Growing Up Across Continents: Patricia Grasmann’s Third Culture Story

Tatjana sits down with Patricia Grasmann, a Third Culture Kid who grew up across seven countries, to examine how a life shaped by constant movement forms identity without a single place to call home. Patricia reflects on growing up between Venezuela, Asia, and the U.S., the adaptability this lifestyle demands, and the often-unspoken grief of repeated, abrupt goodbyes. Together, they explore language and belonging, privilege and loss, and how roots can exist beyond geography. Patricia also shares how becoming a mother and building a life in Munich is reshaping her understanding of home and identity. --- You'll Hear About How growing up across continents shapes identity without a fixed sense of home The emotional cost of constant movement, including grief that often goes unnamed Language, heritage, and the subtle ways culture is inherited Privilege, mobility, and the pressure to minimize loss The difference between moving as a child and choosing movement as an adult Motherhood, place-making, and redefining what home means in Munich --- Timestamped Chapters (00:00) Meeting Patricia & her Third Culture Kid background (03:20) Growing up across Venezuela, Asia, and international schools (10:15) Adaptability, observation, and delayed culture shock (18:40) Language, identity, and heart language (26:30) The hidden grief of constant moving and goodbyes (34:10) Privilege, guilt, and emotional silencing (41:45) Moving countries as an adult versus as a child (50:20) DNA, ancestry, and redefining roots (56:30) Motherhood, Munich, and building a sense of home ---- About My Guest Patricia Grasmann identifies as a Third Culture Kid. With Venezuelan parents and a childhood shaped by life across Latin America and Asia, she later spent 15 years in Washington, DC, working in the non-profit and higher education sectors. After living in London, she now resides in Munich, where she is embracing expat life once again while learning German and raising her family between cultures. Follow Patricia: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pcgarcia2020 --- The MITA Podcast: Website – https://www.tatjana-krajsic.com/the-mita-podcast Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mita.podcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatjana-krajsic/   --- Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com