On Heartlands

This is something that I've wondered about for a long while.

I've been to a handful of countries in my short life. Some of them really made a lasting impression on me, some didn't. Also, there are some countries that I feel instinctively drawn to, whether I've been there or not.

It all started with Scotland. Maybe it was because I was told I had "royal Scottish blood" when I was little that first raised my interest in the land of my forebears. I now know that my royal lineage goes back to 700 years ago, ,and not much use to me now, ha ha! I'm not entirely convinced that there is such a thing as "royal Scottish blood" anyhow, as I think the real rulers of Scotland were the ancient chieftains, not the English aristocracy that moved in later :P

But I digress.

From when I was little, I wanted to go to Scotland. And when I got there, I felt like I was where I belonged. I felt a kinship with the island where my great-great-great grandmother had lived before her family emigrated to Upper Canada in 1845 (I even visited what was left of her home on the Isle of Skye!). Also The Isle of Lewis, where various other ancestors were clan chiefs. I fell in love with the people, the culture, and with the land itself.

I figured it made sense, as it was in my blood.

But if that's so, should I also feel a connection of some kind with a country that runs even stronger in my veins: Finland. My paternal grandmother was born there, making my ancestry a quarter Finnish.

But I don't. Oh, I'd like to visit someday, so see the country my grandmother was from...but I don't feel that invisible draw to go there as I did for Scotland.

Another example: I lived in Korea for a year. I really enjoyed it, but I never felt like I belonged. I visited Wales for a day, and decided that I'd happily move there.

It was a feeling, something deep inside. A tiny voice that whispered "You're home, you're meant to be here."

And for the strangest reason, one of the countries that I'm drawn to, for no good reason, it Hawaii. Not tropical resort, 10-day vacation with hotel and airfare Hawaii. Native, Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, country in it's own right Hawaii.

But why?

Was I there in a past life? Is it a sign that I should go there at some point in my current one? Is it just a matter of cultural appeal? Genetic throwback?

It seems that every time I visit a place that I connect with, I shortly discover another through book or film that seems to resonate with me .

I've accumulated such a list of countries that I have fallen in love with (as well as friends in all of them) that I don't know HOW I'm going to keep up with visitation rights! Ha ha ha!