I thought describing my home has always been difficult to me since I was a little child. I was born in the Netherlands and spent 5 years there. I remember all the heartwarming events in kindergarten and the delicious food that I ate there. It was my home. However, as soon as my family moved to Germany because of my father’s job, my home became the city Bremen where I spent another 6 years.
Because I basically grew up there until I became a teenager, most of my greatest childhood memories remain with me there. My family which includes my two parents, my brother and my two sisters all enjoyed playing tennis. We were essentially one of the only Asians in town but everyone treated us with great respect and curiosity. Despite being different, it didn’t matter because my whole family had no language barrier or any other issue there. It became my new home. However, as soon as we got a call to move to Canada, my parents sat all of us down to discuss this matter. Three young teens and one university student. I was more than happy to move, not because I didn’t like Germany (in fact, I loved it) but because I loved exploring new places. My brother decided to remain to finish his studies while my sisters were interested in moving to Canada as well.
The moment we stepped into Canada, everything changed. It was so different from Europe but to multicultural that I fell in love with it. Our first home honestly wasn’t that great. We did have a huge backyard but there were mold and leaks everywhere. It wasn’t a sanitary place and bugs came out and greeted us unpleasantly every morning. However, as I stepped out onto the streets, I was able to learn about my roots – my ethnicity. I heard Koreans and other Asians speak, laugh and open up businesses. Interestingly enough, I didn’t speak any Korean until I came to Canada. I made Korean friends in middle school and started embracing the culture of my parents. They didn’t even have to be Korean to gain my interest. There were just so many Asian backgrounds that I had never seen before. It became a heartwarming place for me and I have never loved any country more than Canada.
As I flight attendant, I often get to travel around whether for work or for leisure. The place I most commonly fly on vacation of Korea. Because I never grew up there, I thought I might have a difficult time actually connecting to Koreans. It was true. Their way of thinking was way different than mine. Perhaps it was because I grew up in Europe and have a mix of a European and Canadian way of thinking. Sometimes, I feel like a stranger and a foreigner. I worry that I will make mistakes and cause issues regarding cultural appropriation. Most people will not know by looking at my face that I have a very multicultural background so I often wonder if I do any actions that cause people to feel uncomfortable and offended. It is the 21st century after all where a lot of people get subconsciously defensive over people’s interest in other cultures. This is the reason there are words like Koreaboos and Yellow Fever. Anyhow, I absolutely love Korea but I know that I will not live there. Why? Because while writing my life story on this blog, I realized what exactly it is that describes my sense of home.
My sense of home is where my heart is and my heart is with my parents. I usually spend more than a third of a month away from my home in Vancouver. Because I am a German speaker (also majoring in German), I often get sent to Germany for work. I am so grateful that I get to visit Frankfurt where my aunt, uncle, and cousins live. My brother, who now lives in Luxembourg with his own family, also occasionally comes to visit me. However, as much as I love traveling and meeting my relatives, nothing ever beats the feeling of coming home to your parents and dogs, greeting you at the doorstep and jumping into your own bed which smells like your home.
If my parents ever decide to move away, I am sure that the place they’ll move to will become my new home. Because I spent the majority of my life in Vancouver, I thought it would be the only place I can ever call home but the fact that I feel homesick when my parents are gone must mean otherwise. Anyhow, it obviously might change when I meet my significant other, get married and start a new family. One thing is for sure though. My sense of home is where I feel welcomed and where my heart feels at rest.
Koreaboo – someone who is “obsessed” with Korea
Yellow Fever – a man or woman who is only romantically interested in Asians
I know there are some people who may qualify as the two definitions above, but sometimes, we are just more interested in one than the other.
*Sorry for this late blog post. I have been so tired because of work. Anyways, I still hope that you enjoy it!
Works Cited
Anyangwe, Eliza. “Opinion: There Is No Such Thing as ‘Harmless’ Cultural Appropriation, and We Must Call It out If We Hope to Fight Systemic Oppression.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 1 May 2018, www.independent.co.uk/voices/cultural-appropriation-prom-dress-chinese-keziah-daum-a8331326.html.
Todd, Douglas. “Douglas Todd: Vancouver Is the Most ‘Asian’ City Outside Asia.” Vancouver Sun, 27 Mar. 2017, vancouversun.com/life/vancouver-is-most-asian-city-outside-asia-what-are-the-ramifications.