Are You a Third Culture Kid? President Obama is.

President Obama and many members of his cabinet are Third Culture Kids. What is a third culture kid? A simplistic definition is one who may or may not share the culture of his or her parents. Having one or more parent of a different culture or growing up in a different cultural environment than one's parents could lead to an outlook on life that varies greatly from one's perceived culture. President Obama fits this category on a number of levels including having a mixed racial heritage, living in Indonesia as an American and so on. See Time.com for about the President's heritage.

Ruth Van Reken, author of the book Third Culture Kids, is one of the premiere researchers on this topic. She believes that experience as a TCK positively influences the President and his cabinet regarding foreign policy. To view the post by Ruth Van Reken, see Third Culture Kid.

For additional information:

Visit: tckid.com and Belong or Bust: Third Culture Kids

Read: Between Cultures: Developing Self-Identity in a World of Diversity.

HipHopistan: Intersection of Turkish Culture and Hip Hop

HipHopistan: Representing Locality in a Global City is a documentary by Cigdem Akbay. I have been sitting here attempting to write an objective post about the documentary, but I can't. Cigdem is one of my former interns. We worked together nearly a decade ago when I first started Diversity UAB and a community program called Diversity University. She was engaged in cross-cultural studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and willing to provide assistance to programs in their infancy.

I remember when she was taking a new course in Guerilla Filmmaking. It was a course that taught amateur filmmakers how to make ethnographic films. Emphasis was placed upon the story, not necessarily the film. However, to the delight of the instructors--Rosie O'Bierne and Michelle Forman, they developed many budding filmmakers. Some of the student films have been submitted to local festivals such as the Sidewalk Film Festival and on to national and international festivals.

HipHopistan reflects what I know of Cigdem. Her background as a transnational, a person with roots in her parent's ancestral home and the U.S., helps her delicately describe the intersections between U.S. and Turkish Hip Hop movements. Cigdem was raised by parents of Turkish descent who moved to Huntsville, AL. She spent significant time in both Turkey and the U.S. As a music documentary junkie who used to spend entire Saturdays watching VH-1 Behind the music, BET, and now TV One's music documentaries, I must say that Cigdem's background in cultural studies adds a layer of complexity that sets this film apart.

I recall her descriptions of Turkish culture as European and Asian. She talked about the Grand Bazaar as a symbol of this cultural juxtaposition. I was reminded of her observation in the introduction of the film. It features a rap song that mentions Turkey's unique geocultural status.

The film describes the Hip Hop movement in Turkey from various vantage points. She even interviews Turkish American and Atlantic Records co-founder Amhmet Eregun. Name not familiar? Watch the Ray Charles film starring Jamie Fox.

Besides the fact that I was able to offer practical experience for her interests, Cigdem and I always seemed to relate well to one another. This film includes an intersection of an American art form that grew out of an underground movement in mostly black urban communities with a country on the other side of the world. I don't recall if we ever discussed the significance of Hip Hop when I was growing up. Of course the incarnation of Hip Hop today differs significantly from the Hip Hop of my youth. However, the underground nature of the movement and the generational divide between Turkish youth and their parents' generation is quite familiar to me.

Although the film was released in 2006, it speaks to some of the thoughts I have been having lately. Cigdem contacted me just after I had made several statements to friends on the global power of Hip Hop. I think I was watching America's Best Dance Crew reruns and the fact that few of the top contestants were members of the culture where Hip Hop originated. I was also thinking about a visit that I had made to Southern Africa. The young people often asked whether or not I knew Ludacris and Beyonce. A visit to Japan in the mid-nineties hinted to the power of Hip Hop among Japanese youth.

In addition to her mother's Baklava that I still dream about from time to time and the Evil Eye ornament she hung in my office, I have a film that blends aspects of both of our cultures.

Job well done Cigdem.

Pho Que Huong Vietnamese Restaurant in Birmingham, AL

I had a great meal at Pho Que Huong today on Green Springs Highway. According to PhoQueHong.com, "PHO, a uniquely Vietnamese creation, dates back to the 10th century and means "Noodle Soup". QUE HUONG means 'Native Village'".

Pho is located in a section of Birmingham that has really changed over the years. Green Springs showed early signs of globalization. You can get Korean, Mexican, and Vietnamese food all within a few steps. Mediterranean, Italian, authentic Chinese and traditional southern food are within a few miles. There is even a Peruvian restaurant posing as a Mexican restaurant three traffic lights away.

My first visit to Pho several years ago was with someone who spoke Vietnamese. He selected my dishes. It isn't a prerequisite, though. Neither the waitress nor I could speak Vietnamese. Today I took the safe route and ordered a chicken dish with lemongrass and mushrooms. One of my friends ordered a noodle dish.

FYI: Pho is actually in the Homewood section of Greensprings. Homewood is a suburb of Birmingham.

Birmingham's Cultural Evolution Part 2

(Continued from Part 1) As I registered for graduate school, the diversity that UAB had attracted caught my attention. Students and scholars from around the world converged on a daily basis on the Southside alongside Blacks and Whites whose families had lived here for over a century. One of the most memorable moments was when students from Bombay, Japan, South Africa, and a few Middle Eastern countries asked if we could go to a soul food restaurant.

We ordered just about everything on the menu including: ox tails, chittlins', pigtails, greens, and sweet potatoes. We gave demonstrations on proper use of hot and pepper sauces. After describing what we were eating, many of the students commented, "We eat many of the same foods in our countries." I was amazed that okra is referred to as ladyfingers in some parts of India.

Eventually Olympic soccer converged on the City. Sister city activities with Japan, China, and Hungary began to capture my attention. Japanese visitors frequented Birmingham to visit the Japanese Tea Garden and the Samuel Ullman Museum. The cultural fairs sponsored by the Greek, German, and Middle Eastern communities could not be missed.

Oppressed people from all over the world looked to Birmingham as a beacon. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute documented how the Movement influenced the world including recordings of "We Shall Overcome" sung by students at Tiananmen Square. South Africans escaping Apartheid sought guidance for building relationships across cultures.

Brian returned to Birmingham on several occasions still longing for our childhood experience. ..Stay tuned for Part 3/3