Everyone smiles in the same language

Leaving your nest is hard. Because change is hard. We grow accustomed to how things are around us, whether good or bad. Most people leave their parent's nest when they move into adulthood, fewer people leave their town, and even fewer people leave their country.

In my life, I have been fortunate to visit nearly 50 countries and live in 4 . Once you become an expat, you become “homeless”. You are too foreign for your adoptive country, and you are too foreign for your “home” country. You don’t feel at home anywhere (because your experiences and challenges are unique), but at the same time, you start feeling at home everywhere. You start connecting to people from different cultures much easier than the people who never left their hometowns.

There are times when I am living in a new country; I feel left out because the people around me are talking about TV shows from their childhood or some other thing that happened in their country thirty years ago. But at the same time, I saw the joy in the eyes of the Bengali taxi driver in Sweden when I mentioned my experiences in Dhaka. You can make a connection with almost anyone.

The expat journey offers a unique insight into the interconnectedness of humanity. It breaks down barriers and facilitates connections with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In my experience, expatriation creates an unparalleled ability to connect with others, transcending the boundaries of nationality and upbringing. It's a beautiful paradox – feeling simultaneously disconnected from any one place yet intimately connected to people from all walks of life.

I always believe travel is injurious to bigotry. After traveling and moving abroad, I worked with and became friends with people from “enemy” countries (as I was taught in our propaganda-laden history books in school).

One of those countries was Israel, which I wasn't even allowed to visit on my Pakistani passport. Visiting the country once I became a dual national was on my bucket list. I visited the country in July 2022, and it was a delightful experience.

When I moved to The Netherlands, I picked up my resident card from the local “The Hague” council, and they gave me a key ring that said, “Everyone smiles in the same language”. I read this book last year Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari . It is a fascinating book on the history of humankind. Something that stuck with me from the book "Throughout history, Homo Sapiens have killed each other for the slight differences in skin color, dialects or personal beliefs."

If we are out to look for differences, then we will always find differences, but if we look for the common ground, then remember, "Everyone smiles in the same language."

The other common thing is that all governments around the world love bureaucracy. ?? It is a difficult thing to complete all your local documentation, like driver's licenses, insurance, electoral registration, etc., quickly. Did you know you must register to vote in the UK (even as a non-citizen); otherwise, it will tank your credit score ? Because of my frequent moves, I have created a pre and post-move checklist, which I am happy to offer to anyone interested.

While this may be my privilege talking but, if possible, one should always try to live away from their “home” country once in their life to expand their perspectives. It is a strange feeling to feel like "homeless" in one moment, and in the other moment, you feel like the entire planet is your home.

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