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!
MangoCats@feddit.it 1 week ago
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.
latenightnoir@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 week ago
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:))