How much should we adapt to, and how much should we remain loyal and the same, to where we come from? This last decade, the world seems to have opened up greatly for more people moving to work or study elsewhere. We also have a growing influx of refugees in the world, that might even increase, because of the changes that comes with a more diverse migration. In one way, we might be importing and trying new types of products, styles and foods. In another way, hostility and a strive to remain conservative might also grow. Both can in turn, create more movement. One of the most common examples, is the boom of pizzerias that became the result of many people’s travels to Italy and/or Italians moving 50 years ago. And we all know, nobody opposes this. But, it took time and there was an adaptability that fit within the Western world.

One of the things that I brought with me from Hawaii, was a sense of more lived out femininity, such as wearing more dresses and putting a flower behind my ear. As soon as the summer arrives in Sweden, I like to do this here too, now and then. It reconnects me with my positive experiences having lived in Hawaii that works to incorporate here. The problem, however, arises when it’s our ways of behavior that changes, that others might notice and not agree with, less understand without being able to relate to themselves. What is it then that drives our wish to change? To me, it’s always a matter of using what makes me feel better. This includes both physically and literally, as well as mentally, emotionally and spiritually, such as finding a greater ability to empathize, a more mature relation to faith, better confidence, and assume a broader perspective on society. Add thereto, improved language skills, a heightened sensitivity to the subtler variations of cultural communication, and the mere knowing of how things are handled elsewhere. It enables me to detach from the drama in Sweden, while I’m growing into who I am, more as I also reconnect with more understanding of my own family’s past, coming from various countries in Europe.

So, how much should we adapt to and integrate? What should we bring with us into our new city and what should we take with us back? Perhaps, this is the ultimate discussion of sustainability and how we should shape the future. What do you think? What is your experiences and what have you learned after your time abroad, or after living with an immigrant?