11 Comments

  1. Andrew
    July 11, 2010 @ 9:50 pm

    I will be quite interested to hear your thoughts. It just seems that people can feel home in so many different unrelated physical places it must be mental.

  2. Emily
    July 8, 2010 @ 7:59 pm

    Like Andi, I didn't think too much about “home” being a mental state–we moved a lot within Houston as I grew up, but I spent all of my first 18 years in the city, so I consider it my home. But you make a great point–when you're somewhere totally foreign, those little things that remind you of home can be so comforting. I was in the UK for a while in February, and after a while, I really missed hearing American accents and talking to locals who I could relate to more (though I had a blast with the Brits I hung out with!). Music definitely is a great way to transport you back somewhere.

  3. GlobalButterfly
    July 5, 2010 @ 8:27 pm

    Hmmm, I never thought about “home” being a mental state rather than a physical state. Very interesting idea! I need to think about that some more…

  4. Andrew
    July 5, 2010 @ 4:59 pm

    Yeah, I have been studying it since high school, one of the main reasons I picked to look here. It is just a very exact language, so to speak without errors is difficult. Noone cares about my mistakes usually but me, however after a while just having to think in a different frame gets tiring. I really liked Prague last time I went there. Lots of neat people to talk to, and Czech sounds so much nicer to my ears than German. Please look around, be interested in hearing your experiences in Czech Republic.

  5. wanderlass
    July 5, 2010 @ 9:10 am

    It is, about smell and memory. I wrote a short piece on the 'scent of my childhood' in another blog, linking my mother's morning coffee brewing to my childhood.

    A nice emotion triggering piece, Andrew. While I'm constantly itching with wanderlust, Manila will always be home. =)

  6. Jenna
    July 4, 2010 @ 11:28 am

    I was in a very small city in the southeastern corner of the country (but spent lots of time in Prague!). How great for you that you speak the language fluently. When I read the line about the stress of the local language, I assumed you were still learning. Sorry I misunderstood. I tried to learn Czech and could get by, but it was very difficult! I will have to read more on your blog because I'm interested to know where you are and what you do there. Germany must be a great place to live.

  7. Andrew
    July 4, 2010 @ 8:13 am

    Hi Jenna, thanks for the comment and encouragement. Wow, I bet Czech Republic was awesome in the late 90s. Prague?
    I do speak German fluently. I work in it during the entire week and it is just very tiring. So I like to speak English on the weekends. I switch back and forth with no issues most days.

  8. Jenna
    July 3, 2010 @ 9:00 pm

    Andrew, I enjoyed reading about your experiences. Your post reminded me of when I lived in the Czech Republic back in the late 90's. One of the things that really helped me adjust was having friends who spoke English, both Czechs who spoke really well and expats from all over. Having friends from Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand was so fun! I tried to assimilate in many ways and had plenty of Czech friends, so having some expat friends never made me feel guilty– as you mentioned, when it's your home, you have to do what makes you happy.
    I found that not learning the language fluently was isolating in the long run. Good luck with it, and with time it will come more and more naturally.

  9. suzyguese
    July 3, 2010 @ 2:53 pm

    Interesting post. Language and sound are so tied to memory and identity. Here in Italy, I can speak Italian and understand the language, but there is nothing like hearing lost Americans that I guess makes me feel a little bit less alone. Traveling last week through Norway, they had all of these shows on cowboys from Colorado. It made me miss my home, but like you said, for some reason when you are surrounded by those sounds and scenery, you don't really miss it at all.

  10. Andrew
    July 3, 2010 @ 5:21 am

    Wow, thanks for the beautiful compliment. I like that quote too. Smell is another sense on my mind, but I've yet to be able to write about it. There is a used bookstore in Chapel Hill that will always smell like a relaxing Saturday afternoon to me.

  11. Caz
    July 2, 2010 @ 8:51 pm

    Without music life would be a mistake- a quote I heard from somewhere and so true. Music, like smell, takes me instantly to a time and place in my stored memory bank and invokes so many beautiful feelings. It's like you can live that inspired moment over and over again through just one song. Great post again Andrew. We think in such similar ways