Warwick Third Culture Society:
FEBURARY 2012 | ISSUE 6
Wrapping up term 2! This TCS term has flown by. We’ve explored the global culinary world (well…fake Japanese and Leamington Lebanese), integrated into traditional customs of the natives (circling and Skool Dayz anyone?) and learnt about what being third culture means in terms of larger social contexts through our first ever forum! The forum wasn’t our only involvement in One World Week, as we smashed the fashion show
inthis issue
2 3 5 6 10
Elections
OWW Forum Circling OWW Fashion Show Shisha Time
with our brilliant performance. It’s been a great term, and I can only hope the rest of it will be just as terrific.
Love you TCS!
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TCS Exec Elections
Elections are almost here! To apply: su595@warwicksu.com
President The role requires overseeing everything that the society is involved in and coordinating roles appropriately. They will also be in charge of communicating with external contacts, and promoting the society both within the UK and globally. Previous experience within the society is desired so as to ensure eective development.
Vice President The Vice President will work closely with the President to coordinate the society. Crucially, there is a very important administrative role; this includes taking minutes at meetings, sending mass emails, and updating the Facebook group. VP is also responsible for the development of the ‘Third Culture Footprints’ newsletter.
Treasurer The Treasurer is responsible for all finance-related issues, most importantly keeping an eye on the balance sheet and ensuring the financial stability of the society. Applicants should be wary of their availability during the summer months, as sponsorship is usually sought out during this period.
Social Secretary (2 positions available) The Social Secretaries are responsible for the organising of all socials and events. A Social Sec has to be consistent, outgoing, passionate, a good communicator, and creative. You should apply for this position as an individual, not as a pair.
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Looking Back at our first ever FORUM by Tanya Matthew
The question “Can we live
At the heart of being a TCK is
deepening fractures in ethnic
with our differences?� was
not having a concrete sense
divisions rather than
posed at the One World Week
of home, and themes of
promoting ethnic diversity?
Forum on Social Integration.
belonging and community
Though there are prominent
It is a strange question for
weave through the discourse
figures who believe so,
Third Culture Kids, because
on the subject. These themes
another possibility is that the
we live our lives permanently
were explored under the
definition of what constitutes
inhabiting a space of
umbrella of social cohesion,
our personal communities is
difference. However, there is
by the speakers James
changing, and this is not
an argument being made by
Lawrence, Nils Holtug, Ted
necessarily because of
many of prominent political
Cantle and James Mitchener.
increased diversity but the
leaders, from Cameron to
Personally, the discussion
way we lead our modern
Merkel, against
made me question whether
lives, with factors from social
multiculturalism. The forum
my TCK way of life
media to high residential turn
explored the two sides of this
undermines social cohesion.
over.
argument, though
As a member of the
unanimously pro-
globalized populace, am I
multiculturalism in conclusion.
furthering a breakdown of social capital, such as trust and reciprocity, and
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The transformation of
rather than ascribed. James
people differently? Why do
community is not
Mitchener, our TCK
we constantly reward
necessarily going in a wrong
speaker, reconciled these
difference rather than
direction – just because the
subjects with the personal.
human commonality? If we
traditional boundaries of
He followed on from Ted
can create a duality of
community have been
Cantle’s ideas about human
human and cultural identity
broken down, it does not
identity, believing that we
by rewarding the concept of
mean we are worse off. In
should have a human
human identity, we could
this age, the local does not
heritage as a well as a
make steps in reconciling
necessarily have to be a
cultural one. This can
the issues that are brought
building block to create
confront the paradox of
up when discussing social
social cohesion.
diversity (the paradox of
integration.
diversity is that the more we become diverse, the more The forum went on to
we fear globalisation). I
explore subjects such as the
thought this spoke to larger
idea of primordial difference
topics that I had not really
and identity as a multi-
related to TCK living before
layered, dynamic concept
but had always troubled me. Why do we value certain
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Week 8 Saturday 2 March, 2013 7:45
CopperRooms **your dress code will be school uniform as per usual and your lecturers/ professors will punish you for lack of enthusiasm!** There will be punishments for latecomers!
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Emma’s OWW Fashion Show Diary
by Emma Kong
January 14 Today is the castings for the 2013 One World Week [OWW] Fashion Show. I was involved in Third Culture’s first ever participation in the show last year, but this year I have the official title of ‘Fashion Coordinator’ so the pressure is on. I have come up with a concept and planned the entire composition for TCS with the help of Olena, Luisa and Ruta, and now I just need the models. But on the way to the first meeting I find myself manically rechoreographing the whole thing in my head for the ‘worse-case-scenario’ - no one turns up and the show finale turns into the TCS President, Kiara, and I walking up and down the catwalk awkwardly for 3 minutes. However, I am delighted by the encouraging turn out and I realise, as always, I should never doubt the enthusiasm of TCS members. I love TCS for this. So fingers crossed for the next two weeks!
January 15 Facebook group created. It’s official: let the TCS-OWW Fashion Show preparations begin. Ecstatic with how well the first rehearsal went and confident for tomorrow’s rehearsal in front of the fashion show organisers.
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January 21 After the weekend’s snow, Friday’s rehearsal and Saturday’s dress rehearsal are cancelled. But I’m not panicking [yet]. Today we are back into the swing of things and rehearsal runs late but we get a lot done and I'm still confident with how the piece is coming along. Also, the bad weather meant I was able to stay in all weekend to start and finish making the costumes whilst eating an obscene amount of chocolate and drinking gallons of tea – the exciting life of a fashion coordinator.
January 22 The first costume fitting is today at rehearsal. The theme for this year’s show is I Was Here – the title from Beyoncé’s ballad. TCS have the important role of bringing all the cultures in the show together in the finale and I’m hoping the costumes I have put together represent them all, with an element of style.
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January 23 Finally, the first official dress rehearsal is here and everyone gets in model mode. I’m filming the guys strut their stuff today. But after reviewing the video some issues arise: the ‘walk’ isn’t right, what to do with their arms? - #TCSmodelproblems – So I schedule a model walking session for tomorrow.
January 24 Kiara to the rescue! I have caught the resident sickness bug and haven’t left my bed all day so Kiara steps in to take today’s rehearsal. It was a success: I was able to see the results from the rehearsal on a recording and it was great to see how much the show had come together. The walking and flash-mob section are perfect, the model pout is spot on. Tonight I will need as much rest as possible, as the snow has meant that some of the costumes still have arrived and a last minute shopping trip is needed.
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January 26 The show is today! Call time is 12pm, which is not too bad at all, although there is a big day ahead. We get squeezed into our dressing room and in true diva fashion we complain it’s too small and get moved – into an equally small dressing room. Then we get shown the catwalk – it’s about 10ft shorter than we had been practising with. After my mini freak-out, we get on with our final rehearsals and the run-through on the teeny tiny catwalk. All goes well. While the models lunch, I rush home to get ready myself, then its back to the Butterworth Hall for final preparations. Backstage is buzzing as everyone is getting ready and getting way too excited over the
freebies the sponsors have left in our dressing room. My nerves are building but I seem to be the only one who is suffering with them and after delivering a bottle of something-to-calm-the-nerves backstage, I head back to my seat to watch the show. TCS smash it and I can breathe again! Now we all go to the after-party to dance and unwind! The OWW Fashion Show was the best way to start my final year at university. I'm so very proud to have been a part of it all and very thankful to all those who took part.
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Shisha TIME!
After OWW was over, we decided to relax with some shisha and Lebanese food. With so many of us involved, through TCS or not, it was nice to be able to take a second to chill with our friends.
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