Stakes [Pull Up / Put Down]

overview

Most people never or very rarely travel far from home, other than for a vacation. (And for many, not even for that.) Fewer people still move far from home.

Of the people who move from their places of origin, the miniscule minority do so simply to experience living in another place. For most people who move from their native countries, external motivators compel them to shift locations, including the pursuit of educational and career opportunities, the need to escape issues at home, and to follow family.

Some of the people who move from their places of origin select their destination geography—yet most of the people who relocate do not have much choice. When people do have choices, many people prefer to make the minimum viable geographical and cultural relocations possible to achieve their objectives. The reasons for staying within reach of home have myriad sources as well, including the lower costs involved and the instinct to stay within comfort zones.

In English, we have numerous names for these people: The most common terms include “expat,” “refugee,” and “immigrant.” Other, more fashionable, terms include “digital nomad,” “location-independent,” and beyond.

The Project

Through a series of articles, photographs, videos, and audio statements, I want to explore the themes outlined above, particularly among people who have moved far from their places of origin—people who have relocated more than one border away from their home countries and who currently live far from their homelands. (By “border,” I mean country, state, or regional boundary.)

In this project, I want to understand why people move from their places of origin. I want to understand how these moves change their definitions of home. I want to understand how people who move far from their original homes define themselves—whether by country of origin, nationality, current country, ethnicity, or something else—and why. Further, I want to understand the experience of moving far from home, including the biggest surprises, the biggest self-discoveries, and the biggest realizations about this world we all share.

Catalyst & Context

I have lived abroad twice now, in countries more than one border away from my home country and for longer than a year at a stretch. Every time I move, I meet other people who have moved away from their countries of origin, whether because we all happen to attend the same functions and go to the same places to try to acclimate, or whether because a gravitational pull exists between people going through similar experiences.

As I’ve met other people who have moved far from home, I’ve had no end of interesting, insightful, and thought-provoking conversations. Everyone with whom I’ve spoken has significant differences from the others I’ve encountered, yet they all have similarities as well, and across all kinds of circumstances.

These people have shared insights and sparked thinking that have captured my imagination and deepened my curiosity about the world and the humans within it. These questions deserve further exploration and examination. And their responses deserve sharing with a broader audience than just me.

process & form

How you can help

To read the first entries in this brand-new project, click here.