Your story resonates deeply with me and with many of my students here, who are also living between worlds
Like you, I have lived for years in Thailand, teaching, exploring, and moving between identities — never fully a tourist, never fully “home.” At times, the classroom and the long holidays felt like freedom; at other times, I found myself longing for something rooted — family, familiarity, the comfort of what shaped me.
What you describe is not indecision. It is dual belonging.
Living between two worlds is not confusion — it is expansion. Home gives us grounding; travel gives us perspective. One builds our inner stability, the other stretches our intellectual and emotional horizons. Perhaps some of us are simply not meant to choose one over the other.
Thank you teacher Waqar. So happy to see your commenting here. Yes your are right we are layered. I am sure before the end of the year I will return to Thailand and more travelling. Kind Regards. Marita
I think many of us live between those two worlds you mention. For me, it has always been a case of having my heart in more than one place. I've largely decided that Thailand is my main love, and this is where I want to be; but pieces of my heart are spread out across Mexico, New Zealand, Turkiye, Germany, Australia, and the United States too. It's inevitable that the more places we experience, the more we'll fall in love with those locations, and the more we'll miss those places when we are away. Cheers.
As I think more about this topic, I recognize that it isn’t an all or nothing proposition. You can have a place to call home yet still make significant journeys to other places. We might not have the time, resources, and energy to make those extended, seemingly endless road trips anymore, but even two to three weeks somewhere can be a meaningful experience, particularly if it is a place we know well where we can make the most of the time on the ground. Pop back to Thailand for a month, for example, to scratch that Pad Thai itch and have a beer over ice. Regards.
Yes I will come back. I am fine at the moment... going through up and downs for some reason....but of course Thailand has my heart. I'll be back soon enough.😊
Marita, how do you know how I feel right now? 😊
When I touched down in Hermanus coming back from Germany a voice in me said: “And this is not your home either.”
A few days later, I found the perfect building to become the company headquarter in Cape Town, which I have no money to buy… 🤪
So, I am in a state of confusion. 😵💫 Where to? Time will tell… It’s a good thing I am travelling lightly…
Your story resonates deeply with me and with many of my students here, who are also living between worlds
Like you, I have lived for years in Thailand, teaching, exploring, and moving between identities — never fully a tourist, never fully “home.” At times, the classroom and the long holidays felt like freedom; at other times, I found myself longing for something rooted — family, familiarity, the comfort of what shaped me.
What you describe is not indecision. It is dual belonging.
Living between two worlds is not confusion — it is expansion. Home gives us grounding; travel gives us perspective. One builds our inner stability, the other stretches our intellectual and emotional horizons. Perhaps some of us are simply not meant to choose one over the other.
We are not restless.
We are layered.
Thank you teacher Waqar. So happy to see your commenting here. Yes your are right we are layered. I am sure before the end of the year I will return to Thailand and more travelling. Kind Regards. Marita
I think many of us live between those two worlds you mention. For me, it has always been a case of having my heart in more than one place. I've largely decided that Thailand is my main love, and this is where I want to be; but pieces of my heart are spread out across Mexico, New Zealand, Turkiye, Germany, Australia, and the United States too. It's inevitable that the more places we experience, the more we'll fall in love with those locations, and the more we'll miss those places when we are away. Cheers.
As I think more about this topic, I recognize that it isn’t an all or nothing proposition. You can have a place to call home yet still make significant journeys to other places. We might not have the time, resources, and energy to make those extended, seemingly endless road trips anymore, but even two to three weeks somewhere can be a meaningful experience, particularly if it is a place we know well where we can make the most of the time on the ground. Pop back to Thailand for a month, for example, to scratch that Pad Thai itch and have a beer over ice. Regards.
Yes I will come back. I am fine at the moment... going through up and downs for some reason....but of course Thailand has my heart. I'll be back soon enough.😊
Sabine thanks for comment. I think we are kindred spirits . Anyways as all good travellers know things always have a way of working out. 😂🌻