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Third Culture Experience: Navigating Identity, Belonging & Boundaries as Caribbean Immigrants
Manage episode 513494493 series 2771446
Simone W. Johnson Smith is the author of Decoding America: The Immigrant Experience and host of The Immigrant Experience in America podcast. A Jamaican-born public servant and cultural coach, Simone supports immigrant professionals through the emotional and cultural transitions of life in a new country.
Caribbean immigrants create something new and powerful when they leave their birth countries—a hybrid identity that's neither fully their native culture nor completely American, but according to Simone, a third culture person with unique strengths and perspectives.
Key Takeaways:
- Third culture persons develop a hybrid identity that becomes their superpower.
- Code switching is a natural adaptation strategy that all humans use in different contexts.
- Culture shock symptoms range from mild depression to fatal self-harm and should be taken seriously.
- Coming home to yourself means integrating valuable parts of both cultures deliberately.
- Healthy boundaries with family back home are essential for immigrants' well-being.
- The immigrant experience involves balancing communal values from home with American individualism.
- Work environments often present the greatest challenges for Caribbean immigrants.
This conversation complements the Caribbean Diaspora Experience Model (CDEM), developed by Carry On Friends to help Caribbeans better understand their evolving identity across time, place, and life stages.
Connect with Simone - thebridgeconcepts.org
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A Breadfruit Media Production
Chapters
1. Welcome and Introduction (00:00:00)
2. What Happens After Leaving Your Birth Country (00:05:38)
3. Understanding Cultural Identity and Belonging (00:16:45)
4. The Challenge of Code Switching (00:21:44)
5. Coming Home to Yourself (00:37:20)
6. Navigating Family Expectations (00:46:26)
7. Hope for Future Immigrants (00:56:20)
8. Finding Resources and Community (01:02:19)
288 episodes
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