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I always consider my life is strange. Born in a 3rd world country in a broken home, families fight like in drama, many divorces and remarriage. I went where who

I always consider my life is strange. Born in a 3rd world country in a broken home, families fight like in drama, many divorces and remarriage. I went where whoever my current father at that time went, moving from city to city, school to school. Then I find myself in the US, from odd jobs such as dry clean, laundry, sushi, deli, to church admin, to now working as SWE in one of big US tech company in NYC. Married a wife from another country as well. Me and my wife are different culturally, language, faith, and socio-economic background. One day I woke up in a remote village where her grandparents cultivate rice, in a traditional home and where the bathtub is still traditional, hearing the sound of cicadas and see the morning sun, and I thought to myself "how did I end up here?" It's strange, I left my home country and now wherever I go I see people that speaks different language than me, buildings that I'm not familiar with. My community where I am active with is also different than me. It is a strange feeling. I hate airports because whenever I am in airports I always have a mixed feeling. The feeling of leaving my current place to visit another home in another place. Now my heart is in three different countries (or cities, to be precise). Every vacation season I have to decide which country to visit and to which family. Life is short. I saw my brother's baby, and then on the next vacation that baby already knew how to walk. My parents and grandparents are getting older. My kids and my brother's kids will speak different languages, grow up differently, and so does my wife's kids with her sisters'. I have a dream of uniting them in one place during vacation and see how those kids react to one another even though they can't communicate in one language, I think that'd be a hilarious sight but very wholesome. I hope there will be faster way to travel invented within our lifetime, maybe Concorde again? I guess this is the life of immigrants. We are immigrants, this is our way of life. I often asked myself what would happen if I stayed in my home country? I'd marry my current girlfriend at that time, maybe help my family's business, or do something else. I don't know. For anyone curious: I was born and grew up in Jakarta (Indonesia), and my wife grew up in Tokyo (Japan), and now I work in NYC. Life is surely strange. I feel very insignificant every time I think about this and I realize, there are millions, and billions of people in this planet with stories as unique or more unique than me. The world is is a strange place. One day, maybe we will retire in Japan, or in Indonesia. Who knows. It's too far in the future. What I do now is cherish every moment I have, knowing the future will be different.

ReactiveJelly 6y ago
> I feel very insignificant every time I think about this and I realize, there are millions, and billions of people in this planet with stories as unique or more unique than me. And less unique. From my house, I can drive to my hometown, visit my family, and drive back in one day. I left the USA once, except for that I never spent a continuous week outside of the state where I was born. A lot of people online say that travel makes you a better person. But it's expensive, so I have to just hope I'm not missing too much.
- christiansakai 6y ago
  I'd say its not the travel itself, because travel by itself is pretty shallow. I'd say the experience of living with other people who are especially socio-economically or racially different than you, that changes things.
- xyzelement 6y ago
  >> A lot of people online say that travel makes you a better person. Probably every experience you have can make you a better person, it doesn't need to be travel. I used to travel a ton for work and fun (there was a year where I hit 6 continents in a 10-month window) but spending the last 9 months in a one-bedroom apartment with my wife and our newborn is no less mind opening. In fact, like everything, travel gets old. At some point you know that you "got it" - you can be dropped in a random point on the earth and make something out of it - and yet you may not know how to be at one place for a long time (I am learning that now.) Also, it makes things less special. In a way I am jealous of people who are dreaming of going to Paris and then experience it for the first time. You do you - save your money, invest in relationships around you, learn things on line, be a good child and parent. If that's "all" you have to show against someone who has been everywhere but doesn't have what you have, you're ahead.
rochak 6y ago
Thanks for sharing this. Really put things into perspective.
- 6y ago

ReactiveJelly 6y ago

> I feel very insignificant every time I think about this and I realize, there are millions, and billions of people in this planet with stories as unique or more unique than me. And less unique. From my house, I can drive to my hometown, visit my family, and drive back in one day. I left the USA once, except for that I never spent a continuous week outside of the state where I was born. A lot of people online say that travel makes you a better person. But it's expensive, so I have to just hope I'm not missing too much.

christiansakai 6y ago
I'd say its not the travel itself, because travel by itself is pretty shallow. I'd say the experience of living with other people who are especially socio-economically or racially different than you, that changes things.
xyzelement 6y ago
>> A lot of people online say that travel makes you a better person. Probably every experience you have can make you a better person, it doesn't need to be travel. I used to travel a ton for work and fun (there was a year where I hit 6 continents in a 10-month window) but spending the last 9 months in a one-bedroom apartment with my wife and our newborn is no less mind opening. In fact, like everything, travel gets old. At some point you know that you "got it" - you can be dropped in a random point on the earth and make something out of it - and yet you may not know how to be at one place for a long time (I am learning that now.) Also, it makes things less special. In a way I am jealous of people who are dreaming of going to Paris and then experience it for the first time. You do you - save your money, invest in relationships around you, learn things on line, be a good child and parent. If that's "all" you have to show against someone who has been everywhere but doesn't have what you have, you're ahead.

rochak 6y ago

Thanks for sharing this. Really put things into perspective.

6y ago