Home Again
"Home is not where you live but where they understand you." ~Christian Morgenstern
We just returned from a trip where the wait staff and many of the employees were from other countries. It was interesting to meet so many people from around the world, especially at the holiday time, and to hear about their lives and countries and stories.
The day before Christmas, a young red haired woman passed our family and stopped to say hello. Her name tag stated that she was from Serbia. As we began to talk to her, she revealed that she actually grew up in Hungary and had moved to Serbia with her family in the later years. My father, a Hungarian immigrant, began to speak to her in their native language. The look that washed over her face brought tears to my eyes. She too, began to cry and asked to be excused. When she returned a few minutes later, composed, she apologized for getting so emotional. She explained that hearing someone speak Hungarian, and being able to communicate with my dad had brought back all of the emotions of being home.
Military service members and families know this feeling all too well. If you've lived abroad, you have experienced the feeling of being surrounded by another culture. The moments that you hear English speaking people in a sea of another language are like bells ringing and angels singing. It is a reminder that there is a place that you will be understood, a place that you can call home.
If you haven't lived abroad, this feeling still rings true. Military families are a culture amongst themselves. It is all too easy to walk amongst our society and feel like a foreigner. If someone at a store, or church or asks about our deployed service member, the blank stare and lack of understanding is sure to come. When you find yourself, no matter how far from home, in the presence of another military family, it feels familiar. There is an understanding of what life is like, there is an unspoken respect for the sacrifices that are made daily for our country.
Communication is the key, finding a place where we can be understood and connecting with people who speak our language.
Feeling like you are home.
We just returned from a trip where the wait staff and many of the employees were from other countries. It was interesting to meet so many people from around the world, especially at the holiday time, and to hear about their lives and countries and stories.
The day before Christmas, a young red haired woman passed our family and stopped to say hello. Her name tag stated that she was from Serbia. As we began to talk to her, she revealed that she actually grew up in Hungary and had moved to Serbia with her family in the later years. My father, a Hungarian immigrant, began to speak to her in their native language. The look that washed over her face brought tears to my eyes. She too, began to cry and asked to be excused. When she returned a few minutes later, composed, she apologized for getting so emotional. She explained that hearing someone speak Hungarian, and being able to communicate with my dad had brought back all of the emotions of being home.
Military service members and families know this feeling all too well. If you've lived abroad, you have experienced the feeling of being surrounded by another culture. The moments that you hear English speaking people in a sea of another language are like bells ringing and angels singing. It is a reminder that there is a place that you will be understood, a place that you can call home.
If you haven't lived abroad, this feeling still rings true. Military families are a culture amongst themselves. It is all too easy to walk amongst our society and feel like a foreigner. If someone at a store, or church or asks about our deployed service member, the blank stare and lack of understanding is sure to come. When you find yourself, no matter how far from home, in the presence of another military family, it feels familiar. There is an understanding of what life is like, there is an unspoken respect for the sacrifices that are made daily for our country.
Communication is the key, finding a place where we can be understood and connecting with people who speak our language.
Feeling like you are home.
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