I walked back to my apartment and I passed by the familiar durian stand with the strong pungent smell, the seedy motel with “interesting” late at night guests, and the comforting signs of 7-11 on the corner. After a long thanksgiving weekend in Malaysia, I was glad to be back. Sure it was nice staying at the fancy Shangri-la hotel, but the minute I got to my apartment, I felt relieved to be back home.
Living abroad, it’s easy to get confused about where your “home” truly is. My permanent address is my parent’s home back in New York. Yet, I don’t really have my own room there anymore. A bunch of my winter clothes and books are stored in the basement in boxes. Every year as I go back to visit, it feels a little less like my home and a bit more foreign.
After 4 years in Korea, it felt like my home. Now that I moved, I miss Korea terribly at times. After 4 months of being here in Singapore, this foreign place is slowly starting to feel a bit like home. Even though they say home is where the heart is, what do you do when pieces of your heart are scattered all over?
Where is home for you?
The Slice of Life Challenge happens every Tuesday and is hosted by the Two Writing Teachers.
My home is the Chicago area…however, I have felt that because my kids are scattered a bit of my home has scattered as well. I’m glad that you are adjusting to your new home Jee and I’m sure your parents feel a bit like me. XO nanc
There is nothing like home. Where you know there is always somewhere for you to seek solace. Where you can find support.
That said, I’m all for living overseas. Haha, I spent 6 months by myself in a foreign land of different language and culture. I guess after that half a year, I came home a different person.
Not only did I become more independent and “experienced”, I could speak a 3rd language too.
My daughter feels just as you do about her bedroom at home – I’ve moved around so much in all my years that I’ve come to think of home as a state of mind. I know it when I feel it…wherever that may be at the moment.
Where is home is a good question. My husband and I have our home where we have lived for 12 years. I don’t consider our previous house and apartment as home since we have never needed to go back to those. His parents home, 6 hours away, is also considered home. My parents home, 20 hours away, is home. I guess these are the three places I consider home and feel safe and loved.
Home where is it? That is an interesting question you pose. Home is more than a place, the people around you make it a home too.
Home for me is where I am content to be at this time. It is where I come to recharge after a along day at work. It might be in the states right now, but it has been in two other continents as well. Enjoy your time in Singapore–I too lived there a few months log time ago.
I’m moving in a different way this time, but I think too that home is where I want to live at any given time, where those I love visit & find comfort. I still think of Missouri as a kind of home too because it’s where I grew up, but I haven’t lived there for a long, long time. As you stay in Singapore, perhaps it will be your home for now. I hope it will become increasingly good for you!
and Korea misses you terribly at times. or… that just might be me! beautifully written post jee young!
Reminds me of a friend’s recent post (http://www.elizabethgrantthomas.com/2012/10/26/the-way-home/) asking if home is found or created. I think for those overseas we do some of both.