The secret behind falling in love with two different cultures...

Once you know another culture, you can never go back. To truly know another culture is to love it, or at minimum, appreciate certain aspects of it. Once you know another culture, you will never be the same. Maybe you love your own culture, but now you see how the new culture does some things better. Perhaps you wholeheartedly prefer the new culture, but you can't erase your past and who you are because of your native culture. You are stuck somewhere in the middle and only the few people that are familiar with both the cultures can truly understand. 

I know firsthand that being torn between two cultures can feel lonely at times. As a foreign exchange student, not only did I fall in love with the new country, but also with someone in the new country. It was a double whammy, so to speak. No matter where you're living, there will always be somewhere that you're missing. 

Still, don't let this discourage you from getting to really know and love another culture, whether in your native country or another one. I believe there is something special about the person who has experienced more than one culture. Walking down the street in my hometown, I often smile, knowing that I have experienced what most around me have not. It has become my own secret. One that I will forever cherish.

#studyabroad  #culture  #exchangestudent