I’m from a small town in western Pennsylvania. I went to China in college and fell in love with it. I ended up living there for 3 years after grad school. One of the best periods of my life.

I went from Europe to Japan by myself. I think the biggest difference which I actually really enjoyed was that (unlike Europe) it was me who was the ‘different’ person. I didn’t fully understand the culture, language, fashion etc. It was a totally new experience and massive opportunity to live in and absorb a culture that was very unknown to me.

I’ve travelled a bit. From Australia originally. Currently living in Germany. Been here since July 2022 and planning on staying for a little while.

I’d like to offer this:

Travelling through a place vs living in a place especially when the native language is not your own is worlds different than travelling. The intense loneliness you feel is like nothing I’ve experienced. It’s worse when you’re surrounded by people at a Christmas dinner, say. Wow. I’ve had to get up and leave a few times to take some deep breaths, shed a few tears and head back in. Or I would simply just leave and go be with myself, but that took time.

On the other end, the sense accomplishment felt when you start picking up the language and are able to have small conversations is, again, like no other. The loneliness leaves and I’m left with a newer sense of myself. More confident in a deeper sense.

I’m from a small town in the mid-west part of the USA. Years ago I visited England, Austria, Germany, France and several other European countries during a summer trip. It was a wonderful experience seeing the different cultures, styles, foods, people, scenery, architecture, history etc. I feel like anytime someone has an opportunity to travel - if possible, take it. The learning, openness, and enjoyment is so worth it.