The Places That Have Changed Our Lives

[HeyMarlana]

Have you ever traveled somewhere, and come home as a different person for the better? You loved how some things were structured so much so, that you wanted to incorporate them when you returned home?

This could be how you cook, how you decorate, or even how you treat yourself and others.

Where have you traveled that made such an impact on you that the things you do today are directly related to that experience?

[Davey944676]

To our static caravan, on a regular caravan site, as a kid, less than forty miles away from where we lived (which was quite a pleasant place anyway, thinking about it).

Hardly exotic, but it was "The Proper Countryside" to me!

[lrai]

Teaching English in China for the past 18 years, that has for sure changed my life in so many ways.

[John Little]

To our static caravan, on a regular caravan site, as a kid, less than forty miles away from where we lived (which was quite a pleasant place anyway, thinking about it).

Hardly exotic, but it was "The Proper Countryside" to me!

Actually, Davey, I was thinking about saying our caravan changed our lives. It's not a static van but it's stays here on the one site and has been here for over 20 years! I'm still in bed in the van typing this after a karaoke session in the club house last night. We have made a lot of friends here and lost a few, too, Funerals are always well attended. Sadly.

[HeyMarlana]

For me it was visiting places where the people practiced the joy of living. Where I'm from in Canada, there is a societal structure that we just accept in our day to day lives. How we do things. When to do them. What is considered "normal".

One is to enjoy lunch!
When I went to Switzerland, I realized that many people take some designated time to sit and enjoy some food, with the ability to hit pause on their work day. (I think many Europeans do this?) I know many Canadians and Americans can understand what I mean: expectations to eat on the go. When I came home, I incorporated this into my life. (One of my managers from Toronto was none-too-pleased that I started having lunch during my workday, expecting me—like everyone else—to work through it.)

[Another is pampering ourselves during mealtimes.
During my travels while in Switzerland and Germany, I noticed many everyday people enjoying the beautiful things they had on a daily basis. They used lovely dinnerware, washable serviettes, and to sit at a communal table with family/friends. Where I'm from, it's common to only use the good dinnerware for holidays, and use paper towels for napkins. Thanks to the influence from my German friends, who told me that it's okay to enjoy myself during every meal.

Transportation.
My time in Germany made me realize how much I overused my car, as many Canadians do. When I came home, I did purchase a bike, but it was not suitable. I kept it in the back of my mind to someday make a better purchase, and that did happen about 15 years later. Now, I feel so much more connected to my environment and feel more accessible to interacting with my community while on a bike. With the added fresh air and exercise, I feel so much more healthy and sleep better.

Lastly, if you feel like it, do it.
I'm going to credit California for this, where the laid-back attitude is definitely a thing. Whenever I visited my relatives in the Bay area, they never seemed stuck in doing things just because it was the weekend. If they felt like cracking open a bottle of champagne on a Monday, they did. The reason: "it's Monday". As one friend said to me, "Champagne is just wine, right?" Going to the beach after work, or having a barbecue at 10pm, or wearing a bikini even if you don't look "perfect" were all very Californian attitudes. I loved it. I would always come home, feeling refreshed and reminded not to feel so rigid in taking in such pleasures.

[Explorer]

Spending a year living in Berlin changed my life. It wasn’t just a change of address and language, it was a shift in perspective. Berlin isn’t the most beautiful city in Europe, sure, but it has something deeper. It’s a city that doesn’t pretend to be perfect, and maybe that’s what makes it so special. Living there opened my mind. I started seeing things differently. I met people from all over the world, each with their own story, their own truth. It taught me to listen more, to judge less, to appreciate diversity not just as a concept, but as a way of life. Berlin showed me that there’s more than one way to live, more than one way to be happy. It challenged me, inspired me, and in many ways, gave me the space I needed to grow.

I left the city with a suitcase full of memories and a heart full of gratitude. Berlin helped me become who I am.

Jetzt kann ich sagen... ich bin ein Berliner!

[HeyMarlana]

Berlin showed me that there’s more than one way to live...

I concur. In the heart of the city I knew someone who kept a dense garden in his backyard. This included an outdoor kitchen and shower. Even with neighbours eight metres away, he could take a shower and have complete privacy from the thick foliage purposely planted around the showering area. Being there was like visiting a druid, living in a grove. Meanwhile, the buzz of the city was just walking distance away.

[buho]

living away from home(for work) made me cook the same meals regularly that i avoided eating at home(made by my mom), going so far as to pretend being full, just because i realised cooking them was a bit easier.

just like a colombian's relationship with changua(or so have i seen in the memes).

[Basler Biker]

I have been to many places, but none too exotic, never too far away from an ATM on the corner of some street.
So no place has really changed my life... Maybe it's the fear to "be changed" by anything really, by a film, by a book, by occasional encounters...

So how abnormal is that - even more than duome.eu is (found by some) abnormal as a forum

That was - till I started working as a volunteer taxi-driver for handicapped people in my neighbourhood.
The world in which they have to live - that changed my life ... for the better, of course.

[willingly_]

for me, that place was Chile.

During my time in Chile, I found myself deeply inspired by the culture, the rhythm of life, and the way people truly value connection, nature, and simplicity. It wasn’t just a vacation — it was a transformative experience that reshaped how I see the world and how I live my daily life. One of the things that stayed with me was how meals were treated as an important time for family and friends to come together. Since coming home, I've made it a priority to slow down and be more intentional with my cooking and mealtimes, treating them as opportunities to connect and be present rather than rush through. I also admired the Chilean approach to nature. Surrounded by the Andes and the Pacific, it was impossible not to feel awe and respect for the environment. That respect has stayed with me — I’ve adopted more sustainable habits, and I make time to get outdoors regularly, just to appreciate the simple beauty around me. Most of all, the kindness and warmth of the people I met left a lasting impact. It reminded me of the power of being gracious, open, and patient — qualities I now try to bring into every interaction, both personally and professionally. You could check from this article about more Chile https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in ... guide-5558 this might help you to convince why Chile is one of my favorite place. Chile didn’t just give me memories — it gave me a new lens through which I see and live life.

[HeyMarlana]

for me, that place was Chile.... One of the things that stayed with me was how meals were treated as an important time for family and friends to come together. Since coming home, I've made it a priority to slow down and be more intentional with my cooking and mealtimes, treating them as opportunities to connect and be present rather than rush through.

I love this. It's interesting to me that people in other parts of the world don't need to be told this because they've been doing it all along. For some reason [in Canada] we've normalized it to just skip breakfast, or cram a piece of toast down (or even just eat it in the car on the way to work), eat through lunch (or eat while still sitting at your work-station), and then find dinner such a time-consuming problem that we opt for food in a bag or whatever comes in a box.

I also have slowed down to enjoy meals, and I find that when I do, people around me give me the impression that I'm inconveniencing them, or that I'm too lazy to just do something while eating.

[PtolemysXX]

I'll turn the subject matter by 180°. The places where I have lived definitely had a big impact on my habits and the way I see the world, yet even though I tried hard I could not quantify any of this. I lived in A, B, C, D - yet I could not say what exactly I took from those places. This is perhaps due to my lack of imagination or bad memory...

It is probably not that surprising that the place that left the most lasting habits in me is the city where I was born and where I spent the first 20 years of my life. These were times where private cars were scarce and public transport unreliable. Bicycles were expensive. Every day I walked a kilometer to my primary school and then walked back home on a dirt road (some people will now say: what? just 1km? - and of course there are millions of children who have to walk much further ).

This walking or using legs as means of transportation stayed with me until today even though my life has become much more comfortable. Every time I need to go somewhere my first thought is: "can I walk there?". If not: "can I ride a bike there or take public transport". It is just in the blood. Walking the recommended few thousand steps every day has never been an issue - I am grateful to my hometown for that .

[Basler Biker]

I'll turn the subject matter by 180°. ...
Every time I need to go somewhere my first thought is: "can I walk there?". If not: "can I ride a bike there or take public transport". It is just in the blood. Walking the recommended few thousand steps every day has never been an issue - I am grateful to my hometown for that .

If walking is a gentle conversation with the earth, then cycling is a love affair with the wind. There is no greater invention than the bicycle—simple, elegant, a simple machine that turns effort into flight.

When I climb a hill, legs burning, breath steady, it is not just struggle—it is the promise of reward. And then, the summit. The moment I stop pedaling, let my feet drift free, and surrender to gravity’s tender pull. The world rushes past, the wind rushing over my skin like a lover’s whisper, carrying away every weight, every worry, leaving only the pure thrill of motion.

This is freedom. This is joy. The bicycle does not just move me forward—it lets me fly.

---

Or in other words: If walking is good for a lot of things and reasons, I appreciate the bicycle probably most. It should be awarded the greatest invention ever, no? I prefer it over walking, because if I made it up a hill I can now relax, let my legs hang down and just let it roll downhill ... and the wind in my face will blow any bad thoughts and feelings far behind me.

PS: would you be willing to explain Rakousko (as in your profile) - I only found a wiki page written in Bairisch ... Interesting, but is that it? or is it something completely different? https://bar.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakousko

[PtolemysXX]

would you be willing to explain Rakousko (as in your profile) - I only found a wiki page written in Bairisch

Have a look here:

viewtopic.php?p=37965-you-use-a-differe ... why#p37965

Bavarians are most likely right:

In da Chronica Bohemorum (ummas Joa 1100) is de Schtod Raabs ois Castrum Racouc augfiad wuan.
In der Chronica Bohemorum (um das Jahr 1100) ist die Stadt Raabs als Castrum Racouc angeführt worden.

Vo de Tschechn homs de Soabn im Westn und de Slowakn im Ostn daun aa iwanumma.
Von den Tschechen haben es die Sorben [die Bewohner der heutigen Lausitz] im Westen und die Slowaken im Osten dann auch übernommen.

Nua bei de drei slawischn Vöka hoassn de Östareicha = Rakušane und Östareich = Rakousko. Iwasezt hoassts oafoch, de Raabsa, oda de Leid hinta da Schtod Raabs.
Nur bei den drei slawischen Völkern heißen die Österreicher = Rakušane und Österreich = Rakousko. Übersetzt heißt es einfach die Raabser, oder die Leute hinter der Stadt Raabs.

[Explorer]

@Basler Biker Riding a bike in the Netherlands is great. Everyone in Amsterdam is on a bike. In San Francisco though you'd better have quads like Lance Armstrong to get around.

[weerwater]

Teaching English in China for the past 18 years, that has for sure changed my life in so many ways.

I believe in immersion. China is great. But 18 years is a big piece of a lifetime! It must have been very demanding too.
Especially my China, Asia visits have convinced me that immersion in the major cultures of the East, should become obligatory.

In many European countries adolescents are obligated to join the military for a number of months. Lives change during that period. One has to function in an unknown, semi closed community. Many believe this period is essential, and I agree.

Immersion in unfamiliar cultures should be obligatory for young European citizens too. As it should be the other way around.
(And I do not exclude Russian or Persian culture from this. But I've not spent time there.)

Might be a year, or more. We need to grow.
As a public service too, just like the military.

[Basler Biker]

@Basler Biker Riding a bike in the Netherlands is great. Everyone in Amsterdam is on a bike. In San Francisco though you'd better have quads like Lance Armstrong to get around.

or do this - But this time I am quite disappointed about "the Norvegians" ... this "solution" is not for the leftfooted. Neither can be enjoyed by a group of cyclists (unless laughing when someone fails or falls)
And just by looking at it, I get cramps in my right leg.
And it's not a solution for going downhill when your brakes don"t work (well enough)

[lrai]

Weerwater:

I hadn't planned on spending so long in China, however once I began my teaching here I realized the impact I could make on young people. My legacy will be the young lives I have impacted and the effect of that impact on generations to come. I know that sounds rather puffed up in a way, but teachers change the world one student at a time, that is what I strongly believe. We can inspired or tear down, I choose to do the former. If you teach in China (anywhere in China) for any period of time you will truly understand what I am saying. I have watched nearly two generations of kids grow up; going from kindergarten to getting their MAs, and then jobs. It's the joy of a lifetime to be blessed as a teacher and see the fruits of your labors.

I totally agree that having young people "serve" should be mandatory but in the US it's not something that is done. It's seen more as a fall-back position by many. If you can't succeed or afford college then enlist and later the government will pay for your education. I am not opposed to this but I feel every young person needs at least one year either serving in the military or doing something like the Peace Corps or even Habitat for Humanity. Giving of oneself is something we need to encourage of young people so they will appreciate what they have and learn how little others have in comparison.

Every child in China once they go to High School does mandatory military training each year for 6 weeks, and even in the first year of college they must do it. It is why I think most of the youth here do show respect for country and their fellow citizens.

Just my opinion...

[Basler Biker]

our parents used to send their youngs to the Scouts to learn about some discipline, and learn to work (setup tents, build camps, cook, ...) and learn about "social mistakes" being corrected by the community.

5 years or so ago, I had the firebrigade order the closedown and demolition of the scouts "baraque" a bit further mid in the country side, because it was "unsafe" and only people there with loud music, alcohol, misbehaving, and probably drugs too. So they ordered the demolition. It's meanwhile being rebuilt as a stone pavillion with good sound isolation to "spare" the neighbourhoud from the loud parties ging on.

This is not quite the original aim of Robert Baden-Powell (1857–1941) for educating boys, and Agnes, his sister, aiming at the same for girls.