I had an odd experience a few days ago. I went out for a walk because I felt my mind had been to noisy for several weeks and wanted to see if I could still get to the quiet space I used to be able to find more frequently. I found one of the woodsy areas, walked to the middle and stopped. I can get to a meditative state much easier in a forested area or someplace slightly more wild. I also use that to familiarise myself with the land, or the feel of a new country. So I closed my eyes and just listened, for a while, to the sound of wind in the trees and birds squalling at each other, and did in fact find my centre. Faster than I thought I would, actually. The weird thing happened when I opened my eyes. I'd been thinking about the similarity in sound in different forests and the feel in some of the others I've been in, and when I opened my eyes I had a moment of complete confusion as to where I was. The thought process went something like "Where the hell am I? Why the hell does everything look like it does? Where is here?" And then the rest of my brain caught up and I thought "Oh right. Blaricum, the Netherlands." It was very very strange. But it made me think about my reaction or interest in some places/countries versus others. Home is Canada, specifically Vancouver. It feels like home, and I fit there. However, another country that could quite easily become home is the United Kingdom. I haven't been to enough places in it to be able to tell you which area in particular fits best, but the first time I went there I remember stepping off the bus and thinking "This place feels right" It was familiar in a way that I hadn't encountered before, and felt almost but not quite like home. For Taiwan and Italy it wasn't familiarity but complete and utter fascination. Particularly with the cities of Venice and Taipei. In both cases I was completely caught up in the cities. The feel of them, the sounds, sights, and smells, and the people and culture. And in both cases I left feeling absolutely certain I'd go back to both of them and with a hunger to learn more, as much as I could about them in the meantime. I think about both countries frequently and miss them in a different way from missing home. Belgium was the same but to a lesser extent. Not as captivating but still intriguing. And then there's the absolute non-reaction. The completely unfamiliar that just doesn't become familiar even if you try. Germany might be one of these. I wasn't there long enough to be able to tell. I'd started becoming familiar with Munich, but in the way you can familiarise yourself with new places, not in the deeper sense of feeling like this was a place you could put down roots. So I'm not sure about Germany. But I've been in the Netherlands long enough to tell. And it is one of the completely unfamiliar that isn't becoming familiar and probably won't. It's been an interesting place to visit, (and I'm glad I came) but it isn't going to be home. I've familiarised myself with both Amsterdam and Utrecht, and I enjoy hanging out in both cities quite a lot, but even now I don't feel as though I'd make the choice to move here. And it's not for lack of trying. I generally end up in a part way meditative state when I walk and that's how I learn a place, and I walk with the dog a lot. And I've actively tried to get the feel of the area, and the cities. It's worked to an extent. I can halfway zen my way through central Amsterdam and Utrecht, and do the same in Blaricum. But it still doesn't feel right.
It's been interesting, and a good life experience. I'm glad I came.
Shade and Sweet Water to you all.
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