I don't get out and see the world, largely because I'm painfully aware of the carbon footprint of flying. Without that cost, I would travel vastly more than I do. There are places and people that I would love to see and talk to. Learning another language doesn't hold a fear factor.
I remain here because my children and my grandchild live close by and I would miss them greatly. I love my garden (until you've cultivated the same garden for at least a decade, you will probably never understand the attraction)
But I still have friends from other countries and cultures. I only have one Czech friend, but she's very dear to me. We learn about each other's cultures.
I'm glad there are people who work abroad, because cross-cultural contacts give both sides a window on the world, and we need a connected world more than ever before.
'Belonging' to a place doesn't mean you see it as better than everywhere else. It means that you feel at home there. I have roots here.
In many ways, I'd love to live a year in another country, but not at the cost of missing a year of my grand-daughter's life. (She's 4 and learning new stuff every day)
I don't get out and see the world, largely because I'm painfully aware of the carbon footprint of flying. Without that cost, I would travel vastly more than I do. There are places and people that I would love to see and talk to. Learning another language doesn't hold a fear factor.
I remain here because my children and my grandchild live close by and I would miss them greatly. I love my garden (until you've cultivated the same garden for at least a decade, you will probably never understand the attraction)
But I still have friends from other countries and cultures. I only have one Czech friend, but she's very dear to me. We learn about each other's cultures.
I'm glad there are people who work abroad, because cross-cultural contacts give both sides a window on the world, and we need a connected world more than ever before.
'Belonging' to a place doesn't mean you see it as better than everywhere else. It means that you feel at home there. I have roots here.
In many ways, I'd love to live a year in another country, but not at the cost of missing a year of my grand-daughter's life. (She's 4 and learning new stuff every day)
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