Last year, Jenny Kang participated in a TEDx Talk at Saint Louis University Madrid, covering the topic of cultural loneliness and being a “third culture kid.” With increasing mobility and interconnectedness between different countries, many people are exposed and become a part of multiple cultures. Identifying with multiple cultures allows for a greater perspective and understanding of the world, but also creates a new set of unique obstacles as one introspectively reflects and constructs their identity. Jenny is a third culture kid and as a psychology student, she has previously written articles for us at Psych2Go. We thought it would be great to catch up with her and learn more about her TED Talk, cultural loneliness, and its effect on identity and otherness.
Hi Jenny! Thanks for taking time to answer some questions. To start out, please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you. What are three words to describe you? Can you describe your educational/work background?
My name is Yeonhee Jenny Kang and I was born in Seoul, Korea. I moved to the U.S. when I was 5 years old and spent 11 years there in five different states before I moved back to Korea to spend the rest of my high school years. After a year of working in Seoul, I moved to Madrid, Spain to pursue my undergraduate studies in Psychology and Spanish Literature. While attending university, I……
Your personality has two different aspects due to the combination of Virgo Sun sign and Aquarius Moon sign. You are thoughtful and considerate. You value learning, awareness and wisdom. Having a Sun sign of Virgo and a Moon sign of Aquarius produces a combination that yearns towards high ideals of enlightenment and at the same time values pragmatism.
You often have a disdain for the mundane aspects of life and seek inspiration and passion by learning about the bigger truths concerning life’s meaning. You’re not a needy person and you don’t wear your heart on your sleeve. You are lead more by your mind than your emotions. Your thoughts and opinions can be self-critical. Because you aspire to look at life from a higher-level you are sympathetic and understanding but not overly emotional. In romantic relationships you value the intellectual and harmonious ideals of love.
Your curious mind conjures all sorts of plans and ideas which you don’t feel at all are a waste of time to explore. You know that you don’t think like all the rest and you value originality and non-conformity but your viewpoint is backed up by a solid grasp of the situation. You’re nobody’s fool and you question things closely before making decisions.
[Click here to find out your Sun/Moon and read about your combo.]