Modern Day Nomads Essay

Submitted By ikariotis
Words: 876
Pages: 4

Modern day nomads I am the child of parents who have always had jobs where they were obliged to change cities or countries every 3 to 6 years, depending on their contract and the job availabilities. Therefore, as far back as I can remember, I was always struggling to get used to that concept. The idea that one year I was in Greece, and the next moment I could possibly be in France was also quite frightening and disturbing to me as a child. That has been the case, to some degree, even until today. When I was younger, that used to be my biggest problem, the idea that bothered me the most, and the reason that sometimes held me back from engaging socially, as I knew that I would have to leave sooner or later. However, as I was growing up, I realised that just like most situations in life, this one also had two sides : the good and the bad, the intriguing and the appalling. As a child, one needs a comfortable, safe and happy environment. As much as this can be covered by family, it is important to know that friendships are almost as essential when in a young age. I always recall feeling disappointed not having had these ''childhood friends'', people that I've gone through thick and thin from my early childhood until the end of school or university. The continuous change of cities also led me to never fully witness the deep beauty a city has to offer to the few that have the time to discover it. At first, moving often was mainly just uncomfortable. Having to be the ''new kid'' over and over again and being in a new habitat and social context was rather stressful. However, it took me some time to realise a much more dangerous possibility : being afraid to create new relationships and live new experiences, believing that the eventual and inevitable departure would asset (?) them as pointless. However, children (and not only children) are often short - sighted. Having gone to school with many children in the same situation I was in, I quickly understood that there were two categories : those who sat back, being the less social and mainly being either afraid to develop new relations or disappointed by the new situation they had no say in, and those (they were the vast minority, mind you) that realised that this was an opportunity not many had the possibility of witnessing, and tried to experience as much as they could before it was time for them to leave again. That second category is as rare as it is mature, and gets much more in return in the long run. People realise very late (if ever) that which also took me quite some time to comprehend and appreciate : having the opportunity to witness new cultures, new ideas and new people in an early age can give you a big advantage later on in life. The majority of people spend their whole lives at the same city, living the same routine, interacting with the same people, and their creativity is limited to the few choices one has at his hands when in such situations. When somebody experiences so many, and different, cultures his horizons are broadened, his cultural knowledge is elevated and his tolerance (and understanding) of different backgrounds, religions and beliefs gets deeper. Most people are afraid of