It was such a joy to read everyone’s stories of home this week. It’s always heartwarming to see bits of your own sense of home in the hearts of others, and equally touching when you gain a better understanding of someone’s conception of home that differs from your own.

Reading the blog posts of Nargiza, Jacob, Grace, Coco, Nicole, and Jade, I was impressed by our different approaches to the assignment and how we all communicated our particular sense of home in very different ways. Yet, despite differences in story-telling methods or prose styles, there were some characteristics of home that I found repeated through most of our stories.

The recurring themes of home that I noticed were:

• An ability to express your authentic self
• A feeling of being accepted and a sense of belonging
• An understanding of home as more of a feeling rather than a specific place or physical structure
• A group of loved ones forming the core of home
• Love and awe for the natural world

 Some phrases of my peers particularly resonated with me and helped me to better understand my own understanding of home.

• Josh expressed that “home is not a place or a person, rather it is a state of mind where I can exist as my genuine self.”
• Grace used an extended metaphor of the home to express her feelings: “Home is architecture made of support, and roofs made of love; it’s flooring of tears, both happy and sad, and doors that are always kept open with compassion and acceptance.”
• I identified with Coco’s words when she expressed how home “is a feeling that makes you feel relaxed and comfortable … it is a feeling of belonging.” Further, she went on to explain that being “surrounded by people whom you love and trust will make you feel like you are at home.”

While I could connect to and understand different understandings of home, and linked core feelings together, our varying life experiences have shaped our sense of home in different ways.

For instance, myself, Grace, Coco, and Nargiza connected home with loved ones, family in particular, and the beauty of the simple pleasures and sadnesses of life shared with those we trust and care for the most; however, Jacob didn’t connect home with a certain group of people, but rather with an individual sense of freedom and authenticity

Further, depending on our age and life experiences, some of us chose to root home in one particular group or place, whereas others drew on various locations and loved ones from around the world.

All in all, while there are numerous superficial differences of feeling at home, I was surprised to find so many similar feelings shared among myself and my peers whose stories I read. The most resonating message was that home is being able to be your truest self while feeling loved by those around you. Through the ups and downs, home is a comfort and a place from which to draw strength.

 

 

Works Cited

Alimova, Nargiza. “Engl 372: Oh Canada.” Engl 372 Oh Canada, 28 Jan. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/nargizaalimova/.

Diaz, Nicole. “Oh Canada!” Oh Canada, 1 Feb. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/nicolediaz/2020/01/28/sense-of-home/.

Greer, Jade. “Canadian Literary Genres.” Canadian Literary Genres, 29 Jan. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/jadegreer/.

Han, Coco. Coco Han ENGL 372 Blog, 28 Jan. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/cocohanengl372/.

Hochgesang, Julian. “Home Sweet Home” Unsplash. 19 Jan. 2019, https://unsplash.com/@julianhochgesang.

Kosh, Jacob. “Recent Posts.” Jacob Kosh’s Blog, 27 Jan. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/jacobkosh/.

Owens, Grace. “Grace Owens’s English 372 Blog.” Grace Owens’s English 372 Blog, 27 Jan. 2020, blogs.ubc.ca/graceowensengl372/.