
Since this is the Nomad Perspective…let’s talk about what makes home, home.
If you asked me when I was 11 where home was, I very confidently would have replied, Calgary and more importantly, my house on Chatham Place. At that time there was no doubt in my mind that I would live there until university. So, when my family and I moved to the other side of the world, to a strange, unfamiliar place, Bangkok, Thailand, I started to question where home was. Could Calgary still be my home even though I didn’t live on Chatham Place?
There is that saying, “Home is where the heart is”. Well based on that, my heart is in many different places. I have family that live all over the world and I feel that my heart is also with them. Parents in one time zone, a brother in another and then other family members scattered about. I feel at home at my parents place in Thailand. I feel at home in my hometown, Calgary, Alberta, and I feel at home in Honolulu, HI. I also feel at home in Hilo, HI.
I have moved houses, cities and countries many times. Moved houses in the same city more than three times, in 5 years!
At the end of the day, I feel that home is a place/environment where I have a connection with the place, with the people, with the culture – including food and history, and is where I feel comfortable and happy! This sense of home, at this point in my life, is not associated with a specific structure but rather with the emotions and the memories created.
What is your definition of home?
Best,
MJ