Really enjoyed reading this, Stina! Thank you for such an enjoyable read!
How interestingly funny that you escaped to Cairo after high school! Cairo is my hometown and I escaped it to Berlin right after I finished university. 🤣 I had to chuckle at your description of rich boys driving in their rich parents' 4WD around the North Coast... I can really picture that image. 😁 But sounds like it was fun!
I loved reading how you're getting to know your hometown in a new way now. I relate so much, as I've been getting to know Cairo in new ways too over the last couple of years. Though I haven't returned, I feel my relationship to it shift with every visit.
Hey!!! OMG Cairo is your hometown??!!! No way! Aaah Cario the love of my life. I've been back many times since I lived there. I lived in Zamalek! In which are did you grow up??
Ah cool you live in Berlin! Have long have you been there? Whas it your dream to go there or how come you picked Germany?? Do you have any plans going back and live in Cairo or do you see Europe as your home now? So so fun to meet you!
And thank you so much for saying you liked the article!!!
Ohhh, I love your energy, Stina!!! 😍 I got so happy reading your comment! It’s also such fun to meet you! I’ve been following your posts for a long time and every time you mention Egypt I feel my heart jump in excitement! 😂 And I deeply apologize for my incredibly slow reply — it’s just been one of those super slow weeks! 🫣
Yesss, Cairo is my hometown – haha! I felt like I really need to share this after reading your post. 😁😍
I’m so happy to read you love Cairo so much. How cool that you lived in Zamalek!!! I lived in Mohandessin, so super close, and I used to come to Zamalek basically daily with my friends, back during my school and university days. This used to be the place we hung out the most and my favorite district (still is till this day probably)… I’m so sure we crossed paths without knowing each other! 😂 How funny!
I’ve been in Berlin since ten years now! 😮 I’m still amazed when I get to say that, haha! The simple answer as to why I came here is that I needed more freedom to explore my identity as a woman — in every way. I felt restricted and suffocated in so many ways and I couldn’t grow the way I felt the need to. And during the ten years I’ve been here, my relationship has changed a lot with Cairo, and I’ve learned to appreciate many things in new ways, of course. But right now, even though Cairo will always carry that feeling of home, I do call Berlin my second home and carry both in my heart. I do love life in Berlin, with the many simple freedoms it has and I like the life I’ve built here. So for now, I can’t imagine living in Cairo any time soon, but I always say “maybe one day!” Who knows how life will change after all? ☺️ And I anyway visit Cairo every 3-4 months anyway. 🫣
That being said: When you’re visiting Cairo again, I’d be SO happy if you let me know! Maybe I’m there for a visit at the same time, and we can meet up and enjoy some lovely Cairo vibes together. 🌞
Do you already have an idea when you’ll be visiting next time?
Can’t wait to hear more of your stories of what it was like to live in Cairo for you! 💛 I have so many questions!! 😂
OMG so fun to have a new pen pal from Cairo living in Europe! Thanks so much for telling me your story! I'll write to you properly soon cause I'm packing for my next trip now (off to Aisa tomorrow) but YES PLEASE let's meet up in Cairo or Europe would be awesome! Talk soon!!
Ohhh, how exciting!!! Enjoy your time to the fullest! 🥰 That will surely be fun. I’m excited to read all about it and to read from you whenever you have a chance. 🤗 No pressure, take your time! I’m sure the right time will come and YES, let’s meet up whenever we get that chance! ✨ That would truly be a lovely experience. Talk to you soon and wishing you tons of fun!!! 😍
Wow ok so you’ve been in Berlin 10 years?! Wow that’s quite a while…thanks for sharing why you moved…I can totally see that you needed to get away growing up… Being from Europe, we take so much for granted, things like freedom of doing whatever we want, being any gender. I see these things with Egypt and Cairo more clearly now when I’m older, educated and generally question things more than I did when I was 19…When I’m in Cairo nowadays, I’ve learnt to appreciate other things with the city but also wear my feminist glasses so sometimes it clashes. I guess it’s the rough with the smooth…How wonderful you have two amazing cities close to heart. Berlin is sooooo cool!!!
I worked in Mohandessin! Or first I worked in Pomodoro, a restaurant by the Nile and then for El Gouna Magazine (a magazine promoting El Gouna). Oh maaaan I was 19 and sold advertisement spots, going around in cabs with high heels talking to marketing managers in car companies ha ha ha ha Weekends with the rich boys on the north coast ha ha Another life 😂 I lived abroad for many years but now I’ve been back in Sweden for a long time! Working as a designer and a nurse and travelling heaps! Speak soon!!!
Thank you so much for your lovely reply, Stina! I really appreciate that you can understand why I left, and that you understand the gender-related issues I'm referring to in Cairo. And I fully understand that this questioning came when you got older. That's fully relatable. I would have also only become of it in an older age, if it didn't directly affect me back then. And yes, it's like you say – Cairo has the rough and the smooth. It has so many other things to offer that can be beautiful and are very special in themselves, independent of the issues, such as the gender topic. I've also learned to appreciate and see that over the last ten years of living in Berlin and getting some distance. It's really valuable to be able to hold the space for both and makes the experience of it so much more nuanced and richer, I'd say! :)
And how cool that you worked in Mohandessin! Oh my God, we really must have crossed paths so often. 😂 And how cool that you worked in those places and then spent the weekends on the North Coast! That really sounds like so much fun!!! 😎 I'm so happy you got to do that. :D And wow, Gouna was still so young of a project back then, no? It really took off crazily by now!!! How cool that you also worked on that and get to see this crazy difference now (at least that's what I imagine 😂).
And it's so cool you're back to Sweden but still get to travel so often! That's really so precious. I truly enjoy reading your travel stories and look very forward to hopefully meeting one day and learning so much more about each other's (current and past) lives! 😂 Thank you so much for sharing, Stina! Enjoy your time in Asia and speak to you soon! 🙋🏻♀️ 😊
What a lovely article Stina. Thank you for introducing us to your hometown. It looks cold but lovely. You obviously have the wandering spirit. I am thinking of the contrast between northern Sweden and Cairo. Were your parents concerned about you heading off into the great unknown 😉
Thanks Lucy!! Definitely have the wandering spirit! ha ha oh man, my mum was not impressed at all by me settling in Egypt. Then her and my dad came to visit me in Cairo and that just confirmed her worries over me cause Cairo is crazy ha ha!
& Thank you for your kind words, it really means a lot to me. I’m honestly just so grateful that we found each other on here, I always love reading your travel pieces and the way you tell stories!
I loved this piece and how you write about home, leaving, and then finding your way back to it. This could definitely be the start of a very long conversation for us once you’re back in Cairo!
I will be waiting for you. Or.... if you ever decide to go to Istanbul ;) If I'm there, I would more than love to show you my little discoveries of this fascinating city, and try to make you fall in love with it as much as you already are with Cairo!
By the way, if you haven’t read it already, I really recommend Cairo Circles by Mahmoud Doma. It’s such an interesting book, honestly kind of mind-blowing in how accurately it captures Cairo’s social fabric. I’d be really curious to hear whether you relate to it, or if it resonates with what you experienced while being here. And if not, it’s still a great way to understand the city on a deeper level.
Ranim helllooo!! Of course, I do love your writing so so much!!!
I just finished Cairo Circles!! What a coincidence! I enjoyed it so much, definitely one of the best reads this year. I related to this book a lot, some of it felt like stuff I experienced. From the rich boys we used to hang out with, to friends at work and our housekeeper and her wonderful daughter. Brought back so much memories. Good and bad!
Yes yes YES of course we’ll meet up next time I’m in Cairo! Or Istanbul yes please! Only been there once and loved it. Talk soon Ranim!
I've gone through very similar feelings. However my parents moved away from the village I grew up in decades and I will probably never go back. There is definitely something about having a home though. There's no particular place which will ever be truly my hometown, but I will never truly understand a country like I do Scotland.
Anyway, I really just wanted to say that the first foreign hockey match I went to was Frolunda vs Modo back in 2002. Good times!
Hi Alex! Thanks so much! ha ha I SO understand if you have not found joy and belonging in your howetown. This was me for many many years. I'm 45 now and finally I'm there he he Perhaps you wont find it and that's ok too.
Living down here in Skåne, I've somehow never made it up this far North this has me thinking I really need to fix that, so glad you found your way back!
Hi Scott! Thank you!!! It's so damn far to this part of Sweden!!! No wonder you have not been when it takes less time to go to Italy! But go! It's beautiful!
Hi Stina...I come from a small farming town,Cameron Highlands,Malaysia.Now I work for a NGO in the city but planning to move back to my farming town soon.Just missing the greens & my nature walks! Thanks for sharing.
Hi ER! Thanks for sharing! It's so interesting how some of us leave home for a bit but the plan is always to come back to their home turf, whereas others leave for good. I wonder if it has to do with the hometowns themselves, or if some of us simply can't live where they grew up!
I think it's individual choice. Some just love the city life as for me I just miss the greens, enviroment, the people I grew up with! Most importantly, just love the quiet life. Just do what I love to do 😊
I totally get that!!! So glad you've decided to live where your heart sings! By the way, I'm heading to Malaysia soon! Any pro recommendations apart from the obvious KL, Penang and Tioman islands?
Thank you, for the spotify playlist. I came home, after 15 years away from New Zealand, living in Islanbul, then Europe. I feel like there might be things you can teach me xx
Hi Di! Nice to meet you! Wowowow 15 years is a very long time! Did you come home cause you missed NZ? Does it feel like the right decision? Btw, Istanbul hey?! Such a cool place!!!!
Hi Stina. Lovely to find you here. It was an unplanned 15 years of wandering but, perhaps, all the more glorious because of that. I returned to NZ because my Dad had Dementia but wasn't ready to leave his house. My family had returned home from their European life, earlier that same year, and we often lived in other places in the northern hemisphere. Seemed odd not to share a hemisphere. And I was at a bit of a crossroads, with two jobs lined up but ... just but. I think it does feel like the right decision. I probably needed to leave the gloriously edgy kind of life I lived, where I had absolutely no idea of what might be next. And the fight or flight response is slowly, very slowly, leaving of my mind and body. In fact, now I think of it, I'm living a life that is the complete opposite of my European life at the moment, and it's quite odd to have peace to realise these things :-) Istanbul was remarkable. I loved it, passionately. I had beautiful Turkish friends, and so many adventures ... although, there was a point when I realised I could continue having a bit of anxiety however, it would kill me because there was so much for a woman from small-town NZ to be anxious about :-) so it cured me of that, and I got on with simply embracing the, sometimes overwhelming, life I lived there. Stendhal syndrome was a regular thing tho. Looking forward to reading you!
Hey Di! So fun and interesting to learn about your story. I'm sorry your dad is not well. My dad had dementia too. That period when they kind of know they're not well but refuse to be taken care of is the hardest, I found it. How sweet you managed to live in the same hemisphere with your family. My family def did not move hemisphere when I lived in Melbourne ❤️ I'm happy it feels like the right decision to move back....15 years is a lifetime! Perhaps it's not forever, but being there for your family in times of hardship, it's really what matters. I know it too well. I was not there for a family member many years ago. Too busy living my fun life travelling...I was 20 back then, so perhaps you're not supposed to be thoughtful when you're that young but I still regret not being there for that person. Now, I take every opportunity to help out. Life hey...
Aaah man, the old fight or flight response! TOTALLY understand! It takes time right? I imagine living in Istanbul must have been like living in Cairo; absolutely madness at times. But yes, I also grew so much from living in the middle of chaos and learning to embrace it. Rough with the smooth and all that hey.
Looking forward reading you too!!! Have a great day!
You lived in Cairo! Oh my, I went there, with the curator of an exhibition I was working as a photographer on, she was collecting pieces to display and invited me along. Cairo blew my mind, I have to confess. The long tunnel into the heart of the city, and then the clamour of life not in the touristy section of the city. Maybe I had been in Antwerp for too long by then, or perhaps my familiarity, in the end, with Istanbul made life there seem less huge. But I was so happy to fall into my plane seat, after a few days, and leave. And as we climbed into the sky, on departure, I remember looking down a remembering the Pyramids!! There they were, in all their glory, and I had been too busy working to even think of them :-) And yes, for a long time, Dad thought he was fine but, of course, his memory was so gone. 20 is so young. I didn’t fly from New Zealand until I was 38, such a different age.
I love your story about Cairo, and also your honest thoughts of it!! Cairo aint Antwerp that is for sure ha ha I so understand it felt like a huge relief to leave!! I was there for a year, so I had some time to grow into it! It’s absolute madness!! You’re a photographer?! How wonderful!!!
Nice piece Stina. Coming home to Australia again after a while away and have been thinking about these issues a lot. I am so grateful and lucky to have been born here and if I am unsure about coming back its a lot to do with what home represents, rather than Australia per se and so, being appreciative of where one comes from and being able to love it is so important. Youve given me a few more angles on which to chase my thoughts so thx for that🙏
Hey! Thank you, and thanks so much for sharing your story! Ah maaan yes exactly this, so grateful to have been brought up in a small Swedish town but happy to have left behind the insecure teenage version of me, and all that came with it. Hard to not fall back into family dynamics of the 90s too 😎
So you're an aussie! Where from? I lived in Melbourne for a year and going back in a couple of weeks on holiday!
I love your writing, always. And I love how adventurous you’ve been from such a young age. How long did you live in Cairo? I feel like we’re one and the same. I loved Egypt and her people too. Though, I was only there a few short weeks.
I have two versions of home. My early childhood was in Oregon in a small coastal town, where my mom still lives, and San Francisco, where my dad is. I haven’t been back to Oregon in eight years, but it still feels like slipping into an old, cozy sweatshirt. Funny though, I’m a different person there. A return to the shy, slightly awkward kid-version of me.
San Francisco is where I feel most like myself. The city gives me energy. A little louder, edgier, and bustling. My soul renews whenever I spend time there. I’m heading back in a month and can’t wait!
Brandiiiii! Thank you and thanks so much for sharing! So fun to know where you grew up and how you feel about it today. Oh man, I so understand that thing about returning to the old version of yourself, especially if you spend time with your family...like you've grown and changed so much over the years and in two seconds you're back with the same characteristics you had in 1998. Family dynamics being exactly the same! So fun you were awkward, I definitely was, too!! ha ha
San Fransisco! Wow! I've only been once and wowwow what a place! Such a vibe. How wonderful to have your dad there!
Egypt is the best! I love it so much and I'm so glad you do too!! A lot of people don't right?! I was there for a year!
Yeah, not many people I spoke with loved it either, but they also didn’t seem as open-minded as most travelers I’ve met. Some felt more focused on crossing sights off a list than actually engaging with the culture or people. A full year is amazing though. I imagine you collected some pretty unforgettable experiences.
It's funny how we come full circle. So happy that you're enjoying your heritage, Stina, and sharing it with us. p.s. I think you're lucky you're not a WAG!
Erin! Yes yes FINALLY full circle, only took me 30 years on the road ha ha WAG-life is probably not the most thrilling thing. Can you imagine these girls that got together with the hockey players are still with them 30 years later?!
I found this so relatable. I couldn't wait to get away from where I grew up in Florida, US, becoming a flight attendant and barely making it home for holidays for 10 years. But somewhere along the way some nostalgia settled and now I see things differently when I go home. Like you mentioned, sometimes I am also jealous of the people who are content never leaving, but then I am also grateful for who I am and my love for learning about people around the world. I keep leaving with no regrets, but return to really appreciate the place through a different lens. Thanks for sharing and have an amazing time in your next 3 destinations!
I enjoyed reading this, Stina. Your humour is so contagious.😁
Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself. I am not very adventurous, but I understand what choosing different because you want different means. Also because sometimes you don't have much of a choice.
I like what you are doing in this phase, that you're enjoying it because that's what really matters.
Victoria 🩷 thanks so much for reading! Well that’s the thing right…sometimes it’s perhaps not what you feel is most exciting thing to do, but you know it’s the right thing. I already feel these months have changed me profoundly.
So many familiar sentiments here for me! Firstly, the desire to leave asap, haha. I left home at 17! At some point in my late 20s, when I had friends from around the world want to see Ireland, I realised how beautiful it is. But it wasn't until the last couple of years that I started to take an interest in my family heritage. Funny how these things play out at diferrent stages of life.
So relatable Stina, am sure so many wandering souls have this dance with their roots and places new, and how where you live shapes you. Beautiful photos too as ever.
Really enjoyed reading this, Stina! Thank you for such an enjoyable read!
How interestingly funny that you escaped to Cairo after high school! Cairo is my hometown and I escaped it to Berlin right after I finished university. 🤣 I had to chuckle at your description of rich boys driving in their rich parents' 4WD around the North Coast... I can really picture that image. 😁 But sounds like it was fun!
I loved reading how you're getting to know your hometown in a new way now. I relate so much, as I've been getting to know Cairo in new ways too over the last couple of years. Though I haven't returned, I feel my relationship to it shift with every visit.
And I loved the photos of the snow! 😍
Hey!!! OMG Cairo is your hometown??!!! No way! Aaah Cario the love of my life. I've been back many times since I lived there. I lived in Zamalek! In which are did you grow up??
Ah cool you live in Berlin! Have long have you been there? Whas it your dream to go there or how come you picked Germany?? Do you have any plans going back and live in Cairo or do you see Europe as your home now? So so fun to meet you!
And thank you so much for saying you liked the article!!!
Ohhh, I love your energy, Stina!!! 😍 I got so happy reading your comment! It’s also such fun to meet you! I’ve been following your posts for a long time and every time you mention Egypt I feel my heart jump in excitement! 😂 And I deeply apologize for my incredibly slow reply — it’s just been one of those super slow weeks! 🫣
Yesss, Cairo is my hometown – haha! I felt like I really need to share this after reading your post. 😁😍
I’m so happy to read you love Cairo so much. How cool that you lived in Zamalek!!! I lived in Mohandessin, so super close, and I used to come to Zamalek basically daily with my friends, back during my school and university days. This used to be the place we hung out the most and my favorite district (still is till this day probably)… I’m so sure we crossed paths without knowing each other! 😂 How funny!
I’ve been in Berlin since ten years now! 😮 I’m still amazed when I get to say that, haha! The simple answer as to why I came here is that I needed more freedom to explore my identity as a woman — in every way. I felt restricted and suffocated in so many ways and I couldn’t grow the way I felt the need to. And during the ten years I’ve been here, my relationship has changed a lot with Cairo, and I’ve learned to appreciate many things in new ways, of course. But right now, even though Cairo will always carry that feeling of home, I do call Berlin my second home and carry both in my heart. I do love life in Berlin, with the many simple freedoms it has and I like the life I’ve built here. So for now, I can’t imagine living in Cairo any time soon, but I always say “maybe one day!” Who knows how life will change after all? ☺️ And I anyway visit Cairo every 3-4 months anyway. 🫣
That being said: When you’re visiting Cairo again, I’d be SO happy if you let me know! Maybe I’m there for a visit at the same time, and we can meet up and enjoy some lovely Cairo vibes together. 🌞
Do you already have an idea when you’ll be visiting next time?
Can’t wait to hear more of your stories of what it was like to live in Cairo for you! 💛 I have so many questions!! 😂
OMG so fun to have a new pen pal from Cairo living in Europe! Thanks so much for telling me your story! I'll write to you properly soon cause I'm packing for my next trip now (off to Aisa tomorrow) but YES PLEASE let's meet up in Cairo or Europe would be awesome! Talk soon!!
Ohhh, how exciting!!! Enjoy your time to the fullest! 🥰 That will surely be fun. I’m excited to read all about it and to read from you whenever you have a chance. 🤗 No pressure, take your time! I’m sure the right time will come and YES, let’s meet up whenever we get that chance! ✨ That would truly be a lovely experience. Talk to you soon and wishing you tons of fun!!! 😍
Wow ok so you’ve been in Berlin 10 years?! Wow that’s quite a while…thanks for sharing why you moved…I can totally see that you needed to get away growing up… Being from Europe, we take so much for granted, things like freedom of doing whatever we want, being any gender. I see these things with Egypt and Cairo more clearly now when I’m older, educated and generally question things more than I did when I was 19…When I’m in Cairo nowadays, I’ve learnt to appreciate other things with the city but also wear my feminist glasses so sometimes it clashes. I guess it’s the rough with the smooth…How wonderful you have two amazing cities close to heart. Berlin is sooooo cool!!!
I worked in Mohandessin! Or first I worked in Pomodoro, a restaurant by the Nile and then for El Gouna Magazine (a magazine promoting El Gouna). Oh maaaan I was 19 and sold advertisement spots, going around in cabs with high heels talking to marketing managers in car companies ha ha ha ha Weekends with the rich boys on the north coast ha ha Another life 😂 I lived abroad for many years but now I’ve been back in Sweden for a long time! Working as a designer and a nurse and travelling heaps! Speak soon!!!
Thank you so much for your lovely reply, Stina! I really appreciate that you can understand why I left, and that you understand the gender-related issues I'm referring to in Cairo. And I fully understand that this questioning came when you got older. That's fully relatable. I would have also only become of it in an older age, if it didn't directly affect me back then. And yes, it's like you say – Cairo has the rough and the smooth. It has so many other things to offer that can be beautiful and are very special in themselves, independent of the issues, such as the gender topic. I've also learned to appreciate and see that over the last ten years of living in Berlin and getting some distance. It's really valuable to be able to hold the space for both and makes the experience of it so much more nuanced and richer, I'd say! :)
And how cool that you worked in Mohandessin! Oh my God, we really must have crossed paths so often. 😂 And how cool that you worked in those places and then spent the weekends on the North Coast! That really sounds like so much fun!!! 😎 I'm so happy you got to do that. :D And wow, Gouna was still so young of a project back then, no? It really took off crazily by now!!! How cool that you also worked on that and get to see this crazy difference now (at least that's what I imagine 😂).
And it's so cool you're back to Sweden but still get to travel so often! That's really so precious. I truly enjoy reading your travel stories and look very forward to hopefully meeting one day and learning so much more about each other's (current and past) lives! 😂 Thank you so much for sharing, Stina! Enjoy your time in Asia and speak to you soon! 🙋🏻♀️ 😊
What a lovely article Stina. Thank you for introducing us to your hometown. It looks cold but lovely. You obviously have the wandering spirit. I am thinking of the contrast between northern Sweden and Cairo. Were your parents concerned about you heading off into the great unknown 😉
Thanks Lucy!! Definitely have the wandering spirit! ha ha oh man, my mum was not impressed at all by me settling in Egypt. Then her and my dad came to visit me in Cairo and that just confirmed her worries over me cause Cairo is crazy ha ha!
Stina, this was so beautiful to read! 🤍
& Thank you for your kind words, it really means a lot to me. I’m honestly just so grateful that we found each other on here, I always love reading your travel pieces and the way you tell stories!
I loved this piece and how you write about home, leaving, and then finding your way back to it. This could definitely be the start of a very long conversation for us once you’re back in Cairo!
I will be waiting for you. Or.... if you ever decide to go to Istanbul ;) If I'm there, I would more than love to show you my little discoveries of this fascinating city, and try to make you fall in love with it as much as you already are with Cairo!
By the way, if you haven’t read it already, I really recommend Cairo Circles by Mahmoud Doma. It’s such an interesting book, honestly kind of mind-blowing in how accurately it captures Cairo’s social fabric. I’d be really curious to hear whether you relate to it, or if it resonates with what you experienced while being here. And if not, it’s still a great way to understand the city on a deeper level.
Really happy to share this little space with you!
Ranim helllooo!! Of course, I do love your writing so so much!!!
I just finished Cairo Circles!! What a coincidence! I enjoyed it so much, definitely one of the best reads this year. I related to this book a lot, some of it felt like stuff I experienced. From the rich boys we used to hang out with, to friends at work and our housekeeper and her wonderful daughter. Brought back so much memories. Good and bad!
Yes yes YES of course we’ll meet up next time I’m in Cairo! Or Istanbul yes please! Only been there once and loved it. Talk soon Ranim!
What a coincidence Stina!!! If you have any other book recommendations similar to Cairo circles, don't hesitate to share!
& waiting for you to come to Cairo!
I've gone through very similar feelings. However my parents moved away from the village I grew up in decades and I will probably never go back. There is definitely something about having a home though. There's no particular place which will ever be truly my hometown, but I will never truly understand a country like I do Scotland.
Anyway, I really just wanted to say that the first foreign hockey match I went to was Frolunda vs Modo back in 2002. Good times!
Hamish! Thanks for sharing! Well that’s it, you need your people to make it feel like home. Where in Scotland are you based now?
What WHAT? MoDo is my team?! How cool!!!!
I’m not! I’m living in Kutaisi where I’ve just opened a hostel. If you’re ever in the region…
I love that you found the joy in your hometown. I admit, I am guilty of not doing this. Örnsköldsvik sounds like such a nice and special place!
Hi Alex! Thanks so much! ha ha I SO understand if you have not found joy and belonging in your howetown. This was me for many many years. I'm 45 now and finally I'm there he he Perhaps you wont find it and that's ok too.
Living down here in Skåne, I've somehow never made it up this far North this has me thinking I really need to fix that, so glad you found your way back!
Hi Scott! Thank you!!! It's so damn far to this part of Sweden!!! No wonder you have not been when it takes less time to go to Italy! But go! It's beautiful!
Haha. Yes absolutely.
Hi Stina...I come from a small farming town,Cameron Highlands,Malaysia.Now I work for a NGO in the city but planning to move back to my farming town soon.Just missing the greens & my nature walks! Thanks for sharing.
Hi ER! Thanks for sharing! It's so interesting how some of us leave home for a bit but the plan is always to come back to their home turf, whereas others leave for good. I wonder if it has to do with the hometowns themselves, or if some of us simply can't live where they grew up!
I think it's individual choice. Some just love the city life as for me I just miss the greens, enviroment, the people I grew up with! Most importantly, just love the quiet life. Just do what I love to do 😊
I totally get that!!! So glad you've decided to live where your heart sings! By the way, I'm heading to Malaysia soon! Any pro recommendations apart from the obvious KL, Penang and Tioman islands?
Just update me when you are flying in to Malaysia!
Sure.... I will, check out Sabah & Sarawak.
Borneo right?! Looking forward!
Yes
I have lived in Sabah & Sarawak. Orang Utan Sanctuary is Sabah. If you love nature, it's a great place to visit.
I have lived in Sabah & Sarawak. Orang Utan Sanctuary is Sabah. If you love nature, it's a great place to visit.
Thank you, for the spotify playlist. I came home, after 15 years away from New Zealand, living in Islanbul, then Europe. I feel like there might be things you can teach me xx
Hi Di! Nice to meet you! Wowowow 15 years is a very long time! Did you come home cause you missed NZ? Does it feel like the right decision? Btw, Istanbul hey?! Such a cool place!!!!
Hi Stina. Lovely to find you here. It was an unplanned 15 years of wandering but, perhaps, all the more glorious because of that. I returned to NZ because my Dad had Dementia but wasn't ready to leave his house. My family had returned home from their European life, earlier that same year, and we often lived in other places in the northern hemisphere. Seemed odd not to share a hemisphere. And I was at a bit of a crossroads, with two jobs lined up but ... just but. I think it does feel like the right decision. I probably needed to leave the gloriously edgy kind of life I lived, where I had absolutely no idea of what might be next. And the fight or flight response is slowly, very slowly, leaving of my mind and body. In fact, now I think of it, I'm living a life that is the complete opposite of my European life at the moment, and it's quite odd to have peace to realise these things :-) Istanbul was remarkable. I loved it, passionately. I had beautiful Turkish friends, and so many adventures ... although, there was a point when I realised I could continue having a bit of anxiety however, it would kill me because there was so much for a woman from small-town NZ to be anxious about :-) so it cured me of that, and I got on with simply embracing the, sometimes overwhelming, life I lived there. Stendhal syndrome was a regular thing tho. Looking forward to reading you!
Hey Di! So fun and interesting to learn about your story. I'm sorry your dad is not well. My dad had dementia too. That period when they kind of know they're not well but refuse to be taken care of is the hardest, I found it. How sweet you managed to live in the same hemisphere with your family. My family def did not move hemisphere when I lived in Melbourne ❤️ I'm happy it feels like the right decision to move back....15 years is a lifetime! Perhaps it's not forever, but being there for your family in times of hardship, it's really what matters. I know it too well. I was not there for a family member many years ago. Too busy living my fun life travelling...I was 20 back then, so perhaps you're not supposed to be thoughtful when you're that young but I still regret not being there for that person. Now, I take every opportunity to help out. Life hey...
Aaah man, the old fight or flight response! TOTALLY understand! It takes time right? I imagine living in Istanbul must have been like living in Cairo; absolutely madness at times. But yes, I also grew so much from living in the middle of chaos and learning to embrace it. Rough with the smooth and all that hey.
Looking forward reading you too!!! Have a great day!
You lived in Cairo! Oh my, I went there, with the curator of an exhibition I was working as a photographer on, she was collecting pieces to display and invited me along. Cairo blew my mind, I have to confess. The long tunnel into the heart of the city, and then the clamour of life not in the touristy section of the city. Maybe I had been in Antwerp for too long by then, or perhaps my familiarity, in the end, with Istanbul made life there seem less huge. But I was so happy to fall into my plane seat, after a few days, and leave. And as we climbed into the sky, on departure, I remember looking down a remembering the Pyramids!! There they were, in all their glory, and I had been too busy working to even think of them :-) And yes, for a long time, Dad thought he was fine but, of course, his memory was so gone. 20 is so young. I didn’t fly from New Zealand until I was 38, such a different age.
I love your story about Cairo, and also your honest thoughts of it!! Cairo aint Antwerp that is for sure ha ha I so understand it felt like a huge relief to leave!! I was there for a year, so I had some time to grow into it! It’s absolute madness!! You’re a photographer?! How wonderful!!!
Nice piece Stina. Coming home to Australia again after a while away and have been thinking about these issues a lot. I am so grateful and lucky to have been born here and if I am unsure about coming back its a lot to do with what home represents, rather than Australia per se and so, being appreciative of where one comes from and being able to love it is so important. Youve given me a few more angles on which to chase my thoughts so thx for that🙏
Hey! Thank you, and thanks so much for sharing your story! Ah maaan yes exactly this, so grateful to have been brought up in a small Swedish town but happy to have left behind the insecure teenage version of me, and all that came with it. Hard to not fall back into family dynamics of the 90s too 😎
So you're an aussie! Where from? I lived in Melbourne for a year and going back in a couple of weeks on holiday!
God bless you 🙏
Thank you!
I love your writing, always. And I love how adventurous you’ve been from such a young age. How long did you live in Cairo? I feel like we’re one and the same. I loved Egypt and her people too. Though, I was only there a few short weeks.
I have two versions of home. My early childhood was in Oregon in a small coastal town, where my mom still lives, and San Francisco, where my dad is. I haven’t been back to Oregon in eight years, but it still feels like slipping into an old, cozy sweatshirt. Funny though, I’m a different person there. A return to the shy, slightly awkward kid-version of me.
San Francisco is where I feel most like myself. The city gives me energy. A little louder, edgier, and bustling. My soul renews whenever I spend time there. I’m heading back in a month and can’t wait!
Brandiiiii! Thank you and thanks so much for sharing! So fun to know where you grew up and how you feel about it today. Oh man, I so understand that thing about returning to the old version of yourself, especially if you spend time with your family...like you've grown and changed so much over the years and in two seconds you're back with the same characteristics you had in 1998. Family dynamics being exactly the same! So fun you were awkward, I definitely was, too!! ha ha
San Fransisco! Wow! I've only been once and wowwow what a place! Such a vibe. How wonderful to have your dad there!
Egypt is the best! I love it so much and I'm so glad you do too!! A lot of people don't right?! I was there for a year!
Yeah, not many people I spoke with loved it either, but they also didn’t seem as open-minded as most travelers I’ve met. Some felt more focused on crossing sights off a list than actually engaging with the culture or people. A full year is amazing though. I imagine you collected some pretty unforgettable experiences.
It's funny how we come full circle. So happy that you're enjoying your heritage, Stina, and sharing it with us. p.s. I think you're lucky you're not a WAG!
Erin! Yes yes FINALLY full circle, only took me 30 years on the road ha ha WAG-life is probably not the most thrilling thing. Can you imagine these girls that got together with the hockey players are still with them 30 years later?!
Yes, I can imagine what the WAG life would be like -- which is why I don't wish it for you! 🤗
I found this so relatable. I couldn't wait to get away from where I grew up in Florida, US, becoming a flight attendant and barely making it home for holidays for 10 years. But somewhere along the way some nostalgia settled and now I see things differently when I go home. Like you mentioned, sometimes I am also jealous of the people who are content never leaving, but then I am also grateful for who I am and my love for learning about people around the world. I keep leaving with no regrets, but return to really appreciate the place through a different lens. Thanks for sharing and have an amazing time in your next 3 destinations!
I enjoyed reading this, Stina. Your humour is so contagious.😁
Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself. I am not very adventurous, but I understand what choosing different because you want different means. Also because sometimes you don't have much of a choice.
I like what you are doing in this phase, that you're enjoying it because that's what really matters.
Victoria 🩷 thanks so much for reading! Well that’s the thing right…sometimes it’s perhaps not what you feel is most exciting thing to do, but you know it’s the right thing. I already feel these months have changed me profoundly.
So many familiar sentiments here for me! Firstly, the desire to leave asap, haha. I left home at 17! At some point in my late 20s, when I had friends from around the world want to see Ireland, I realised how beautiful it is. But it wasn't until the last couple of years that I started to take an interest in my family heritage. Funny how these things play out at diferrent stages of life.
So relatable Stina, am sure so many wandering souls have this dance with their roots and places new, and how where you live shapes you. Beautiful photos too as ever.