Integration through creating

My husband is nomadic!

He (like I), was born and grew up in South Africa. He in coastal Port Elizabeth, me in "tThe big smoke" Johannesburg. But maybe due to his Dutch mom taking him to visit the family in Holland over the years, maybe his taste of living abroad just before we met in South Africa; I'm not totally sure of the reason, but, he's nomadic.

So after spending all my life in and around Johannesburg, just shy of a year after marrying, I found myself excited to be moving with him to Berlin, Germany for him to accept a fantastic promotion!

I was excited, but also slightly nervous, especially as the only German phrases I knew were "I love you", "farewell" (thank you The Sound of Music), and "goodnight, sleep well!". And I knew I wouldn't be working, so how to meet people, make friends, and make a new place feel like home?

I will have to admit I'm naturally curious about people, and enjoy meeting up with new people without any anxiety, so that did help. But the biggest help by far came in the form of my love of crafting and creating!

I come from a line of artistic people, my gran sewed, knitted, crocheted, baked and could get any plant to thrive in her beautiful scent garden, my mum is a botanical watercolourist, but equally good in oils, pastels, pencil and charcoal, she's never met a recipe she can't improve on, her garden is the envy of the neighbourhood, she's able to strum a tune on her guitar by ear, and sang in a choir for many years (the musical talents end with her!!).

So, when I suddenly had tons of free time, living in a brand new country, I turned to my craftingind my feet. I joined crafting groups and eventually taught sewing classes through the Berlin International Women's Club, making a wonderful circle of friends in the process.

Buying fabric at the most glorious store in Berlin, I met my wonderful friend Linda, who unlike most Berliners was happy to speak to me in German, allowing me to practice and improve. I found out after three months of friendly chats (at least bi-weekly), that's because she was a native English speaker from Upstate New York! With perfect German and the grace to let me learn.

My love of crafting and specifically sewing had made me feel welcome in a brand new place, given me the opportunity to share my love for creating, and had, finally, brought me home on a new continent.

Seven years later crafting was again my saving grace when we moved to the UK and I knew exactly how to find my tribe, form my circle of support and find my feet in a new place. The four years we spent there were wonderful and filled with crafting adventures. The friends I made through a shared love of craft are the ones I visit when we travel back to the UK from our new home in California USA where I've lived and created for just over three years now. Of course I met my friends, found my circle, and made a new city home once again through creating.

Taking zen tangle classes; having a wonderful group of fellow watercolour enthusiasts that meet up at least monthly; improving my bra making at a four day bra making conference; art journaling and mixed media in person classes and online, created a good excuse to visit new cities in the USA and of course sharing my absolute passion for free motion machine drawing - using your sewing machine to draw and colour in - as you'll see in my foxy portrait photo attached.

So, while this essay was supposed to be about one specific craft I love, I just couldn't limit it. I have met people I may never have otherwise met; I've taught incarcerated women the useful skill of sewing while working with a charity in the UK, I've taught women and girls at risk through Albinism or poverty in Tanzania to sew bags they could sell at the tourist market, and traveled to Spain to take part in a week long free motion class.

The doors creating can open can not be imagined. And the mental peace creating has provided during covid, unable to visit my family abroad, cannot be understated.

I've not only created my happiness, but also my home. Start writing...