A childhood on the move

I was born to parents who were not French. From an early age, our family life revolved around departures: we were constantly travelling, so much so that suitcases were almost part of the furniture.

Three years in the United States

Among those stages were three years in the United States. For a child, that is an eternity and a school in its own right: another language to tame, other customs, another way of presenting oneself to others. You quickly learn that what seems obvious at home is not so elsewhere.

Almost every country in the world

This taste for departure has never left me. I have since visited almost every country in the world. I take no particular pride in it; above all, I have kept a habit from it: arriving somewhere by observing before judging, and accepting to be, for a while, the one who does not understand everything.

What travel teaches

Travelling a great deal means learning patience, listening and a certain humility. It also means understanding that every language is a door, and that stepping through it requires respect for those who live on the other side. These childhood lessons still guide the way I work and exchange with people from all over the world.

— Jean Cardelli