Hello, I'm from Europe

The other day me and my friend Alicja (magnoliacelebrationinspain.tumblr.com) had to present ourselves to other students in a class and we felt quite puzzled by trying to find the best answer for a simple yet - at least for us – doubts-raising question: where are you from?

I never considered nationality problematic until I began my Erasmus year and heard this question a couple of times a day. So if you live all your life in one place there’s no room for dilemma but what if you’re spread out in two or – bloody hell! – three countries? Which one do you choose? Does ‘where from’ mean your nationality? Or where you’ve spent most of your life? Or where you live now? Or maybe where you feel most at home?

I lived in Poland for 18 years, in England – 3 years and in Germany – only every now and then for short periods of time, mainly just visiting. So technically I’m from Poland. Neverthelesss…. now (when I’m not on Erasmus – from England - in Spain) I live in the UK and chances are I will stay there after I’m done with the uni. I consider it my home more than any other place. Germany is funny – I never lived there permanently and my German leaves MUCH to be desired but - because my closest family moved there (and because I love Haribo) it became a part of my identity too.

So in the mentioned class we eventually decided to be from Poland and the moment I said it out loud a classmate turned round and gave me a very surprised look. He knew me as a student from British university - without the rest of the story.

I wish I could say we came to some satisfactory conclusion but no. We are Polish-born but we feel strong connection with Britain and we are Erasmus students from the UK. I guess what me, Alicja and people in similar doubt have left is to tick ‘citizen of the world’ box and fly around happily making the most of such complicated yet advantageous situation J

I know this post doesn’t have much to do with Barcelona but… it’s my blog so like it or piss off ;)