The definition of home

Roughly 2,5 years ago I moved away from my home town in order to not have to travel 4 hours each day to go to university. Ever since that moment I’ve been struggling with the definition of home. Back then my mom still lived in my home town and during the weekends I would go there; I would go home. Over the first couple of months, however, all of this changed. My mother moved in with her new husband and even though I would still return to my home town for the weekends I would now stay with my sister. This transition changed my already kind of blurry definition of home versus the place where I live most days of the week to an even more confusing mess.

Home is where my family is but home is also where my friends are and home is where I have my own place but these places do not seem to correspond most of the time. Now, living the UK for six months, things have become even worse. I fly home for Christmas, only to fly back home afterwards. Home being both my home town where I will spend Christmas and Derby, where I’m currently technically living. Then, one month later, I will return home once again, but this time it will be to Rotterdam, where I’m currently enrolled in university.

In case you’re wondering why I’m explaining this rather obvious confusion; I’ve been thinking about the definition of home. I’ve been thinking about it in relation to the future and to friends and family and for once, I can’t seem to figure it out. What is home? How many homes will I gain during my life and how many will I lose along the way? Is it possible to be home in multiple places or does that mean that you will never be truly home again?

For me, I like to be an optimist and I believe that it home is a feeling and like most feelings it is not limited to a single place or person or habit. It’s a feeling that can be summoned by being surrounded by friends, by family, by familiarity, whatever you want it to be.

So I guess that over the next weeks I will be doing a tour of all the different places I call home and appreciate them all for what they give me. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!