I am going to try to find it. Yes, I assume it is something people think about a lot, especially in a world where people leave home and move around a lot.
Enjoying this so much! I have never felt "at home". When in Colombia with my mother's family where I spent every summer of my life until college, I would experience reverse culture shock upon my return. I've never felt at home here in the States either. After my mother died, I thought I would never feel at home anywhere, but time passed and my grief of losing her and my brother ironically brought back a sense of footing within myself. I had to. I didn't have a choice. Sometimes I wonder if "home is where the heart is" actually is true." Thank you for sharing this.
Juliette, I am going to respond to all of this soon, but let me tell you that I thought of you when choosing which posts to share. :) I somehow knew you would connect with it.
In my 20s I moved from my native Texas to Massachusetts and even though they're both in the same country, they kind of feel like different countries. And if you think about comparing Europe to the United States, they're further away than many European countries are from each other. We speak the same language, except when we don't. We have the same culture, except when the unspoken rules are completely different. It was a weird kind of displacement.
I never intended to stay here, it was supposed to be graduate school for a couple of years and then I had no definite plans, but probably a PhD and then moving wherever I could find a job. Then I met my husband who is from Boston and I've stayed. Been here almost 25 years now. My children are native New Englanders, and I love my adopted home very much. But still when I get off the plane in Texas and hear everyone speaking in that accent there's a deep something in me that I didn't realize was clenched that suddenly relaxes and a feeling of: I'm home!
I definitely have learnt that the states in the US can culturally be very different from one another other. My husband is from Arizona and we live in Minnesota. I think he experienced culture shock when we moved here more than I did.
Two different worlds!
I am glad you found home in New England, but I think we can me er deny our roots. The older I get, the more I feel rooted in Germany/Europe, but then I also feel at home here with my husband and kids. They are my home here, just not a specific place.
Excellent series so far Manuela and an exciting if somewhat harrowing start of your journey. I loved how you connected arriving in country by wheelchair before learning to walk anew.
I did the opposite, moving from the US to Europe, and still here many years later. I've also thought a lot about home, particularly after spending an extended stay in my wife's hometown in the US during the covid years as we faced some uncertainty getting back to our home in Belgium.
Your multi-exposures are a fantastic medium for expressing the duality of such an experience.
Ironically, I shared it on my blog just a couple days before arriving in the US in 2019 for what was meant to be a two month visit that lasted more than two years. One unexpected aspect of this image was that the Belgian rooftops look almost like an Egyptian pyramid to me which represents another converging reality and concept of home overlayed on the other two.
I like that Belgium is a small country and you can get around and see and do more in smaller radius as compared to the US where everything is more spread out. It is funny how people here who live 45km from another city think that is too far to go for dinner or an outing whereas in the US, many cities can be that distance from one end to the other. I definitely like the work life balance in Europe more than the US even though it seems to be getting more similar. Healthcare of course is much easier, and I do enjoy eating what seems like fresher and healthier food compared to the US. Though I will happily grab a burrito as a first meal when visiting the states.
This question just came up for me in a book group last night.Or.."What makes a place feel like home"? Also," Does your current home take you back to your origins". We were exploring Homing:Returning to Oneself..in the story "Sealskin, Soulskin". (Women Who Run With the Wolves)
I realized that my mother, who was highly creative, made our home a place of beauty and comfort.She hand painted our lanoleum floor with a pretty pattern when it was worn thin. We had very little money, but our homes were always welcoming and visually pleasing. She also liked to grow flowers, and visit with the neighbors in their yards. All of these things, are part of what helps my current home to have roots. I feel nurtured being here, surrounded by beautiful art, and large windows connecting me with the mountains, gardens, and fields below us. I'm also lucky to have a lovely community of neighbors who support each other.
Thank you so much for this comment. It is so beautiful that your mother expressed herself in the home like that.
Yes, I believe it is so important to pay attention to the details and make a place cozy and warm and inviting. That is definitely part of feeling at home.
It's such a good question, and such an interesting feeling. Funny how some people have a simple and straightforward sense of home, and some of us just don't. I never really felt at home growing up, either. I couldn't wait to leave the city I grew up in, and once I left, I really never looked back. My parents moved to a smaller town after I left for college, and so even though I visited them there, it didn't hold any sense of home to me. After college, I was in the military, and so I never even really thought about feeling at home. I expected to be always-moving, and so I only thought about making the most of where I was at the time. I left the military when my husband and I started a family, and we settled in a city where I got a decent job, but we always planned to find a place to finally put down roots. When we bought our home in Maine, I remember sitting down one night after we put the kids to bed, looking out the window into the dark forest, and tearing up as I realized I finally felt at home. Strange to think this feeling could be so elusive for so long, and then just click into place. Thanks for bringing us along with you on this exploration!
Thank you, Sidney! I love that you found a place where you feel at home. I have heard that happen to others. It wasn’t necessarily the place they grew up in, but a place they loved and finally felt they had arrived at after years of moving around.
Ah. I was just writing or feeeling about home on my Liveblog3000 on Loaded Pen early this morning. Must be in the air.
Or at least in the airgorhythm.
I am going to try to find it. Yes, I assume it is something people think about a lot, especially in a world where people leave home and move around a lot.
Enjoying this so much! I have never felt "at home". When in Colombia with my mother's family where I spent every summer of my life until college, I would experience reverse culture shock upon my return. I've never felt at home here in the States either. After my mother died, I thought I would never feel at home anywhere, but time passed and my grief of losing her and my brother ironically brought back a sense of footing within myself. I had to. I didn't have a choice. Sometimes I wonder if "home is where the heart is" actually is true." Thank you for sharing this.
Juliette, I am going to respond to all of this soon, but let me tell you that I thought of you when choosing which posts to share. :) I somehow knew you would connect with it.
Oh, that’s amazing to hear! I love how synergies compliment in our journeys, Manuela. Thank you so much!
In my 20s I moved from my native Texas to Massachusetts and even though they're both in the same country, they kind of feel like different countries. And if you think about comparing Europe to the United States, they're further away than many European countries are from each other. We speak the same language, except when we don't. We have the same culture, except when the unspoken rules are completely different. It was a weird kind of displacement.
I never intended to stay here, it was supposed to be graduate school for a couple of years and then I had no definite plans, but probably a PhD and then moving wherever I could find a job. Then I met my husband who is from Boston and I've stayed. Been here almost 25 years now. My children are native New Englanders, and I love my adopted home very much. But still when I get off the plane in Texas and hear everyone speaking in that accent there's a deep something in me that I didn't realize was clenched that suddenly relaxes and a feeling of: I'm home!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
I definitely have learnt that the states in the US can culturally be very different from one another other. My husband is from Arizona and we live in Minnesota. I think he experienced culture shock when we moved here more than I did.
Two different worlds!
I am glad you found home in New England, but I think we can me er deny our roots. The older I get, the more I feel rooted in Germany/Europe, but then I also feel at home here with my husband and kids. They are my home here, just not a specific place.
Excellent series so far Manuela and an exciting if somewhat harrowing start of your journey. I loved how you connected arriving in country by wheelchair before learning to walk anew.
I did the opposite, moving from the US to Europe, and still here many years later. I've also thought a lot about home, particularly after spending an extended stay in my wife's hometown in the US during the covid years as we faced some uncertainty getting back to our home in Belgium.
Your multi-exposures are a fantastic medium for expressing the duality of such an experience.
I created a similar idea in this image of converging realities that represents life in two places: https://jason.aminus3.com/image/2019-10-18.html
Ironically, I shared it on my blog just a couple days before arriving in the US in 2019 for what was meant to be a two month visit that lasted more than two years. One unexpected aspect of this image was that the Belgian rooftops look almost like an Egyptian pyramid to me which represents another converging reality and concept of home overlayed on the other two.
Beautiful image! I love using the multiple exposure technique for storytelling or to express to realities that are quite opposite but both true.
Wow. Thank you for sharing this story.
I am going to check out those images.
I would love to hear more sometime how you find living in Europe compared to the US.
I like that Belgium is a small country and you can get around and see and do more in smaller radius as compared to the US where everything is more spread out. It is funny how people here who live 45km from another city think that is too far to go for dinner or an outing whereas in the US, many cities can be that distance from one end to the other. I definitely like the work life balance in Europe more than the US even though it seems to be getting more similar. Healthcare of course is much easier, and I do enjoy eating what seems like fresher and healthier food compared to the US. Though I will happily grab a burrito as a first meal when visiting the states.
I resonate with everything you mentioned. :)
Thank you for sharing!
This question just came up for me in a book group last night.Or.."What makes a place feel like home"? Also," Does your current home take you back to your origins". We were exploring Homing:Returning to Oneself..in the story "Sealskin, Soulskin". (Women Who Run With the Wolves)
I realized that my mother, who was highly creative, made our home a place of beauty and comfort.She hand painted our lanoleum floor with a pretty pattern when it was worn thin. We had very little money, but our homes were always welcoming and visually pleasing. She also liked to grow flowers, and visit with the neighbors in their yards. All of these things, are part of what helps my current home to have roots. I feel nurtured being here, surrounded by beautiful art, and large windows connecting me with the mountains, gardens, and fields below us. I'm also lucky to have a lovely community of neighbors who support each other.
Thank you so much for this comment. It is so beautiful that your mother expressed herself in the home like that.
Yes, I believe it is so important to pay attention to the details and make a place cozy and warm and inviting. That is definitely part of feeling at home.
Your photos with this story are some of my favorites!
It's such a good question, and such an interesting feeling. Funny how some people have a simple and straightforward sense of home, and some of us just don't. I never really felt at home growing up, either. I couldn't wait to leave the city I grew up in, and once I left, I really never looked back. My parents moved to a smaller town after I left for college, and so even though I visited them there, it didn't hold any sense of home to me. After college, I was in the military, and so I never even really thought about feeling at home. I expected to be always-moving, and so I only thought about making the most of where I was at the time. I left the military when my husband and I started a family, and we settled in a city where I got a decent job, but we always planned to find a place to finally put down roots. When we bought our home in Maine, I remember sitting down one night after we put the kids to bed, looking out the window into the dark forest, and tearing up as I realized I finally felt at home. Strange to think this feeling could be so elusive for so long, and then just click into place. Thanks for bringing us along with you on this exploration!
Thank you, Sidney! I love that you found a place where you feel at home. I have heard that happen to others. It wasn’t necessarily the place they grew up in, but a place they loved and finally felt they had arrived at after years of moving around.
I hope to find a place like that someday. :)