“Being in a foreign country means walking a tightrope high above the ground without the net afforded a person by the country where he has his family, colleagues, and friends, and where he can easily say what he has to say in a language he has known since childhood.”
translated by Michael Henry Heim
so true – I remember feeling so isolated in PNG, and so unsafe. And when we traveled through Holland I used to look at the lit windows where families were gathered and feel somehow lost
Being what they call “the other.”
exactly. Makes you think how hard it is for immigrants…
Yes, it does.
Yes! Even such simple acts as ordering food from a menu or buying something from the grocery.
Menu vocabulary is one of the first things you try to learn. That and the word for bathroom.
That is the reason even after almost 25 years removed, more years away that in the home soil, it feels so good to go home, the air feels lighter, and is not just because is in the Equator…the moment that plane lands, you feel everything is yours, it feels you know everyone, it feels that with no effort you belong…and it feels so painful to leave again, but life goes on…it is your country after all, not your kids…
Nicely put, Fernando. I understand the feeling.
Feeling homesick, Len? The freedom of home… Unlike no other…
Not exactly homesick. Just renewing contact with old friends and family who have been reading my book. Perhaps a little nostalgic.
Speaking of your book… I got to have one! 😉
I would hope you would want one.
Dying to have one! 😉
Shall I give you one if you can’t get one there?
That would be great, Len! Thank you! 😉
Email me your address then.
Like* Sheesh… Obviously exhausted from work… (wink)