Artist/writer Doug Coupland in his book 'Generation X describes a condition called 'terminal wanderlust'. The founder of the 'Lonely Planet' guidebooks Tony Wheeler picks up on it and feels he is probably "infected" by it.
It is a state of being, where one is disconnected to any place in the world and everywhere is home. No deep attachements to one place, happy in any place. That sounded familiar and explained a lot of things about me. But it also triggerred an avalanche of thoughts.
Am I a terminal wanderluster? I grew up in India, have lived out of it for 7 years in two countries,travelled many more and would be perfectly happy hopping around destinations, if I could.Even as a kid I was never in one place for long. I grew up in various parts of India never really anchoring in one place.
My husband on the other hand, was born, grew up, played street cricket , went to college, had his first crush - all the above in one city,one area. He moved out of the city only when he was thirty five and fully grounded. His memories have a shape - during our yearly visits to Mumbai he can see the lanes he walked and played in, meet neighbours who watched him grow and grew with him, relive all his memories 'on location'! Sites of my childhood games are scattered , lost forever, existing only as memory bytes inside my brain. In India I have no place that I can stake my claim on as truly 'my territory' (though my parents home is now 'home'). And living overseas - I was happy in Singapore, equally gung ho in Tokyo.Tomorrow Bulgaria? Why not.
If that makes me a tramp, a vagabond so be it. I like the liberating feeling of 'being happy' in any place and not having to invest too much emotional energy into one place. Always being an 'outsider' (ah the freedom) , never getting flustered at the thought of uprooting..
But is it that simple? The scale has changed today. We are moving whole countries and cultures. In these times the definition of 'roots' has become more thorny. When living abroad there have been moments when I have had to answer, even if to myself, the question of my 'roots' or 'home'. I am lucky - the answer comes easy to me.I feel firmly rooted in India no matter where I wander in the world. I carry with me that vital piece of my being that will be with me forever. Ergo I am a 'wanderlsuter' with roots. A tramp with a home.
But what about my sons? They have grown most of their lives till now, abroad - Singapore, now Tokyo. They remember little of their early years of living in India , visit India every year on whirlwind romantic visits that leave them spinning and happy, but little else (I presume). They have seen foreign cultures upclose yet never assimilated into them. If we continue moving country to country for the rest of their growing up years are we raising true wanderlusters? Will my children grow up vaguely feeling Indian but not quite having any concrete associations with the country ? Is that good or bad?
Being called 'Third Culture Kids' (TCK) is all fine as a New Age tag but are we only making it more difficult for them to answer that question in later years of 'where is home for you'? Are we depriving them the rock solid feeling of belonging to a place called 'home' which is so needed in moments of self doubt and confusion? I guess some questions just dont have clear 'yes/no' answers.
Anyone?
