Morning, people!
To make it short: I’m back home from Hungary and I’d like to share with you both – my experiences from there and to check how my holiday’s resolutions are going (back- or forward). But before I do that, I would like to discuss today a way more important topic that came to my mind while being in Hungary. Let’s start!
Obviously, being in an international environment for the whole month not only allows you to reach the languages you learn, but in my case, gives you the feeling of unity no matter what is your and their nationality. Now, here it comes – the key word, nationality.
What I wrote in the tittle is actually a question to any of you to think about your nationality. But I don’t mean you to name it – Polish, Hungarian, Spanish, German. What I would like you to think of is that – what is nationality for you?
This question was going here and there in my head for a long time. Now it evolved and I can fully give you a description of this thing.
First of all, I thought: I’m Polish, but not a patriot. I don’t care about this country in a traditional sense. This feeling kept me company for a long time and just recently it changed to: I don’t feel Polish. I’m not sure if that’s something unimaginable for you or rather pretty obvious to understand, but I don’t. It doesn’t mean I’m ashamed to say I’m Polish – the point is I don’t really like to use a nationality to descirbe/introduce myself.
This is why: every nationality brings a set of stereotypes and personal experience connected to this country (this is: generalizing about the characteristic of the whole nation based on only one person/event/experience). I don’t need this to talk to people and they don’t need it to see what kind of person I am and wether they will like me or not. So after saying I don’t feel Polish, I felt something like: I don’t have a nationality and then, more flexibly, I present this nationality, which language I speak. If I talk to people in Spanish, I feel more like them, maybe not having the same problems as inside the country for example, but I try to identify with them to understand them better.
Today, what I feel is: I don’t need nationality to label myself, to feel better or worse.
What I know about Poland is that: I don’t suit to this country, to its traditions, mentality, alcohol-drinking thing, I feel no connection. This is the reason why I travel. This is why I think home is where I am and when I left a piece of myself, but in general I consider the whole world my home, not only one country.
Take care,
Kubi in the world 
It’s the same thing I feel about Chile. In fact, I believe this country hasn’t given me anything and that I don’t owe anything here. Not even education or values (most of those things have been either thanks to my parents or my work). Plus, in the past I had nasty experiences with patriotism and nationalism (thank the Chilean dictatorship for that).
If I ever move, I would probably miss some people, but I am well aware I can have no problems with meeting people. In fact, when I am abroad I feel I am less restricted with the mores in Chile (as in social background being the most important thing for relationships and friendships).
No matter how cheesy and overrated this expression is, I feel myself more of a citizen of the world.
Now as for the alcohol-drinking thing in Poland, you know it’s probably my favourite thing from there (coming from a place when people even have a sip of alcohol and they get violent or insult random people… people with somewhat of a resistance to it -and drinking good drinks- can be a relief :D).
Hugs! You’re just as sane as I am!
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I feel the same. I’m not even saying that our countries should give us anything (but then the idea of a country doesn’t make any sense), but it’s all so artificial that I can’t stand it. That’s why we feel better abroad, because abroad has no border.
Haha, but here, even if people drink a lot, it doesn’t mean they can drink culturally.
I’m happy you shared this with me, thanks a lot!
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