“Do you regret moving to Japan?” a 20-year old Japanese asked.
No.
Were there tough moments?
Sure.
But those pale in comparison to my growth as a result of living here.
At 25 I had the urge to live in a place very different from the one I had grown up in.
I didn’t want a simple change of scenery.
I wanted to move to a different planet.
That’s how I viewed Japan for a while.
A part of me still does.
I could’ve easily moved to another country within the EU.
Plenty of cultural variety within the EU.
But it still felt too much the same to me.
Probably because of all my traveling growing up.
The luxury of being raised in a middle-income family in Western-Europe.
I also felt a sense of belonging in the EU.
Not just in the Netherlands, but in the entire EU.
Each country is distinct and unique.
Like neighbours with different personalities.
But still, neighbours, living in what feels like the same neighbourhood.
I wanted something that didn’t make sense to me.
Japan has been just that.
It’s almost at the other side of the world.
It feels completely, however, like a different world.
I did all this because I want to make contributions to the world.
Not to a city, a country or a region.
Globally.
It doesn’t have to be on a global scale.
It just has to involve people around the world.
I found what I was looking for in Japan.
Different culture. Different values. Different people.
The interesting thing about living abroad is not the outside world.
It’s the inside world.
Values change over time.
They change more quickly when living in a different environment.
What was once strange has become normal.
Going back to your old environment, you start to feel out of place.
At least it’ll take some time to readjust.
Which you may or may not want to.
People often talk about looking at things from a different perspective.
Moving to a location that’s culturally different from your own definitely gives you that.
It’s difficult to express, but having lived in a different area, surrounding myself with people from around the world and working globally has made me… more whole.
As if you’ve finished a puzzle of top-down Central Park.
Only to realize: it’s just the center of the puzzle.
So, you start adding Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and other neighbourhoods.
Each with their own flavour and characteristics.
Together forming a unique whole.
That’s been my experience so far.
Purposely surrounding myself with people that have a different cultural background, value system and upbringing.
It makes you realize what you were missing, but didn’t know you needed.
Like an iPad when it first came out.
Didn’t need it, but once you have it, you can’t live without it anymore.
Do I regret moving to Japan?
Not at all.
It has made me more complete.
It has made me a global individual.
I’ve lost a home.
But I’ve gained the ability to feel at home.
Anywhere, anytime.