One writer explore the definition of home.
UNSPLASH @chrisrossharrisIn the past two years, I have spent more time abroad than I have at home. I am from Eugene, Oregon, a friendly college town that is in many ways still stuck in the 60’s. Growing up in this hippie town not only instilled in me a love of Birkenstocks and tie-dye, but also an incredible appreciation for community and friendship.
After I left for an out-of-state college, my parents moved to Indiana. These two transitions greatly confused my definition of what is now home. Though it’s said that “home is where the heart is”, with a sister on another continent, parents many states away and close friends scattered throughout, it’s easy to feel that my heart is in many pieces all over the world.
After spending three summers abroad (one of those being in the highlands of the Andes without anything but a public payphone to contact my friends or family) and most of last year in various places around the globe, there have been stretches of time where I didn’t see my closest friends for far too long. It goes without saying that travelling brings you closer to those you are with, but one of the worst parts about being abroad can be the distance between you and those you leave behind. This is what prompted me to use my travels as a way to connect with, rather than distance myself from my friends back home.
I have an extensive list of recommendations for any friend who visits Cape Town or Berlin. My only request is that they report back and tell me what they thought of each place they visited. This way, I relive the experience through them and get to imagine them enjoying it just as I did. I also have multiple hidden notes around the globe for friends to pick up when they visit a place I’ve been to (this includes a plastic bag with some soles and a scribbled note at the bottom of Machu Picchu and a postcard accompanied by a York Peppermint Patty at the top of Table Mountain). For those who don’t travel, I compile pictures of specific things (be it a view, a meal or an outfit) that I know that friend will enjoy.
Despite the physical distancing of travel, our time abroad doesn’t have to emotionally distance us from those we love. Home is where the heart is and with these little tactics, I don’t feel that my heart has been broken into multiple pieces, but that it has extended itself to cover wherever my friends or I might be.
