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189 points orkohunter | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.394s | source
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keiferski ◴[] No.42192275[source]
A lot of people that have moved abroad focus on how supposedly terrible the place they came from is, but I think one of the most underrated aspects is that you think more about your origin country and what it means to be an American/Frenchman/etc. - more than you normally would, had you never left. There’s something about being outside of a thing that makes you consider it more, and see it more insightfully.

That is also probably why Fitzgerald wrote Gatsby while abroad in France. To me Gatsby is pretty much the quintessential American identity novel, and having been an American living in France (in the past, not currently), I feel like I understand the novel and “what it means to be American” more.

replies(1): >>42193547 #
1. poszlem ◴[] No.42193547[source]
This is absolutely true. There is a Polish-Danish singer who moved to Denmark when he was 5 years old. He returned to Poland at the age of 28 and created a song called "I hate you Poland" that explains this very concept. I'm not sure how well the lyrics would translate, but they address this issue ("here" means abroad, "there" refers to Poland):

I hate you, Poland

I can't help it

I hate you, Poland

Because you have power over me

I count long months

I don't know how many in total

I'd like to return, but I can't

Because I can't love you

There, I was annoyed by stupidity

Poverty and misery, young and old

Here, I'm annoyed that I have everything

I could ever wish for

Maybe someday those will understand

Who left the country long ago

That there, poverty is real

And wealth here is just pretend

I'll tell you if I dare

Because it's a very silly topic

There, Sunday mass irritated me

Here, I'm annoyed that there isn't one

Here, pedants annoy me

There, slobs annoyed me

Everything got mixed up

And I don't know what I... feel!

I hate you, Poland

I can't help it

I hate you, Poland

Because you have power over me

I count long months

I don't know how many in total

I'd like to return, but I can't

Because I can't love you

I resent your heritage

Still alive within me

Because you are primitive

And I am a primitive

Someone wanted this

Someone had this in mind

There, I became a degenerate

Here, I'm becoming a patriot!

I noticed the same thing, the more I live abroad the more I love my home country. Then when I come back I hate and resent it again and miss my home abroad.