March 2, 2005
CONTRAST
having lived all over the place (germany, holland, us and japan), each for quite many years, creates a real labyrinth of emotions and feelings. it is easy to loose one's identity. in the past it has happened to me many times that i would for example wake up on a train in holland and for a minute or so i didn't know if i was in the us or holland. it is quite a strange feeling i have to say. feelings and experiences start overlapping and it becomes a real cultural MOUSSE.
experiencing that makes one quite a different person. i, for example, find it almost impossible to fit in within my home environment. however, i feel more at home in cultures and places that originally are not my home. i often hear people say how great that must be to experience so many cultures and places, on the other hand it can be quite difficult.
besides expanding one's horizon, one's world also becomes smaller to some extent. i find it for example very difficult to fit on a local level. when applying for jobs in europe for example, it would be difficult for me to be offered a job in a more local environment and let's face it, most companies etc... are of course local. so that in itself becomes quite a big problem. also, one's friends are all over the world, never really right there. i find that my world has, therefore, become very much of a virtual world.
funny how when i am in japan i feel like i am part of my environment but here i feel like i am in my own bubble. maybe it is the big contrast that i need or anyone that has experienced similar things. when i meet people who have also been exposed to diverse cultures, there often seems to be an initial bond, it just clicks, no matter which cultures or places they have experienced. they don't need to be the same, only the types of experiences alone can create a bond.
a world of contrast
vast in size
lonely in content.
NAME picasonic : March 2, 2005 6:46 PM