I think something that people often leave out regarding this topic is that community is always in a state of flux, it's never static. This is especially true when living abroad because it is, at its core, a very transient lifestyle that doesn't truly promise stability and consistency in terms of your social settings and surroundings (or almost anything for that matter). If you befriend a lot of internationals, you can bet that at least some of them will end up moving to another city or country sooner or later. It's important to connect with locals on a genuine level, to understand their experience there, because chances are it will be so different from yours. Moreover, the energetic component that a location carries for you could also play a huge role in finding community and feeling immersed and integrated. I wrote about that in this article: https://practicalastrology.substack.com/p/the-astrocartography-edit-mapping
Totally right about the community always shifting if your focused on the international community rather than locals. Part of what I'm planning to talk about in next week's on the expat bubble but certainly worth mentioning here as well!
What you said is what I love about Sarajevo: community in ever day life is the barista and market lady and butcher knowing your name. Those small daily interactions make you feel so much more connected to the place you live 🤗
I'm definitely in Kat's 'less is more' camp. And being an independent free spirit, probably to a fault, the word 'community' can give me a sense of dread. Evoking fears of entrapment, expectation, forced commitment and erosion of personal freedom. All the things that have kept me on the move all these years lol.
My favourite 'communities' are those that come together for a while, fizz, then dispel, sometimes in a matter of hours. Like when you're travelling. Those that let you connect with people briefly, with zero agenda or commitment and the high likelihood of never seeing them again. Oh, the secrets you can share, the deep conversations you can have, the laughs, the shared wisdom, over a bottle of wine! No judgment, no cold light of day wishing you hadn't said x. These, to me, are the perfect friendships and communities.
I think something that people often leave out regarding this topic is that community is always in a state of flux, it's never static. This is especially true when living abroad because it is, at its core, a very transient lifestyle that doesn't truly promise stability and consistency in terms of your social settings and surroundings (or almost anything for that matter). If you befriend a lot of internationals, you can bet that at least some of them will end up moving to another city or country sooner or later. It's important to connect with locals on a genuine level, to understand their experience there, because chances are it will be so different from yours. Moreover, the energetic component that a location carries for you could also play a huge role in finding community and feeling immersed and integrated. I wrote about that in this article: https://practicalastrology.substack.com/p/the-astrocartography-edit-mapping
Totally right about the community always shifting if your focused on the international community rather than locals. Part of what I'm planning to talk about in next week's on the expat bubble but certainly worth mentioning here as well!
What you said is what I love about Sarajevo: community in ever day life is the barista and market lady and butcher knowing your name. Those small daily interactions make you feel so much more connected to the place you live 🤗
Really make such a big difference for me too!
I'm definitely in Kat's 'less is more' camp. And being an independent free spirit, probably to a fault, the word 'community' can give me a sense of dread. Evoking fears of entrapment, expectation, forced commitment and erosion of personal freedom. All the things that have kept me on the move all these years lol.
My favourite 'communities' are those that come together for a while, fizz, then dispel, sometimes in a matter of hours. Like when you're travelling. Those that let you connect with people briefly, with zero agenda or commitment and the high likelihood of never seeing them again. Oh, the secrets you can share, the deep conversations you can have, the laughs, the shared wisdom, over a bottle of wine! No judgment, no cold light of day wishing you hadn't said x. These, to me, are the perfect friendships and communities.
That's an interesting take on it! But I do totally understand that viewpoint and love that there's even more definitions of the word.