I wrote last week about the surreal feelings connected with having spent most of my life abroad.
Many thanks to Mike for writing on my Facebook that this post resonated with him.
It’s great to know I’m not the only one.
I am always on the lookout for comforting messages of this kind and a couple of days ago… I hit the jackpot
I was reading in the International Herald Tribute about the life of Barak Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann, and the influence she had on him. And I came across this quote by Obama’s sister, Maya:
“She [Stanley Ann] felt that, somehow, wandering through uncharted territory, we might stumble upon something that will, in an instant, seem to represent who we are at the core”.
Obama’s mother lived in different parts of the US before moving to Hawaii, where she met Obama’s father. She then moved to Indonesia where she became a consultant to the USAID on setting up a village credit program. She also worked for the Ford Foundation in Jakarta specialising in women’s projects.
Ever since I read Maya’s quote, I have been thinking about that “something” that makes up my core.
I think I know what it is.
I was wandering through “uncharted territory” in Eastern Europe and I came across what became the essence of who I am today.
Now that I think of it, it is all quite clear, but you first need someone to explain to you how it works.
That’s why I love this quote.
All of the sudden, it all makes sense. To use the words of an old friend, it is as if someone came into your kitchen and started to make order. The cups with the cups….the plates with the plates….
This quote is exactly what you need to read to yourself when you feel confused. And living in different places can leave you confused. Your path is so different from that of many of the people who sorround you.
So every time you start doubting that path, just read this quote.
Picture: thanks to iht.com
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