The nickname “Zuzu” came about when I worked as an afternoon carer at an international school in Prague. One of the children couldn’t pronounce my name, so started calling me Ms. Zuzu — the name being a diminutive form of the Czech name Zuzana.
I was tickled pink, seeing that Zuzu is the name of a character in one of my favorite films, “It’s A Wonderful Life”, and the discovery of Zuzu’s petals marks a most beautiful turning point in the story. And a beautiful turning point in my own life story as the moniker Zuzu is adorable, and allows people to stop botching my name, thus making me inordinately happy without doing much.
Plus, it’s turned into a whole performance art project, with many different Zuzus including the ever-popular Zuzu Kahlo. Performing Frida Kahlo had an interesting side effect: I now paint regularly and even began selling my art as a result.
As a Third Culture Kid, half-Lithuanian American, half-Sri Lankan I’ve literally lived all over the world since birth. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka I then went on to live in Zambia, Thailand, Pakistan, India, California, Switzerland, France, Spain, Turkey, Czech Republic, Germany, and currently call Lighthouse Point, Florida home after an uneasy repatriation.
I’m becoming a tattoo collector in earnest as I recently finished the first pass of a forearm sleeve with the help of amazing Boulder-based artist Phill Bartell of Rising Tide Tattoo. The design is inspired by my time in India, and also has an ironic factor in that people often tell me I’m from India even though I’m not. Just one of several Third Culture Kid problems I deal with on a regular basis: the assumption of otherness. Might as well continue physically marking my difference if it’ll be forced on me anyway, right?
Cheers,
Zuzu
Dear Sezin,
I found your details on your website, I hope you might be able to help me with my strange request!
I am a Producer working on a television show called House Hunters International in New York which follows English speaking expats in their quest to purchase a house abroad. I am hoping to find English speaking expats to profile who are living in Prague. I wonder if you or any of your readers might be interested in getting involved?! Please find a little blurb about the show below:
House Hunters International is a half-hour program currently airing on the Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV). The program is a spin-off of the popular House Hunters and has spent the last several seasons exploring the idiosyncrasies of buying real estate in other countries. HHI is about a personal journey of discovery and the making of life-long dreams.
The series is designed to de-mystify the international home-buying process by going behind the scenes of a house hunt where buyers and their real estate agents tour 3 homes. At its core, House Hunters International is a travel show concentrating on the idiosyncrasies of the locales and what makes them special and different. A great deal of effort will be made to capture rich visuals and to provide sequences where viewers will be exposed to local vistas, traditions, lifestyles and architecture.
Please get in touch if you have any more questions about the show. I look forward to hearing from you!
Best wishes and many thanks,
Michelle
Michelle James
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER LEOPARD FILMS
1-3 St Peter’s Street, London N1 8JD – +44 20 7704 3300
michelle.james@leopardfilms.com
http://www.leopardfilms.com
That’s you all right! Love your new Website Sezin!
wow, so much travel. Fun.Now I will go enjoy some more of your blog.
Saludos,
A Mexican chica living in Europe
Having a nosy on your site now 🙂
Just read number 1 in the Sookie Stackhouse books, not sure of them yet.
Hey, what a good summary. What a good summary!!!