If I Was Born In...
15 pieces · 1.4 hours of reading
If I Was Born in Japan: Harmony, Randoseru, and the Art of Ikigai
Imagine waking up in a quiet residential neighborhood in Kyoto or a high-rise apartment in Tokyo. Outside, the streets are spotless, and six-year-old children walk to school together in small groups without adult supervision, completely safe in a society built on mutual care. If you were born in Japan, your life would unfold in an island nation that seamlessly blends ancient Shinto and Buddhist traditions with cutting-edge technology, held together by a deep commitment to social harmony, public safety, and pride in daily craft. This piece offers a window into what it actually feels like to grow up, work, and live a normal day in Japan.
Quick read4 min02If I Was Born in Brazil: Warmth, Jeitinho, and the Joy of Community
Imagine waking up to the morning sun in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, or the bustling metropolis of São Paulo. Outside, the tropical air is warm, and the kitchen fills with the rich aroma of freshly brewed, sweetened black coffee—a Cafézinho. If you were born in Brazil, your life would unfold in the largest nation in South America and the fifth largest in the world: a vast, mega-biodiverse country formed by an incredible melting pot of Indigenous, African, Portuguese, and global immigrant heritages. It is a society defined by open-hearted warmth, musicality, deep family devotion, and a unique creative spirit for navigating life's hurdles. This piece offers a window into daily life in Brazil.
Quick read4 min03If I Was Born in Germany: Structure, Feierabend, and Quiet Efficiency
Imagine waking up in a well-insulated apartment in Berlin, Munich, or a quiet town along the Rhine. Outside, the morning is cool, public transit runs with quiet punctuality, and the courtyard features neatly organized, color-coded recycling bins for paper, glass, plastic, and organic waste. If you were born in Germany, your life would unfold in the most populous nation in the European Union and Europe's largest economy: a society shaped by a deep respect for order, craftsmanship, personal privacy, environmental stewardship, and a clear, healthy boundary between work and personal life. This piece offers a window into daily life in Germany.
Quick read4 min04If I Was Born in South Korea: Tech, Hagwons, and the Bond of Jeong
Imagine waking up in a high-rise apartment in Seoul or Busan, where floor heating (Ondol) warms your feet, digital keypad locks replace metal keys, and ultra-fast fiber-optic internet connects every room. In less than two generations, South Korea transformed itself from a war-devastated agricultural country into one of the world's most advanced technological and cultural powerhouses—giving the world Samsung, Hyundai, K-Pop, K-Dramas, and cutting-edge cinema. Yet beneath this sleek, hyper-modern exterior lies a society guided by ancient Confucian values of family devotion, intense academic drive, respect for elders, and a deep emotional bond known as Jeong. This piece offers a window into daily life in South Korea.
Quick read4 min05If I Was Born in Kenya: Harambee, M-Pesa, and the Spirit of the Rift Valley
Imagine waking up to the morning sun over the green hills of Nairobi or a village in the Great Rift Valley. Outside, the air is cool and fresh, and the kitchen fills with the fragrance of spiced milk tea—Chai. If you were born in Kenya, your life would unfold in East Africa's economic, financial, and technological hub: a vibrant, multilingual nation where ancient tribal traditions, world-class marathon runners, cutting-edge mobile tech, and an unshakeable community spirit (Harambee) shape every single day. This piece offers a window into daily life in Kenya.
Quick read4 min06If I Was Born in France: La Laïcité, Baguettes, and the Art of Deconnexion
Imagine waking up in a Haussmannian apartment in Paris, a townhouse in Lyon, or a stone house in a Provence village. Below your window, the street comes alive as the local Boulangerie opens its doors, filling the morning air with the intoxicating aroma of freshly baked bread. If you were born in France, your life would unfold in L'Hexagone—a nation celebrated worldwide for its intellectual traditions, secular civic model, culinary mastery, 35-hour workweek, and an unshakeable belief that life is meant to be savored (Art de Vivre). This piece offers a window into daily life in France.
Read5 min07If I Was Born in Mexico: Family, Tacos, and the Living Memory of Ancestors
Imagine waking up in a colorful neighborhood in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Oaxaca, or a quiet Pueblo Mágico in Michoacán. From the street below, the rhythmic clack of the neighborhood Tortillería echoes as fresh corn tortillas roll off the press, and the kitchen fills with the warm aroma of Café de Olla brewed with cinnamon and unrefined cane sugar (Piloncillo). If you were born in Mexico, your life would unfold in the most populous Spanish-speaking nation in the world—a vibrant mestizo civilization where ancient Aztec, Maya, and Zapotec roots blend seamlessly with Spanish colonial heritage, held together by boundless warmth, humor, and deep devotion to family and community. This piece offers a window into daily life in Mexico.
Quick read4 min08If I Was Born in Australia: Mateship, Surf Culture, and the Great Outdoors
Imagine waking up to the distinctive laughing call of a kookaburra in a coastal suburb of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or Perth. Outside, the eucalyptus-scented morning air is bright and warm, and the ocean is just a short drive or walk away. If you were born in Australia, your life would unfold on the world's oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent: a vast, sun-drenched island nation shaped by more than 65,000 years of Indigenous First Nations heritage, a relaxed egalitarian culture, world-class coffee, and a deep-seated love for the outdoors. This piece offers a window into daily life "Down Under."
Quick read4 min09If I Was Born in Canada: Multiculturalism, Ice Hockey, and the Culture of Care
Imagine waking up in a home in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, or a mountain town in the Canadian Rockies. Outside, crisp winter air brushes against snow-dusted pine trees, or summer brings warm, endless daylight over crystal-clear glacial lakes. If you were born in Canada, your life would unfold in the second-largest country on Earth by total area: a vast, peaceful nation defined by official bilingualism, universal public healthcare, a deep civic commitment to multicultural diversity, and a passionate love for ice hockey and the great outdoors. This piece offers a window into daily life in Canada.
Read5 min10If I Was Born in Saudi Arabia: Gahwa, Generosity, and a Nation in Transformation
Imagine waking up in Riyadh, Jeddah, or the historic city of Medina. Outside, the desert sun warms palm-lined avenues and limestone architecture, while the morning air fills with the fragrant aroma of green coffee brewed with cardamom and cloves. If you were born in Saudi Arabia, your life would unfold in the cradle of Islam and the heart of the Arabian Peninsula: a nation undergoing rapid, historic social and economic transformation while preserving deep-rooted Bedouin traditions of hospitality, family honor, and faith. This piece offers a window into daily life in Saudi Arabia.
Quick read4 min11If I Was Born in India: Tiffin Boxes, Board Exams, and the Joint Family
A window into daily life in the world's most populous country: crowded kitchens and crowded trains, a school system built around two big exams, and a family that rarely leaves you alone.
ReadInteractive9 min12If I Was Born in Nigeria: Jollof, the Service Year, and the Naija Hustle
A window into daily life in Africa's most populous country: five hundred languages, a school system that runs on two big exams, very loud parties and a national habit of getting things done anyway.
ReadInteractive8 min13If I Was Born in Vietnam: Motorbikes, Phở, and the Ancestor Altar
A window into daily life in a long, narrow country of a hundred million people: breakfast on a plastic stool, a school year that opens with a ceremony, and a family that includes the dead.
ReadInteractive8 min14If I Was Born in Italy: Nonni, the Bell Tower, and Lunch at One
A window into daily life in one of the oldest societies on Earth: grandparents as the childcare system, a coffee drunk standing up, a town you never stop defending, and a family table that rarely empties.
ReadInteractive7 min15If I Was Born in Peru: Ceviche, Quechua, and Life at 3,400 Metres
A window into daily life in a country that is really three countries in one: a desert coast, the high Andes and the Amazon, held together by a shared table, an ancient sense of reciprocity and a very compulsory vote.
ReadInteractive7 min