I read the following blogs by Shamina, Charlotte and Florence. Each of their stories shared a piece of their history; who they are, who they came to be. Each reflect on a memory or event that occurred to them which shaped their future and their idea of what home is to them. I came up with this list which describes home:
Home can be many different places, either where one lives of where they have visited
Home doesn’t always feel like home
Home can become a lonely place without somebody around you
Family is always connected to home and comfort
Home is full of traditions that vary from each family
All of these ideas of the home are unique to each of these blogs. A theme that occurred in all of them was that of family and how important it is in the recognition of the home. Family becomes centralized in the home, holding it together. I really like the poem byAlbert Guest and how he describes the home in his own view. He explains home from his own personal memories and experiences, much like the authors did in the blogs I read. The home can move around to different places, it is not static. I recently had a friend go back to Taiwan to deal with her dual citizenship; she has lived in Canada for most of her life but was born in Taiwan. To maintain her dual citizenship, she had to go back for 3 months to be able to be considered. Even though she was born there and moved to Canada, the government wants her to return and renew her paperwork, even though it is her place of birth. From these stories it reminds me of how the home can move, but returning can also have its issues. The home is not always there for when you want it to be, but when it is it becomes your memories and experiences.
Works Cited
“Home.” Albert Guest. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. Feb 2 2015. <<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173578>>
Ng, Florence. “2.1 Home is a pie chart and a couple of memories”. Maple Trees and Beaver Tails. UBC Blogs. 31 Jan 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
Kallu, Shamina “How is Wherever I’m With You.” Canada: Muffled Voice and Native Narrative. UBC Blogs. 30 Jan 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015.
Hodgson, Charlotte. “This is my home, piece by piece.” From Far and Wide. UBC Blogs. 29 Jan 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015.