Leaving home and moving to a completely different country can be an incredibly rewarding experience for some, while others perceive it as a punishment and misery. There are many reasons for leaving your home country, but whatever the reason, when you have to start your life over in a new place and a new culture, you’ll do your best to adjust to it This process is faster for children than for adults, but in both cases, there’s a good chance you’ll neglect your cultural identity to some extent. And let’s not forget the second generation, the children born in their parents’ new home, who aren’t familiar with their family’s past at all. If you’ve recognized yourself in any of these descriptions and you’re longing to reconnect with your cultural identity and your roots, here is some valuable advice to guide you right back to them.
Look around you
One of the first things you can do once you decide to find whatever’s left of your cultural identity inside you and build it up from there, is to see if there are people in your proximity who can help you in some way. People who speak your mother tongue, who have come from the same country or even town as you and people who are simply enthusiastic about your country and culture may provide you with some precious firsthand insight into your heritage. For instance, merely talking to a native speaker of your language may help remember it if you’ve forgotten it and would allow you to practice speaking it continuously. Perhaps they can even tell you more about how it is living in that country now, as opposed to when you lived there. Does the country have an expat community where you live now? You can’t really lose anything by seeking them. In fact, you might end up meeting some interesting new people and look your background.
Talk to your family
Another great way of reviving your past and coming to terms with who you really are is talking to your family. Not only will they have more information about your or your parent’s former life and people in it, but you’ll probably feel more comfortable talking to them and asking them things you might not have the courage to ask anybody else. Of course, this is easy if you’re in constant contact with your family. If not, if you haven’t been in touch with them for a long time, or you don’t even know where they are now, you can reach out to them through social networks, or through other relatives or common friends. If even that doesn’t work, you can find reliable genealogy services online and increase your chances of locating even the most distant of your relatives. Look for a firm with several decades of experience in genealogy research and those who deal with lawyers, companies and individuals, meaning that they know how to approach the issue, they have utmost respect for all types of clients and that their track record is good.
Turn to the arts
If you like listening to music, watching films or reading books, you should explore your country’s art and look for things you might like. When it comes to music and maybe even dance, you might think you prefer the genres that belong to your present, to your new life, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t also enjoy the sounds of your home country as well. Actually, it may sound refreshing to you, especially if you haven’t listened to it or anything like it for ages, or ever. Similarly, books and films which come from your motherland may open your eyes to things about it that you just aren’t aware of yet. This will provide you with an excellent opportunity to listen to your native language, while learning about the history and the tradition of your country and its people, which is something you definitely shouldn’t miss on.
Travel back
For some, traveling to their father’s country might be a long overdue return home, while for others it may be the first time to see the land of their ancestors, but it can still be a very exciting and fulfilling adventure in any case. So, if you’ve never been to the country, call on some of your relatives who still live there or simply book a trip and go exploring. You’ll be able to see for yourself what people are like, visit all of the natural and historical sights and try some of the most famous traditional dishes right where they originate from. If you don’t think you’d feel safe or pleasant being there on your own, ask one of your siblings, your best friend or your partner to accompany you, so that you have somebody to lean on if you’re worried about visiting your homeland and somebody to share the joy and wonder with while there.
If your bloodline began somewhere far from where you live now, perhaps now’s the best time to go as far back as possible, reopen some old books and reconnect with everything you stand for and feel you are deep inside. It might give you a sense of completion and gratification and open your horizons more than you can ever expect it to.