12 Blum Inspirations "Whi le i n the USA, we real ised that people have d i f ferent values and pr ior it ies depend i ng on where they come f rom." Nadine Röck, Sales Coordinator and Pascal Röck Project Manager Sales, Blum Austr ia home for themselves that, for example, fits in with their job, are for tunate. A home away from home Blum employees who have found a new work-related home far from their place of bir th and countr y of or igin – or have returned to them – will confirm this. Such as Nadine and Pascal Röck. "We consider both Vorar lberg in Austr ia and Nor th Carolina in the USA as home. We lived in both places for a long time and feel a strong connection to both. The dilemma for us is that we like being near to our family in Austr ia again, but we also miss our fr iends in the USA," says Pascal. People and relationships are of ten a bigger factor than physical places, when it comes to feeling at home. More than just four walls What is it that makes someone feel truly at home? For Lukas Reumiller, it is a feeling of secur it y, well-being and belonging. "This mainly comes from the people around me – from my family and fr iends, my par tner, and my colleagues." The qualit y of the living space also plays an impor tant role for him. "Large windows which let light in. My view across Shanghai's urban sea of houses. The big dining table where we regular ly sit with fr iends. And my dog Mister, who's always there to greet me af ter a long day at work." While Lukas Reumiller from Austr ia moved to China, Jing Wang moved in the opposite direction and is currently work ing at Blum's headquar ters in Austr ia as a Sales Assistant. "I 've decorated my apar tment with mementos, plants and photos from my homeland and continue cer tain cultural habits. My tip for anyone who's not feeling quite at home would be to cook food from your home countr y and find nice neighbours. This will keep you grounded." Obstacles and challenges Moving to a new location comes with its own set of challenges. Ever yone we asked agreed that learning a new language is pivotal when it comes to feeling at home. "Not just the language itself, but the way in which people communicate var ies from countr y to countr y," says Inácio Tiago Guimarães Lacerda, who relocated from São Paulo, Bra zil to the headquar ters in Höchst. This is down to cultural reasons, says Stéphane Billod-Girard. "This is the most dif ficult thing to get used to in this regard; it 's a steep
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