I’ve learned to appreciate.”
How to Support Third Culture Kids
Research suggests that children growing up between cultures are best supported in environments that prioritise belonging alongside academics. Schools that actively support language development, create opportunities for friendships and recognise the emotional impact of transition tend to see better outcomes for internationally mobile children. This is reflected in local school inspection findings, where simple, responsive strategies — such as peer support, relationship-building and helping children communicate in their home language — have been shown to ease transitions and support integration.
Strengths of Being a Third Culture Kid
Research by David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken highlights the advantages of being a TCK. These qualities can benefit TCKs well into adulthood, particularly as global movement becomes increasingly common. According to UNICEF, around 13% of the world’s 280.6 million international migrants in 2020 were children. Because TCKs spend significant portions of their developmental years exposed to different cultures, languages and social environments, many can develop a strong sense of adaptability from an early age.
Change, while often difficult, becomes familiar to them and they may learn to adjust more quickly to new schools, communities and situations than children who have spent their lives in one place. This adaptability can later become an important strength in employment and relationships, particularly in an increasingly globalised world where flexibility and cultural awareness are highly valued. Alistair illustrated this when recalling frequent power outages after arriving in Cayman, noting that he found locals’ frustration surprising. He sees this adaptability as one of the strengths of his upbringing and now recognises it in his own children.
TCKs also often develop strong observational and social skills. Having to navigate unfamiliar environments can make them more aware of social cues, different communication styles and cultural expectations. As a result, many become skilled at building connections across cultural, racial and national boundaries. Jenn shared that after moving to Cayman, she quickly realised that “people are people no matter where you go”. She explained that becoming involved in extracurricular activities helped her build friendships and feel more connected to her new environment. Joining her school’s steelpan band also gave her a meaningful way to engage with Caribbean culture. Over time, she developed a skill that made her feel more confident socially and helped her connect with new peers, who admired her ability to play this instrument.
Pollock and Reken’s research revealed that TCKs frequently demonstrate empathy and open-mindedness because they are accustomed to seeing that there is more than one way to live, think or approach problems. Exposure to different cultures can also broaden children’s perspectives and encourage curiosity about the world. Many TCKs grow up multilingual or become more comfortable interacting with people who have different accents, beliefs and traditions. This can foster confidence in unfamiliar settings and reduce fear of difference.
Gwen and Alistair shared that their daughters now have a much broader worldview than what they might have developed had they been raised solely in their hometown, where even the idea of moving elsewhere can feel unfamiliar or difficult for many people to imagine.
The families interviewed for this article shared experiences demonstrating that the TCKs in their families possessed many of these strengths, reflecting what the research has found. Although the challenges associated with growing up between cultures are real, many TCKs eventually come to see their experiences as shaping resilience, independence and a wider understanding of the world. Rather than belonging entirely to one culture, they often learn to feel comfortable moving between many, carrying pieces of each experience with them into adulthood.
A Sense of Home
During the final stages of writing this article, I attended the National Museum’s Speaker Series titled “We had slaves here, Sir?”, where Dr Roy Murray explored the “nuanced and often complex perspectives surrounding slavery in the Cayman Islands”. The discussion brought forward parts of Cayman’s past that are not widely discussed, examined or celebrated.
As audience members shared their reflections, there was a clear thread of rootlessness and uncertainty — sentiments that echoed those I had already scribed at the opening of this article. This made me realise that questions of identity and belonging are not unique to TCKs, even though those, like me, rooted here for generations, can feel unanchored. Perhaps, then, the question is not only how we support TCKs, but how we can build a Cayman where we all have a real sense of home.
