As the plane takes off and you look down, the familiar landscape gets smaller and smaller until it is out of sight. Floating in the sky above the clouds, once again you leave everything behind. Your home, your family, your friends, your language, your culture. You’ve been in this situation countless times, but it never gets any easier.
Around you noisy tourists chat about the places they’ve visited and where they stayed. They exchange tips and scroll through the pictures on their phones. For them it’s the end of the holiday – time to go home. You’re not sure where home is: the place you’ve just left or is it where you’re heading, the place you’ve made your home over the years?
As the plane touches down a couple of hours later everything changes. Suddenly you’re in a different country, with a different landscape, different people, a different language, a different climate, a different culture, different food. The sea has been replaced by lakes, the palm trees by oaks. This is also your home, but right now it doesn’t feel like home. The memories of your recent trip are still too vivid. Your body has been transported, but the mind takes longer to adjust.
The first morning you wake up in a daze, unsure of your bearings. It’s only when you look outside the window that the change becomes real. Bewilderment, nostalgia, sadness are familiar feelings. Soon life with all its chores, tasks and responsibilities will take over and your mind will be forced to catch up with your body. The memories will fade and everything will return to how it was, until the next time.
