Finding a place to call home has never had a simple answer.
I was born Egyptian.
When I moved to France I was the Egyptian.
When I visited Egypt I was the foreigner.
When I moved to USA I was the French.
When I went back to visit my friends in France I was the American.
Although I grew up in France I was never French.
In USA I never felt American.
I never really belonged anywhere.
Because my identity is not strongly tied to a country, I don’t pay attention to politics.
Home has always been where my family is, regardless of the continent or language we speak.
And because I don’t belong anywhere it’s easier for me to leave and explore other places.
I had a fling with London and lived there for a few months. I was charmed by its culture and humor.
I never felt that I could fit in or live there for a long time, but I was more comfortable there than in France.
That relationship ended peacefully when I came back to USA, although I still have a soft spot for the UK.
Chinese culture has appealed to me since I was a kid. My favorite restaurants in France were Chinese.
I always thought chopsticks made more sense than forks and knives. Chinese characters always fascinated me.
I was always involved in some kind of Asian martial art since I was a kid.
When exploring spirituality and philosophy, anything coming from the East provided more answers than the West.
After living in Taiwan for 3 months I know that this is the place where I have felt the most at peace.
I keep telling everyone: “Life makes more sense in Taiwan”.
While the USA constitution sells us “the pursuit of happiness”, living in Taiwan made me realize that being happy is normal, natural, and part of everyday life.
Taiwan is a civilized country. USA is a country of law. On the surface these 2 things may look similar. But just because a country is a country of law doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a civilized country.
The USA is a place where the number one value is individualism. It’s a place where you can go on your own and make a lot of money. It’s also set up to let you protect your wealth. You can spend your life focusing on your own desires and pursuing endless endeavors. In USA people become islands.
In Taiwan the number one value is family and community. People are not islands. They are connected, like the drops of water in an ocean. The distance between people is very short. There are more interactions, less time to obsess about one’s own self, and therefore life becomes more spontaneous. It’s easier to let life be life, and when we don’t get in the way of life, it becomes a wonderful adventure – something better that we could ever plan.