We are told that the grass is greener where we are not. Just
like the color of the sea which gets bluer the further away you move from the
shores, the grass seems greener the further away you drift from your home.
Undeterred by Dahmane Elharrachi’s song and the tales of those older than us who tell
us that leaving one’s home is not for
the faint-hearted, we embark on a journey of discovery and adventure, leaving everything familiar behind. We follow our
dreams, which we later realize they are not even ours. We taste the different flavors
of each land and we keep moving in search of that perfect place to finally
realize that it only exists in our hearts.
Some wise people exercise discipline and convince themselves
that whatever they have is perfect and that the only way to be content is to
accept what is there, deal with it and improve it. This is the case of those
Algerians who enjoy their life back home. The case is also true for citizens of
other countries who never complain about the bad weather, the high taxes or the
dirty and polluted cities. They will just live in their little town or big city
never yearning to know what if feels like to be somewhere else.
I came across people on my various trips who are just like
me, they have lived in various countries, and are always willing to move, this
gives me reassurance. But, I have also met people who stayed in one place all their
lives, and worked at the same company for as long as they have been employed; life
abroad does not tempt them in the slightest. These people have travelled but
they have always come home. I feel jealous of them sometimes. They have found
satisfaction, and are confident that the land where they are offers just as
much as anywhere else.
Along my trips, I met so many people each with their own
story of leaving their land. For some, it is the search of freedom. A roommate
of mine in college told me once that she could never imagine herself wearing a
bikini in England (on a hot day), but she would gladly do it in Egypt because
there she feels free(er). Many other expats also re-iterate the same feeling of
being free, away from the eyes of those
who have come to know them very well; as if ones’ homeland becomes a confinement
and freedom is only to be found away, anywhere but at home. For those of us who come from conservative societies, we
think that our society is suffocating because of customs, and religion; we flee
to get away but even those from the free world seem to be fleeing. Some flee taxes, others flee the
cold weather, for others it is just the experience to put in a CV to get
promoted and earn more money. For a few, it is the love of adventure.
Beacuse you have lived in multiple lands, people think that you are
an authority on the best places to live; I personally think that there is no perfect
land but that which exists in your heart and that the grass is as green as your
eyes make you see it. If one’s heart is content and happy, it will always be
happy no matter where it lives, and if you are miserable grumpy soul, you’ll
always find faults with every country that you have called home. I belong to
the latter category I am afraid.
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