There’s no place like home. Sometimes, though, you don’t know til you go. Sometimes, when I read an essay written by almost wannabe expats I cannot help but think they are off their (porch) rocker. America is so beautiful and great place to live.
I get why people from worse countries would want to go there for any shot at a better life. But Americans who want to go there are a bunch of hedonists.
Thank you for writing this. I believe the new frontier is to reclaim our lands, our rural places, and make them part of us. Travel is fine and all. I don’t have any opinion on Dubai other than it’s not North Country where I will live and die and I don’t have time or room in my life to care about a far flung place—especially when I need to nurture my love and commitment to the place I live.
Great piece. I’m someone stuck on the other side who seemingly can’t go back. The small midwestern town I grew up in has been absorbed into the adjacent big city and gentrified and urbanized into unrecognition. It’s not just me, my whole family and the friends I grew up with have also left, so there’s also nobody to return to that I know. Then during my high flying education I met my wife who has no commitment to anywhere in the US and very different ties that will almost certainly keep me from returning to the Midwest, if I prioritize love as I think I should.
I studied my family tree a few years back and didn’t find much long term stability of place, after my ancestors left England and Switzerland and France and Poland(before which there seemed plenty of stability). Rarely more than 4 generations in a place since arriving in the US.
All I’m left with is trying to live out the faith that has been passed down to me from my family as best I can, and trying to find what ways I can to make a positive difference to whatever place I live. Finding a place we can stay and love from scratch, I’d say is pretty difficult.
I do wish views like yours had broader purchase in our culture for young people. Most would do well to weigh these things before making big life decisions.
Agree with your assessment of the emirates. The presence and nature of guest workers always makes me uneasy when I’m there. And the corresponding sense of entitlement some of the local Arabs have doesn’t seem to be doing anything good for their souls. We may have to live in the region for a time in the near future, we’ll definitely prefer Muscat in Oman if we do, as it has something closer to a rooted people and a real culture, and most of the locals are kind, at least on the surface, and are more family oriented. But still same issue of guest workers. And yes definitely a very very different culture with very different values. And the truth is you’ll never really be accepted unless you Arabize yourself and adopt the local dominant form of Islam, and probably not 100% even then.
Peter Kreeft was on to something when he said that if Christianity is a religion with all flesh and no spine, then Islam is a religion with all spine and no flesh.
Just pick a place that needs you. I watched my hometown be hollowed out by upwardly mobile consumerist culture, and left for the most real place I could find. Sometimes our homes leave us.
I have been going back and forth on this concept for many months now. I’m from New Zealand, but the call to go to Australia or Europe has always been a goal. Recently however I’ve felt the need to be here for my home country. Is it worth even doing something like backpacking or working overseas before returning?
I've been to Dubai many times, because its a major air hub for flights in the region. and found it as vacuous as living on a cruise ship. The economy rests on the shoulders of foreign workers who live in conditions little better than slavery. At the same time, tourists go mall shopping and indoor ice skating. At nights, prostitutes from around the world ply their trade openly. Russians, Chinese, and young women from the Philippines openly solicit, but one must ask how many of those young women are there by choice. It's like a Southern Baptist version of Los Vegas. Many mosques, much piety, and many blind eyes turned away from the misery and suffering that goes on just beneath the surface.
This is why when I hear supposed devout Christians sing its praises I am utterly confused.
One of your best. From the heart common sense!
I can hardly believe it needs to be said.
I’ve had this same conversation about New York City more times that I can count… when people say “you just don’t get it”, I agree with them.
At least some people are from New York. They have roots there. There is history. What people think of as Dubai is younger than I am.
There’s no place like home. Sometimes, though, you don’t know til you go. Sometimes, when I read an essay written by almost wannabe expats I cannot help but think they are off their (porch) rocker. America is so beautiful and great place to live.
I get why people from worse countries would want to go there for any shot at a better life. But Americans who want to go there are a bunch of hedonists.
Thank you for writing this. I believe the new frontier is to reclaim our lands, our rural places, and make them part of us. Travel is fine and all. I don’t have any opinion on Dubai other than it’s not North Country where I will live and die and I don’t have time or room in my life to care about a far flung place—especially when I need to nurture my love and commitment to the place I live.
I have written before that the next great land rush has already started and it is in small town America.
Yup. What you said.
Great piece. I’m someone stuck on the other side who seemingly can’t go back. The small midwestern town I grew up in has been absorbed into the adjacent big city and gentrified and urbanized into unrecognition. It’s not just me, my whole family and the friends I grew up with have also left, so there’s also nobody to return to that I know. Then during my high flying education I met my wife who has no commitment to anywhere in the US and very different ties that will almost certainly keep me from returning to the Midwest, if I prioritize love as I think I should.
I studied my family tree a few years back and didn’t find much long term stability of place, after my ancestors left England and Switzerland and France and Poland(before which there seemed plenty of stability). Rarely more than 4 generations in a place since arriving in the US.
All I’m left with is trying to live out the faith that has been passed down to me from my family as best I can, and trying to find what ways I can to make a positive difference to whatever place I live. Finding a place we can stay and love from scratch, I’d say is pretty difficult.
I do wish views like yours had broader purchase in our culture for young people. Most would do well to weigh these things before making big life decisions.
Agree with your assessment of the emirates. The presence and nature of guest workers always makes me uneasy when I’m there. And the corresponding sense of entitlement some of the local Arabs have doesn’t seem to be doing anything good for their souls. We may have to live in the region for a time in the near future, we’ll definitely prefer Muscat in Oman if we do, as it has something closer to a rooted people and a real culture, and most of the locals are kind, at least on the surface, and are more family oriented. But still same issue of guest workers. And yes definitely a very very different culture with very different values. And the truth is you’ll never really be accepted unless you Arabize yourself and adopt the local dominant form of Islam, and probably not 100% even then.
Peter Kreeft was on to something when he said that if Christianity is a religion with all flesh and no spine, then Islam is a religion with all spine and no flesh.
Just pick a place that needs you. I watched my hometown be hollowed out by upwardly mobile consumerist culture, and left for the most real place I could find. Sometimes our homes leave us.
I have been going back and forth on this concept for many months now. I’m from New Zealand, but the call to go to Australia or Europe has always been a goal. Recently however I’ve felt the need to be here for my home country. Is it worth even doing something like backpacking or working overseas before returning?
Visiting other places is good if it helps you to appreciate coming back home.
I've been to Dubai many times, because its a major air hub for flights in the region. and found it as vacuous as living on a cruise ship. The economy rests on the shoulders of foreign workers who live in conditions little better than slavery. At the same time, tourists go mall shopping and indoor ice skating. At nights, prostitutes from around the world ply their trade openly. Russians, Chinese, and young women from the Philippines openly solicit, but one must ask how many of those young women are there by choice. It's like a Southern Baptist version of Los Vegas. Many mosques, much piety, and many blind eyes turned away from the misery and suffering that goes on just beneath the surface.
Your words hit home. As a Middle East expat for a quarter century who moved back to small town America I can relate to your words in ways most cannot.
What would you do differently?
Absolutely nothing! Your reply made me re-read my comment and notice my grammar was not on point.
Preach it.
Just saying what we all should be thinking.
Great
I am glad you liked it.