"When you feel homesick,' he said, 'just look up.
Because the moon is the same wherever you go."
~ The Goldfinch
Vertical Divider
|
For the first 20 years of my life I had never left this continent, actually I hadn't even crossed the border 10 hours north to Canada or south to Mexico. For my entire childhood life I stayed safely within the borders of 'America' not knowing what laid outside. I had dreams of traveling abroad, of course, but also considered those to be just that, dreams. I remember thinking Europe was this far off land that, if I was lucky, I one day may visit.
Now, as I approach 30 I've not only left those borders to explore different lands, but I've slowly become less and less attached to them. After spending the last five years living and traveling my patriotism and connection to the USA and North America has slowly began to fade, but to be fair there wasn't that much there to start with. I have appreciation for where I came from and the life that led me to where I am, a land of freedom and opportunity, but also segregation and racism. The United States is a melting pot, mixing bowl and recently a ticking time bomb. On my last visit home I couldn't help but notice just how angry everyone seemed to be, angry at the malls and grocery stores, angry in traffic, I even saw angry people at the zoo and playing bingo! North America is a big, beautiful, diverse country and despite all my travel internationally I've only yet to scratch the surface of my home turf. It's funny how I used to dream of going abroad, and now from abroad I dream of going back home and exploring the land I'm from. |