“Read at least 6 students blog short stories about ‘home’ and make a list of the common shared assumptions, values and stories that you find. Post this list on your blog with some commentary about what you discovered.”
Just from the 6 posts I read, there seemed to be three major common themes across each student’s story and interpretation of what home truly is to them and the values that made home what it is to them:
- Home is fluid
- Home is what you make it to be
- Home is where you find comfort
Home is Fluid
As I somewhat alluded to in my story for assignment 2:2, I did not grow up in Canada. I am however Canadian by nationality, but I lived from the ages of 3 to 12 in Qatar and Vietnam before moving back to Vancouver. My perception of home growing up revolved around Qatar. My immediate family was there and so were my school, friends, and sports. Canada was the place I knew I came from, but only a temporary home from June to August when my family came back for summer vacation. That changed when I moved back. Suddenly I was in an unfamiliar culture that I felt I should have been familiar with, and while it was hard to feel as if I was home in Canada at first, my perception gradually adjusted. Now when I think of “home”, I think of my house in Langley that my family has lived in for the past six years, but I also think of my house in Qatar that was my childhood home for eight years. Other people who had similar stories to mine contained a similar notion. Tamara’s story highlights this idea of fluidity well. Both her and I grew up as third culture kids, and like me, her definition of home is not rooted to one place. Over the years, home has changed for Tamara and as she says, “the world is my home”. Home does not have to be in one, static place, it has the ability to change and adapt.
Home is What You Make it to Be
Another common theme across many of the stories, is how home is often a figment of the mind and the heart (metaphorically speaking). Many people spoke about how their “home” lived in their memories. Home to Charlotte, for example, lives in her continually expanding memories and experiences as she became older and traveled through life. Tamara’s sense of home in Vancouver, while also linked to her experiences, is more based in her emotional connections to nature rather than specific memories of growing up. Many other people associate home with a specific place, like a house or a specific city. Therefore, home is what you yourself choose it to be.
Home is Where You Find Comfort
Similar to the idea of “home is what you make it to be” many people in the class also associated home with places where they feel comfortable. It makes sense that many people would correlate the two things, as most people make home a place where they can be who they want to be and not have to have a constant guard up. Some people make home a place of comfort through decoration. Some people consider it a place of comfort because of the presence of family, a significant other, or a pet. I think this sentiment is reflected well in Phillip Phillips’ song “Home”.
References:
Aitken, Charlotte. “Home in Vignettes.” WordPress., 28 Jan. 2019. Web. 2 Feb. 2019.
Ensor, Tamara. “2.2 Home….” WordPress., 29 Jan. 2019. Web. 2 Feb. 2019.
Mayberry, Kate. “Third Culture Kids: Citizens of Everywhere and Nowhere.” BBC. BBC., 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 2 Feb. 2019. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161117-third-culture-kids-citizens-of-everywhere-and-nowhere
“Phillip Phillips – Home.” 2 Aug. 2012. Youtube. Web. 2 Feb. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE