A Foreign Mind
Being foreign in a country can be exhilarating because of how different the perception of a new country is to foreigners versus how it actually is to those who have lived there their whole lives. While experiencing foreignness in traveling you will also feel scared and curious of this new place, which will motivate you to go around all the new corners of this mysterious place that lies in your mind.
“This is the point of the foreign. We don’t travel halfway across the world to find the same things we could have seen at home. Those who undertake long and dangerous journeys have every incentive in stressing their discovery of a world far better than the one they left behind.” -Pico Iyer
Because of Iyers experiences throughout his years, he now feels a foreign in any country he steps a foot in. This can be a scary thought for many because of the fact that you won’t belong to a specific group of individuals, but instead foreignness is something we should all try to achieve. If we think about it everyone’s mind and experiences are foreign to the rest of the world, no matter where you stand.
“It’s a blessing to be a foreigner everywhere, detached and able to see the fun in things.” -Iyer
3 replies on “Sept 11th – Encomium”
I really like the blocking in your post – it makes it really digestible. I also appreciate how playful and lighthearted your approach to iyer’s essay is. Your post, like his, was fun to read. Especially like the quotes you brought in.
Natalia, I really liked your post about Pico Iyers experience on feeling foreign in a place that you should belong in, it was straight to the point and really easy to read which I liked a lot. I guess something to ponder when Iyer be says that its a “blessing to be a foreigner”, is how did he figure this out, and what was the event leading him to being comfortable with this.
I enjoy your thoughts on being foreign as a mindset. I never thought about it the way you explained here and it makes so much sense! I think it’s such an important point to make that we don’t need to be apart of a group and find somewhere we belong but there is a sense of belonging wherever we look as long as we try. I enjoy how organized your post is and the way it is structured, I’m going to start doing mine like you have done yours.