Home. For me, it is difficult to describe. Is home where we sleep at night? Is home where we feel safe? Or is home a concept of identity? Can home change? An we have more than one home?

I have lived in many houses throughout my life; I was born in England and after living there for 5 years, we moved to Ireland. We moved to Canada when I was about 9 or 10 years old. Since being in Canada I have lived in 3 different houses before turning 18. I never thought of the physical house as my home, of course it was my home at the time, but for me, home has always had the ability to change. When I was younger I believed that home was where I lived with my parents, and yet I still would call England my home. I have only lived there as a very young girl, so I have been curious as to whether I see England as a place where I identify. My parents are British, and regardless of what country I was living in, I grew up in a “British home.” Perhaps it is the influence of my parents, or the small things like there is always a pot of tea on in the house, or that we still watch the BBC News and British Comedies on TV. I think that maybe England was home because of the culture and memories that I carry from living there. Home was also just the place that I went after school was over, it was where I had my bedroom, and where ate my meals. Home was the physical house in which my family lived at the time.

It wasn’t until I grew older that I changed my perspective. Home became so much more than a house, and I also found that Britain did not feel like home in the way that it used to as a child. Britain is theoretically my “home;” it is listed as my country of origin on my passport, and although I still hold some of the same cultural links to Britain, it is no longer home. I often question whether I should continue calling Britain my home, it was my past home, and it is culturally my home but I somehow feel that Canada is more of my home in a cultural sense. Britain is a distant memory of what home used to look like. Now I identify culturally much more with Canada.

Since becoming more of an adult I began to gain multiple homes. I always had a home at my best friends house, home was where my family was, and home was in essence where I felt the most comfortable. Regardless of where my home physically is, it has always been a place of acceptance, freedom, and love. After moving out of my family house, I found another home in my new friendships which I have built during university. I’ve come to realize that, for me, the concept of home can change and evolve. I can feel at home in many places, and so long as I feel safe and content with people that I care for, then I am home. When I went on exchange to Lyon, France this past semester I found a new home with people from all over the world. Lyon is now our home, and is now a place which holds such fond memories. I think I have learned that home is somewhere that you can grow as a person, and is somewhere that you make your best memories. Home lies within my own thoughts, I can feel at home with reminders of things that make me feel “at home.” I like this quote by the American Author Tad Williams “Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You’ll find what you need to furnish it – memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” I think what he’s saying is that home doesn’t have to be a specific place in the world, home is a feeling, home can change, and it’s ok if it does change.

An animated movie that I have watched with the kids that I work with is titled “Home,” about the adventures of two characters to complete their separate quests and come to understand the meaning of home. The main character learns the importance of family, and reflects that home doesn’t have to be a singular space, home can be where you are with your loved ones. I thought this was a good movie to demonstrate the idea that home doesn’t have to be a house or a place.

Works Cited:

IMDb. “Home (2015).” IMDb. IMDb.com, 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

Williams, Tad. Tad Williams. N.d. Tad Williams. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.