Readers respond: The country that moved me was…

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”

— Miriam Beard

“I left my heart in San Francisco…”

“We’ll always have Paris…”

“In my mind I’m goin’ to Carolina…”

If the above lyrics and quotes are anything to go by, travel can be a funny thing, can’t it? On one level, there is the bucket-list approach to seeing the world, the accumulation of stamps in our passport and sights we have seen. But on another level, there is something else happening–places infusing part of themselves forever into our minds and memories.

Just before heading home, I wrote about how India had truly moved me during my three months there. Traveling the country for longer than I normally spend in a place was like gently peeling away the delicate petals of a furled flower bud, slowly coming to a deeper understanding of not only India, but of myself as well. And as I looked back on my time there, I found my own thoughts leading me to ask another question:

What countries have moved you?

I was delighted when several responses reached my inbox…and now I’m excited to share them here. As we kick off 2012, I can’t think of a better way to look forward to another year of new places and adventures than by looking back on those that already mean so much to us:

Naomi — The Philippines

Naomi writes: “The country that really moved me was the Philippines. For whatever reason, everything came together there. I saw completely arresting nature, met a group of instant friends, chatted with a multitude of gregarious locals and had approximately a thousand-and-one unbelievable adventures. It left me reeling for a LONG time after!”

Read more of Naomi’s adventures on her blog, Anywhere but Home.

Emily — India

Emily writes: “I was amazed by the hospitality I received when I traveled to Goa, India, for a friend’s wedding.  I was welcomed into a colorful culture and a joyous celebration that I will never forget.”

See some of Emily’s beautiful paintings on her website, Out of the Indigo.

Natalie — Sri Lanka

Natalie writes: “This is Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, the one place that truly felt like home. Living in a little house in the village, I found myself adapting to the slow-paced way of life where a good night out is eating rice and curry with your hands at a friend’s house, and the average day consisted of a morning spent swimming in the sea, followed by an afternoon drinking tea on the verandah overlooking a thicket of banana and palm trees that stretch out as far as the eye can see. To top it off, at the end of each day I joined my Sri Lankan friends on the beach to watch the sunset – a thousand shades of pink and orange reflected on the smooth water like a mirror.”

Follow more of Natalie’s adventures on her blog, Girl and the World, and on Twitter @girlandtheworld.

Jen — France

Jen writes: “The country that has moved me most is my newly discovered home and native land. I’m not talking about the one of National Anthem fame – although Canada is also my homeland, but this time I speak of France. I first visited France in 1994 when I was 11 years old. The family took a bus tour of Europe and ended it with a week in France with my Mom’s cousins. Since learning to write I had been penpals with my cousin, who was a year older than me, but it was while we stayed with her and her family in their amazing house in the high French Alps that we formally founded out connection.

We remained in touch since, and our families continued to send Christmas gifts. In 2008 while I was miserable in Ireland, I decided to take advantage of my proximity to France and visit the family once more. This was my first trip – ever – on my own and I was nervous. I had not seen these people for 14 years and my French at the time was minimal. Two weeks seemed like a scary endeavour!

The visit started with a flight from Cork to Paris, where Mom’s cousin Alain had booked me into a hotel. It was the quintessential little room and I luxuriated in it for the night. I was tempted to relax on my own, but being in Paris I knew I couldn’t justify staying in the hotel room the whole time. I forced myself out of my comfort zone and went walking, and boy am I glad I did! It was that walk and the experiences that ensued that made me realize that I was in love with Paris…

…I’ve been back three times since moving to England in October 2010. Once at Christmas when I showed my friend around Paris and visited family, once when I met my Mom (and 48 other Canadian tourists in bright red coats) in Paris for a few days, and most recently in October when my family came to visit and I decided it was time for a family reunion.

I’m sure that by this point you recognize that I will continue to visit France – I affectionately refer to the country as ‘holding my heart’, and Paris is ‘my rejuvenation place.’ I’m sure I’m due for another visit soon, and I know another Francophile who would be very welcome to join me in a tour of my homeland… On that note, I will say ‘A toute a l’heure’ to all the France-lovers out there: my country is yours to explore!”

Thank you to everyone who sent in their stories! If there’s another place that has moved you, we’d love for you to share about it below.