When I tell people that I have lived abroad, by myself, for 8 years, many times they ask me if I didn´t get homesick and lonely. Well, I´am always missing somebody, it´s a constant state of mind for me, but I don’t get homesick. I always make my home where I am at the moment. Furthermore, I´m incredible thankful that I have had the opportunity to meet new people at every place I have lived or visited.
To be a world traveller is not about seeing as much as possible, it´s about getting to know the people in these different places. You never know when you will run into somebody who will be a life-long friend. I know this from personal experience. The countries represented by my friends above are: the USA, Belize, Great Britain, Ecuador, Australia, Colombia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, The Netherlands, The Democratic Repulic of Congo, Kenya, Argentina, Sweden, and Romania.
The best way to really get to know the people in a different country is to stop being a tourist for a while. This could be taking a language class and stay with a family (I have done this on three different continents!), staying for a longer period of time to study or work, or engage in volunteering. I am a big fan of alternative tourism; I prefer staying in a place long enough not to just get to know the map, but to get to know the culture and the people.
Maybe that is why I now find myself back in Sweden. I realize that I have been away so long that I have “lost touch” with my own culture. So, now I´m back in Sweden for a while, to once again live and experience the culture that I call my own! |
email me
add as friend
Comments for tejanasueca about World