“Nowhere Man” by Pico Iyer

“Nowhere Man” by Pico Iyer talks about how being a transit lounger has it’s ups and downs. Packing and waiting for your next plane as soon as you’re about ready to just sit down and rest. From sleeping in airports to eating almost all of your meals off of plastic plates. I could relate to Iyer to some level but fully. Being a visitor in your home is never a good feeling to experience but seeing the world through your eyes is such a blessing as well.

I thought that nationalism was the only thing that created “monsters” but after reading this piece, I believe that both nationalism and internationalism create “monsters”. Themes that I picked up while reading this piece were - independence, nationalism, internationalism, lack for sense of home, family and comfort, discovery, self-discovery, exhaustion, loneliness, confusion.

I really enjoyed a lot of the sentences that Iyer wrote but one that really caught my attention was, “We pass through countries as through revolving doors, resident aliens of the world, impermanent residents of nowhere”.

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This sentence really caught my attention because not only were these words put together very well but they also have a deeper meaning behind them. To me, this sentence means that they were always in a hurry to get from country to the other in time and all though they were always traveling, they never had the true meaning of a “home” but yet had a house wherever they traveled to. When Iyer said, “We are visitors in our home” - it really hit home because whenever I go over to my dads house, I feel like such a visitor although I’m suppose to feel like it’s my second home because it’s my dads house.

I’m not sure what he felt when he wrote it but when I write it or talk about, I feel empty as though something is missing.

Personally, I would have a love/hate relationship if I were a transit lounger, not knowing where home is. I would love it because I get to travel the world, discover new cities and meet new people but I would hate it because I would most likely constantly get asked where I live and I would hate to say “I don’t actually have a home but I’m going to Madrid next!”. If I didn't have a home, I would probably lose my sense of family and comfort. I wouldn't know where I could go back to when I get tired of traveling, once I’m overwhelmed with seeing new cities and meeting new people. But it would also help me build a sense of independence and I would have an exciting lifestyle. Being a transit lounger sure does have it’s deep cons and pros.

Two questions:

- If he wasn't a transit lounger, would he still be the same person he is today? Would he be as independent as he is today?
- Did any of the other students relate to Iyer when he mentioned “”We are visitors even in our home”?