The Season That Looks Different Everywhere

Ask ten people to picture summer, and you'll probably get ten completely different answers.

Some people picture long afternoons at the beach. Others think of hiking in the mountains, camping with friends, or sitting outside until the sun finally goes down. Someone in Australia might be thinking about winter instead. It all depends on where you are. Growing up internationally, that's something I've always found interesting. Summer isn't just a season, it's something every place experiences in its own way.

On the Swedish side of my family, summer has always been something people look forward to after months of cold weather and short days. The sun seems to stay up forever, people spend as much time outside as they can, and celebrations like Midsummer bring everyone together. There's a feeling that you should make the most of every hour of daylight because you know it won't last forever.

Dubai feels almost like the opposite. When summer arrives, the city doesn't stop, it adapts. People head out early in the morning before the heat builds or wait until the sun has gone down. Restaurants fill their outdoor terraces in the evening instead of the afternoon. Parks and walking paths become busiest at times of day when many other places are just starting to wind down. Even the architecture reflects the climate, with shaded walkways, courtyards, and buildings designed to keep people cool.

Neither way of living is strange once you've experienced it. They're both responses to the environment around them.

The more I've traveled, the more I've realized that this is true almost everywhere. Climate quietly shapes the way people live. It influences the food people grow, the clothes they wear, the holidays they celebrate, and even how communities spend time together. It's easy to think of culture as something separate from nature, but I don't think it is. In a lot of ways, they've grown side by side.

That's one reason I've become more interested in sustainability over the past few years. When people talk about protecting the environment, the conversation usually focuses on what we need to change. Those conversations are important, but I also think there's something we can learn by looking at how different communities have already adapted to the places they call home. Every region has developed traditions, routines, and ways of living that reflect its climate and landscape. There isn't one perfect solution that works everywhere, and I think that's an important reminder as we look toward the future.

One of my favorite parts of growing up internationally has been realizing that "normal" is a flexible idea. A Swedish summer and a Dubai summer couldn't feel more different, but both have their own traditions, rhythms, and reasons people love them.

I think that's what makes experiencing different cultures so rewarding. You stop expecting the world to fit one picture in your head, and instead you start appreciating the different ways people have learned to live with, and celebrate, the places they call home.