Reading all of our stories about home this week was striking. I was initially surprised at how metaphorical home was to all of us. How beautifully broad in definition.
The first entry I read was by Alyssa Ready and it resonated with me on a very personal level. The photo she posted of the Okanagan reminded me of the lakes I swam in throughout my childhood. The sky, the trees, the landscape – I could smell the air and feel the rocks beneath my feet and thought to myself “yeah – that’s home.” I couldn’t even tell where her story of home and mine differentiated. Her home became mine because I associated to it. She described her group of friends and the dynamics of their changing bodies and the value of people that choose to be with you and love you.
Sarah Steer‘s post was so unlike my own childhood experience, yet I felt her strangeness at the new location, the self consciousness, the alien-ness. At the end she stated, “I think that I realized that identity can always be re-constructed, because it doesn’t remain buried in one place. I felt a sense of belonging immediately, because I continued to do what I enjoyed. I think that tradition plays a large part in connecting places of importance.” This really hit “home” for me. I’ve had the privilege to travel a lot as a kid and young adult (usually following my parents on work trips), and the idea that we can arrive in a space and find a sense of belonging in it is one I certainly have shared.
Finally, Kathryn Cardoso stated simply that home isn’t a resting place for our head at night – we all have out own wants and ideals. All of our homes are so different, and that’s part of what makes us unique and makes home such a complicated subject. Her writing was so open, it resonated with me, it allowed me to be a separate entity with my own thoughts and desires but embraced but the content of her blog. It was rad.
Thank you all for sharing your homes and beautiful stories. I’m so constantly excited for this class and the level of personal detail and involvement that is constantly delivered.
-J
Works Cited
Cardoso, Kathryn. “Where is home?” English 470. WordPress, 5 June 2015. Web. 12 June 2015. <URL>
Ready, Alyssa. “Painting the Sky-the outdoors is my home.” Alyssa Ready. WordPress, 7 June 2015. Web. 7 June 2015. <URL>
Steer, Sarah. “Wherever I go I carry “home” on my back.” English 470 | Canadian Studies. WordPress, 4 June 2015. Web. 12 June 2015. <URL>