Blessing and a curse, yeah… fewer new experiences and the world becomes less immediately “Wow!”, but the increase in depth stemming from all of that accumulated context makes old experiences even better in many cases.
I’m thinking here primarily of books, movies, games, music, relationships of all sorts, even of our own persons. One can start to see the multiple layers beneath the surface which were difficult to see due to a lack of life contexts.
About the multiple layers… I did a few months of (near) solo travel, seeing different countries and figuring out things like food, lodging, transit, language when possible/necessary for myself in each new place. It was great, but at the end of it I sat down and watched “a movie from home” and realized that for the past months I had been scrambling, struggling to get through the basics, barely scratching the surface most places because of the sheer effort required just to get through the days and nights. That sappy, unremarkable, movie “from home” just flowed into me effortlessly, with all the layers and subtexts unfolding without any struggle to translate or relate. It was very much a Dorothy “no place like home” moment. And then I flew home and instantly regretted not being able to continue my nomad lifestyle for many more months.
Funny, I always felt that the old “one can never go back home” adage holds true precisely due to the continuous addition of layers of context, in that I’m never the same Me going “home,” which means it can never be “home” for the new Me. I do know that comfort of familiarity, though! For me, it’s getting back to my own bed:))
Either way, your experience sounds wonderful, and I kinda’ envy you, tbh. I’ve always had trouble appreciating new places and contexts, because I see the familiar everywhere I go, in people, in tendencies, in shared cultural elements… Maybe it’s different for everyone, I guess, or a matter of perspective. Very good food for thought!
Well, I very literally lived the “one can never go back home” reality while away at University, my home town doubled in population. So, most of the old places I remember are still there, but there’s all the expanded roadways and bigger crowds everywhere you go. Half of it was built after I left, so the half I remember is now the dingy old stuff.
Of course we all change as life goes on, I find that home is wherever I am, and the longer I’m there the more it feels like “my home.”
My big trip was across Europe (I’m from the US), and there’s a strong tradition in Europe of the “wanderjahr” taking a year off before, after or even during University to travel and see other places, meet other people, etc. I only got to do “wanderjahr light” and I ended up going back the following summer for an encore. I definitely learned more in those 4.5 months than I did any two years in school or University.
Eh, maybe in other countries, my folks would’ve probably killed me if I’d presented an interest to delay University:))
But you’re right, it’s objectively better to take some time and get some perspective, and those 4.5 months really do sound like a good learning experience! Most definitely a lot more immediately useful as pertaining to living in general!
And can relate to your experience of returning home post-University, my home town is now… tumorous, for lack of a better word. But, yes, home is where one is, best way to go about it. Everything changes, the only thing which is somewhat constant is the fact that we’ll have to live with ourselves until we won’t:))
Blessing and a curse, yeah… fewer new experiences and the world becomes less immediately “Wow!”, but the increase in depth stemming from all of that accumulated context makes old experiences even better in many cases.
I’m thinking here primarily of books, movies, games, music, relationships of all sorts, even of our own persons. One can start to see the multiple layers beneath the surface which were difficult to see due to a lack of life contexts.
About the multiple layers… I did a few months of (near) solo travel, seeing different countries and figuring out things like food, lodging, transit, language when possible/necessary for myself in each new place. It was great, but at the end of it I sat down and watched “a movie from home” and realized that for the past months I had been scrambling, struggling to get through the basics, barely scratching the surface most places because of the sheer effort required just to get through the days and nights. That sappy, unremarkable, movie “from home” just flowed into me effortlessly, with all the layers and subtexts unfolding without any struggle to translate or relate. It was very much a Dorothy “no place like home” moment. And then I flew home and instantly regretted not being able to continue my nomad lifestyle for many more months.
Funny, I always felt that the old “one can never go back home” adage holds true precisely due to the continuous addition of layers of context, in that I’m never the same Me going “home,” which means it can never be “home” for the new Me. I do know that comfort of familiarity, though! For me, it’s getting back to my own bed:))
Either way, your experience sounds wonderful, and I kinda’ envy you, tbh. I’ve always had trouble appreciating new places and contexts, because I see the familiar everywhere I go, in people, in tendencies, in shared cultural elements… Maybe it’s different for everyone, I guess, or a matter of perspective. Very good food for thought!
Well, I very literally lived the “one can never go back home” reality while away at University, my home town doubled in population. So, most of the old places I remember are still there, but there’s all the expanded roadways and bigger crowds everywhere you go. Half of it was built after I left, so the half I remember is now the dingy old stuff.
Of course we all change as life goes on, I find that home is wherever I am, and the longer I’m there the more it feels like “my home.”
My big trip was across Europe (I’m from the US), and there’s a strong tradition in Europe of the “wanderjahr” taking a year off before, after or even during University to travel and see other places, meet other people, etc. I only got to do “wanderjahr light” and I ended up going back the following summer for an encore. I definitely learned more in those 4.5 months than I did any two years in school or University.
Eh, maybe in other countries, my folks would’ve probably killed me if I’d presented an interest to delay University:))
But you’re right, it’s objectively better to take some time and get some perspective, and those 4.5 months really do sound like a good learning experience! Most definitely a lot more immediately useful as pertaining to living in general!
And can relate to your experience of returning home post-University, my home town is now… tumorous, for lack of a better word. But, yes, home is where one is, best way to go about it. Everything changes, the only thing which is somewhat constant is the fact that we’ll have to live with ourselves until we won’t:))