Lantern Notes

Some collect souvenirs.

I collect places I call home: twelve towns in five countries so far, across two continents.

I spent half my childhood in the Americas, the other half in Europe. As an adult, I have made homes in four lands already, always staying long enough to settle in.

France in my twenties. Germany in my thirties. Austria now, in my forties. I might just add another in my fifties. And two more are still on my list. In between, I occasionally return to my homeland.

I’ll reveal them to you in time. But let’s not rush.

You might assume my partner’s work involves international moves, and that I simply follow along. That happened once, and we still hold those years close, thinking of them as the time we lived in Wonderland.

The other two countries?

One before our marriage, one during — I moved on my own. On my own budget, with my own strength.

And those adventures revealed something essential: who I truly am. They peeled back the layers, showing both my vulnerabilities and my grit. Through both struggle and joy, I’ve built a deeply personal sense of belonging. And more recently, I’ve found a quieter kind of peace: one that allows me to rest, and still grow.

How is this possible, amid so many changes? How do you keep your balance, your values, your voice, when you’re navigating entirely different systems and cultures?

Over the years, these questions have been my constant guests. I’ve welcomed them in, invited them to stay, and given them the floor for heated discussions.

And then, gradually — despite so many homes and moves — I’ve built a rhythm uniquely my own, one that makes life feel both grounded and open.

What have I learned? What helped me hold onto my integrity? And what, along the way, helped shape it?

I want to share that journey with you.

But fair warning: you’ll find some highlights here, and also the hard truths, the quiet doubts, and everything in between. I’ll offer stories from my life, filtered through reflection and paired with research, offering both story and sense.

So you can take whatever resonates and shape it into something of your own. Into a life that feels full, and well-lived.

Ready?

Grab a cozy drink. I’ll meet you in the next entry.

Until then,
Anna, the Lantern Keeper