🇬🇧Globetrotter Footprints: my Personal Journey across Cultures
Do we change based on where we live?
Some housekeeping first:
If you want the Italian posts, you can read them here: SEZIONE ITALIANA🇮🇹. If you prefer reading in English, then please keep going with this post.
Good afternoon my lovely readers!
As many of you know, I spent around a week in Sweden with my mum. I always enjoy a good holiday, and this did not disappoint. In recent years I visited Washington D.C., New York, Toronto, and I also went to the beach in Spain and Greece with my bestie. This trip to Sweden, though, has been a little bit different from the others.
If you just landed here… welcome! I’m Annalisa, I am a writer and an unconventional mindset trainer. I write all about personal development here at A Glimpse of Life, usually while sitting at my fave desk, although I love to write when I am travelling too! All I want is to live a happy, meaningful and simple life, my goal here is to build a community of like-minded people who want more from life, as I do too! This is a safe place to share and feel part of a big family ✨
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I fell in love with the place, the serene long stretches of green with firs trees, the vibrant blue sky, the charming buildings, the tranquil seaside, the sweet atmosphere, the parks, the sunsets.. and soo much more. I even fell in love with the capital, Stockholm, and that was per se weird as I am known as the one who does not like big chaotic cities. And that’s the point, the capital was not chaotic at all! Of course, there was the usual crowd of tourists in the shopping area and old town, but other than that it was quiet. My mum too told me she felt like the place was infusing tranquillity vibes.
I envisioned myself spending a few months there, in the quiet of the library, sitting on the grass at a nearby park having lunch... I just loved the idea. Maybe I have been influenced by the visit to Fjällbacka, the little fishermen's village where my current favourite Nordic noir writer, Camilla Läckberg, was born and sets her novels.
I became so captivated by the local culture and landscapes that I took up studying Swedish. Yes, I’m learning a new language! Skål för mig! (Cheers to me!)
This place moved something inside of me. It reminded me of the first time I visited London in June 2012. That encounter left such a profound impression that I eventually moved there a few years later! (yes, another exception to the chaotic cities.. if you know where to go 🤪)
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This made me reflect on what role places we visit or live in play in defining our sense of self.
Do places change us? Does immersing ourselves in different cultures shape our own ‘cultural roots’? Do people we see and meet and friendships we form change the view of life we have?
I think it’s a YES for all of the above. The environment is everything. There is an increased interest now in how identical twins might turn out if raised in different environments.
Is there only one ‘ideal’ place for us to live? Is it living in that place that makes us happy?
I think it’s a NO for all of the above. Happiness really comes from within.
So how do we think living in different places shapes ourselves? I asked myself this question and came up with a few realisations, which I want to discuss with you today.
I no longer identify myself as solely ‘Italian’ or ‘British’, when discussing or thinking about who I am, in the general sense of belonging. My sense of self has evolved beyond national identities to incorporate a much richer cultural tapestry.
Wherever I lived, I tried to assimilate the local culture. My concepts of ‘normality’ changed, as it’s tied with ‘socially accepted’, for that culture.
“Temporary” friendships I made with people I only spent a few months with before moving again are just as important as the long-term relationships, they just hold a different ‘meaning’.
Having overcome the challenges of moving to different countries, I can now do just about anything in life (and so can you!)
I have a complex identity, a fluid identity if you wish. I have an open mind about the world, I can fluidly merge aspects of one culture into another or adapt between my identities if necessary.
I become a curious learner of other cultures I haven’t encountered yet, from places I cannot yet visit (budgeting reasons 😂)
I am learning so much by chatting online with people from all over the world, and after a nice conversation with a fellow writer
, we came up with an idea to share our ‘different worlds’ with you… stay tuned.. and check her lovely publication out!
There are a lot of questions I have that are still unanswered.. one of which is what I would consider as my ‘home”, how the concept evolved with me, how my perspectives and values changed by living in different countries (Italy, UK, Spain), etc. I am thinking about those.
So it’s your turn now.. what do you think about this? Have you lived away from your ‘home’ for a period of time in the past? or now? How has this changed who you feel you are? Have you faced challenges while adapting to a new culture? How did you overcome them?
Let me know in the comments below 🤲🏻☺️
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I hope with all my heart that we will meet face-to-face someday. Until then, if nobody has told you yet today: you are an amazing person and deserve everything this world has to offer 🤍
Annalisa x
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Can’t wait to explore the idea of “home” and different worlds!