Living in a global community
Right now my younger brother is 2 days into a two-month “sabatical” in El Salvador, and he’s been sending fantastic daily updates about what he’s seeing and hearing. I’m coming up on 3 years of living in London. I have two friends from Richmond that are living in Zurich for the next two years, and another friend from college who’s been in Singapore for well over a year now.
This morning my mom wrote me an email, saying:
“I totally get why you would want to stay in London (or Zurich?). I don’t have to like it, but I sure do understand. This is the new global community… my parents ate American food and stayed home. My generation learned to like authentic ethnic food and visited foreign countries. Our kids’ generation is LIVING in foreign countries.”
It’s an undeniable trend that, if you think about it, sure is happening fast. At least with things like Skype and the internet in your pocket, it’s becoming increasingly easier (and affordable) to keep in touch within this global community.
Still, nothing can replace proximity, or more importantly a hug. Just a few years ago when I was still in Richmond, my mom gave me a book titled Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family?, and it spoke to me on such a fundamental level: my Richmond friends really had become my extended family. Since then we’ve all jumped ship and spread our wings out into the world, and while it’s a wonderful adventure for each of us, we’re still missing each other dearly.
So, stay tuned for Project 2011. It just might signal the end to my little slice of the global community.