Not all those who wander are lost! ~J. R. R. Tolkien
“Where are you from?” has never been an easy question to answer for me. I was born in Andhra Pradesh (a southern state in India), bred in Odisha and my ancestry hail from Karnataka state in India. Confining to one particular place, never felt real.
I was 8 when my family moved to Odisha (a south-eastern state in India). It was the toughest year for my family and myself as everything from the language, culture, food, and people were different from the place I was born. Eventually, It felt like home. I was emotionally attached to the new city, to the people who welcomed me in their life. I fell in love with my wandering mind that was constantly confused whether to think in my mother tongue (Telugu) or the language(s) I learned in the new city (Hindi & Oriya).
It was hard to pick a place and call it home as my entire extended family, my favorite grandparents lived in a different state.
Fast forward today, I live in altogether a different country, far away from my family. I drive to and fro between Columbus and Frankfort every week. The restlessness, the chaos, I like it. It keeps me ALIVE, it keeps me grounded. It taught me the crucial lesson of adaptability, acceptance, and tolerance.
When people ask me how do I do it?, how do I travel drive 7 hours every week, how do I manage to organize my stuff in 2 different places? Honestly, I don’t know. I take life as it occurs and tries to get the maximum out of it. If there is something my upbringing has taught me, it’s this!
When you have an open mind, the possibilities are endless
I am all the places I have ever lived, all the cultures I have ever embraced.
Do you have a place that defines you?
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