Random Thoughts About Being Far Away From Home

I decided to write about my exchange year after more than 2 months since its beginning, because during this time I managed to get a new life. This house is my home, this family is my family, these friends are my friends. I haven't forgotten what i left, but Italy is no more part of my present now, and I must go on with my life. The ones who I left are going on too, I discovered that their world keep perfectly on turning without me. I left my city and my country and I came in Zeeland, Netherlands, and I already can see how this experience has changed me and will be positive to the relation with my italian family. Probably going away is the only way to understand the true value of all the things that you take for granted.

When you left, everything you bring with you is you and all the clothes that you manage to put in your bag. And then? You have to rebuild your life, bit by bit. It's like born again in another place, another culture, and you have nothing but yourself as a starting point. It's a second chance. And you're alone actually. Until you stay at home you don't understand it: you have your family, your friends, your world, and you don't realize that you own just yourself, your mind and dreams.

Here I understood how I was used to judge the people at first sight, give them a "tag". But this way to think doesn't work anymore, and soon all the prejudices that I used to understand the people are broken because of the impact with the world, with the different. 

I was bewildered at the beginning, because the prejudice makes you feel safe and protected, It's easy to never doubt, always know what to think about a person or a situation. And that's the point. If you already know, how can you learn? You must put aside everything you know about the people and the ideas, and look at the world with new eyes, without judging but with the willing to learn. Be like a  child, who knows nothing and everything wants to discover.

Still, being the foreign means a lot of things. Decide by yourself, be strong and sure about what you want and what is the best for you, about your ideas. And then, when you got it, be condescending. Yes... because you are the foreign, and the others are not supposed to understand you, or even try to understand your way to be different: they've never left in the end. You did it, and so it's you the one who has to understand, and meet their expectations.

Doei doei!

Haydèe