Eight Countries, Five Continents, and the Meaning of Home

Growing up across borders, discovering different cultures, and finding pieces of home around the world.

Where is home when you've lived in so many different places?

It's a question I've sometimes struggled to answer. I was born in Belgium, I'm Turkish, I spent much of my childhood moving between countries, went to university in Canada, and most recently completed my master's degree in the Netherlands.

Growing up in a diplomatic family meant that moving countries was a fairly normal part of my life. New schools, new languages, new friends, and new surroundings became familiar experiences. But that didn't necessarily make saying goodbye any easier.

Over the years, I've lived in eight countries across five continents: Türkiye, Canada, Portugal, Senegal, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Brazil.

Each place has played a different role in my life.

Türkiye has always been an important part of my identity and where I've spent the most time. Canada became a place of education, independence, and personal growth. Portugal, Senegal, and France were part of my formative years, introducing me to different ways of living and seeing the world.

More recently, the Netherlands became another meaningful chapter, where I pursued my master's degree at Maastricht University, met people from different backgrounds, and continued exploring my interests in technology, culture, and society.

Beyond the countries I've called home, I've also been fortunate enough to travel to other places, including Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Northern Cyprus.

What I find most interesting about travelling isn't necessarily the number of countries I've visited. It's the opportunity to see how differently people can live, think, communicate, and understand the world.

Living internationally has also made me more conscious of the differences in opportunities, social norms, and everyday experiences between societies. It's probably one of the reasons I became interested in economics, international development, and later digital cultures.

Of course, there are challenges to growing up between countries. Friendships can become long-distance, familiar places change, and the question of belonging isn't always straightforward.

But I've also come to appreciate that home doesn't necessarily have to be one place.

Sometimes it's a city, sometimes it's a group of friends, sometimes it's a language, and sometimes it's simply being somewhere you feel comfortable being yourself.

I don't know exactly where I'll settle in the future. But I hope to keep discovering new places, meeting people, and learning from perspectives different from my own.

Perhaps home is not just where we come from, but also the connections we build along the way. 🌍

🌍 Countries I've Lived In

Total: 8 countries across 5 continents.

✈️ Additional Places I've Visited

1. 🇬🇷 Greece
2. 🇺🇸 United States
3. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
4. 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
5. 🇩🇪 Germany
6. 🇨🇾 Northern Cyprus