"Not quite from here, but no longer fully from there..."
This might be the truest sentiment shared by many international students or immigrants who have lived abroad for a long time. When we first stepped out of our home countries, carrying hopes for knowledge and dreams for the future, we never anticipated how we would come to struggle within the in-between space of identity.
Living on the Margins of Two Worlds
Let me share a personal and slightly bittersweet experience. In the UK, no matter how hard I tried to integrate, such as learning the local slang, speaking with a nearly perfect British accent, I still often felt a subtle sense of being seen as “the outsider”. And yet, when I returned to Taiwan longing for the familiarity of home, I found myself perceived as a foreigner even there.At a local convenience store, a cashier looked at my outfit and assumed I didn’t speak Mandarin. Maybe they thought I was a tourist? I had the face, hair colour, eye colour, and skin tone of a Taiwanese person, and yet, as I placed my items on the counter, the staff immediately started using English and hand gestures to communicate with me.
In that moment, I felt an indescribable sense of loss. As if I had been rejected by the place I once called home. I was no longer just Taiwanese and yet never truly British. So where do I really belong?
The Fluidity and Fragmentation of Cultural Identity
The identity struggles faced by international students reflect the fluid and fragmented nature of cultural identity in the era of globalization. We absorb and integrate elements from different cultures, forming a unique hybrid identity that defies single labels or national definitions.
Many studies suggest that those who live in cross-cultural environments for extended periods often develop a “third culture identity”. One that belongs neither fully to their culture of origin nor to the culture of their host country. While this identity can be rich and multifaceted, it often comes with a burden known as cultural homelessness.
The Psychological Impact of Identity Fluidity
This ambiguity and uncertainty around identity can have a profound effect on mental health:
- Loneliness and social isolation: It's hard to find peers who truly understand your experience. Even sharing with friends or family back home may leave you feeling, “They just don’t get it.”
- Loss of belonging: You never quite feel fully accepted in your host country yet feel disconnected from your roots when you return home.
- Identity anxiety: Constantly questioning, “Who am I?” and “Where do I belong?”
- Cultural adaptation pressure: The psychological stress of switching between cultural contexts.
From “Belonging Nowhere” to “Belonging Everywhere”
Perhaps the true wisdom for international students lies in transforming the pain of “not belonging” into the richness of “belonging in multiple places”. As one intercultural researcher put it, “We don’t need to have just one home, we can have many.”
In today’s globalised world, we may need to redefine what it means to “belong”. Belonging need not be tied to geography or ethnicity; it can exist in relationships, values, and shared experiences. For international students, perhaps home is not a fixed location but rather a state of mind, one that embraces and integrates diverse cultural experiences.
In this sense, international students are not “culturally homeless”, but rather pioneers of “multi-homed” identities, showing the world how to live, thrive, and find belonging across borders and cultures.
