Travis Tookey — known here as Haima, “seahorse” in Mandarin — grew up third-generation Japanese Canadian in Vancouver, in a family whose Japanese roots ran through internment camps in northern BC as easily as through sushi dinners and Ghibli movies. At 21, he left for Shenzhen to be an au pair with a mixed French-Chinese family, a short-term plan that turned into a year, then a return trip to study Mandarin at Tsinghua, then a job leading Lululemon’s growth in Shanghai, where he volunteers at Move Crew, one of the city’s best-known running communities. This conversation moves from wartime family history to New Year’s in rural Sichuan to what it actually takes to build a sense of belonging in a foreign city, sport by sport, Sunday by Sunday. Key Themes Growing up bicultural in Vancouver — Japanese heritage as daily texture (language, food, media) rather than identity performance, and the shifting sense of who counted as “the Asian friend” or “the white friend” depending on the roomThree generations of a Japanese Canadian family split by WWII: one grandmother sent back to Japan just before the war, the other grandfather interned with his family in the BC interior, and how a high school history project was the first time Travis heard either story in fullA serendipitous, almost accidental decision to become an au pair in Shenzhen at 21, arriving with no Mandarin and no real planBeing folded into a host family’s Chinese New Year in rural Sichuan, the trip Travis still calls one of his favorites in ChinaChoosing to return and study Mandarin at Tsinghua over the “obvious” choice of learning Japanese, and what that says about which culture actually pulled at himComing back to China a third time for Lululemon, and the difference between visiting a place and building a career and community inside itVolunteering and running with Move Crew, a Shanghai running club recently recognized by Timeout Shanghai — community-building as a deliberate answer to the loneliness of expat lifeWhat two decades (in family history) and two years (in career) of moving between Canada and China have taught Travis about staying ready for opportunities you can’t plan forKey Takeaways Family history isn’t background information. Travis didn’t hear his grandparents’ full internment and wartime stories until he went looking for them in high school, and that act of asking reframed how he understood his own place between culturesThe “long-term plan” rarely survives contact with China — an au pair gig meant to last one visa cycle became a year, a return trip, and eventually a careerImmersion beats intention. Travis learned more Mandarin osmotically, listening to a host family talk, than he expected to learn by studyingChapters (00:00) Introduction to the podcast and Travis’s bicultural identity(02:29) Growing up in Vancouver’s Japanese community and bicultural identity(04:19) Family history: Japanese Canadians, WWII internment, and intergenerational contrasts(13:04) Realizations from a high school history project about family and history(17:16) How Travis’s initial interest in China was sparked by serendipity(22:20) First impressions and cultural shocks upon arriving in Shenzhen(38:59) Experiencing Chinese New Year with a local family and its significance(45:04) Transitioning back to Canada and the decision to study Mandarin in Beijing(52:28) Studying at Tsinghua University and building friendships across China(66:54) Career steps and return to China working for Lululemon(75:53) Navigating life in Shanghai: building community through running and social groups(93:23) Reflections: perseverance, openness, and staying ready for opportunitiesResources & Links Japanese Canadian Timeline - Nikkei National Museum and Cultural CentreNational Association of Japanese CanadiansThis podcast is brought to you by C^2 Collective, a multicultural nonprofit community empowering young people across China and beyond to think curiously, connect across cultures, and create positive change | see https://csquared-collective.com/ | We host events, run a social innovation network, and publish the Curation^2 newsletter @ https://imablur.substack.com/ Music by Megan TanArt by Cindy Zhang 被深圳"收养"的男孩:海马与他的双城中国路Travis Tookey——在这里大家更熟悉的名字是"海马"——在温哥华长大,是第三代日裔加拿大人。他的日本血脉,一半流淌在寿司晚餐和吉卜力电影里,一半深埋在BC省北部的日裔拘留营历史中。21岁那年,他前往深圳,成为一个中法混血家庭的互惠生——原本只是一次短期计划,却延长成了一整年,随后他又回到中国,在清华大学学习中文,再后来加入露露乐蒙(Lululemon),带领其在上海的业务拓展。如今,他也是Move Crew的志愿者之一,这是上海最知名的跑步社群之一。这场对话从战时的家族往事,聊到四川农村的春节,再到在异国他乡真正建立归属感需要什么——一场跑步接着一场跑步,一个周日接着一个周日。 关键主题 在温哥华的双文化成长经历——日本文化不是一种身份表演,而是日常的质感:语言、饮食、动漫。而"谁是亚洲朋友、谁是白人朋友",这个界定会随着所处的圈子而不断变化一个日裔加拿大家庭在二战中被拆散成两条线:外婆在战争爆发前被送回日本,外公则和家人一起被关进BC省内陆的拘留营。直到高中一次历史课作业,Travis才第一次完整听到这两段往事21岁那年,一次近乎偶然的决定——去深圳做互惠生,不会中文,也没有任何长远计划被寄宿家庭带去四川农村过春节,Travis至今仍称这是他在中国最喜欢的经历之一选择回国学习中文而非"顺理成章"的日语,这个选择本身,说明了哪种文化真正在牵引着他第三次回到中国,这次是为了露露乐蒙——"路过一个地方"和"在这里扎根经营事业与社群",是完全不同的两件事以志愿者身份加入Move Crew,一起跑步——这个最近被Timeout Shanghai评为上海最佳跑步俱乐部之一的社群,是他对海外生活中那种孤独感的主动回应在加中两国之间辗转的这些年——家族史里的几十年,和职业生涯里的这几年——教会了Travis如何为那些无法计划的机会时刻准备着核心启发 家族历史从来不只是背景信息。Travis直到高中主动去问,才第一次完整听到外公外婆关于拘留营和战争年代的故事——而这个"主动去问"的动作,重新定义了他理解自己身处两种文化之间位置的方式"长期计划"在中国往往撑不了多久——一份原本只打算做满一个签证周期的互惠生工作,变成了一整年,又变成了一次回归,最终变成了一份事业沉浸胜过刻意学习。比起正儿八经地学习,Travis从寄宿家庭日常对话中"泡"出来的中文,反而学得更多章节时间轴 (00:00) 播客介绍及Travis的双文化身份(02:29) 在温哥华日裔社区中成长的双文化经历(04:19) 家族史:日裔加拿大人、二战拘留营与两代人的反差(13:04) 一次高中历史作业带来的家族认知(17:16) 一次偶然,点燃了Travis对中国最初的兴趣(22:20) 初到深圳:第一印象与文化冲击(38:59) 在寄宿家庭中过中国春节及其意义(45:04) 回到加拿大,决定赴北京学习中文(52:28) 在清华大学求学,以及在中国各地结下的友谊(66:54) 职业转折:回到中国加入露露乐蒙(75:53) 在上海的生活:通过跑步与社交群体建立社群归属(93:23) 反思:坚持、开放心态,以及为机会做好准备相关链接 日裔加拿大人历史年表 — Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre(日裔国家博物馆与文化中心)National Association of Japanese Canadians(加拿大日裔协会)本播客由C²Collective出品,这是一家跨文化非营利组织,致力于赋能中国及全球的年轻人,培养好奇心、跨文化连接与积极创造力 | 详见 https://csquared-collective.com/ | 我们举办线下活动、运营社会创新网络,并发布Curation²通讯 @ https://imablur.substack.com/ 音乐 by Megan Tan 插画 by Cindy Zhang