Nargiza Ailmova- Nargiza talked about the small and ordinary things that define a sense of home, for instance, going out grocery shopping or sitting down together to have a meal. The notion of being together with people you consider your family, whether they are blood-related or not, was a similarity with my perception of what home is for me. Home is comfort and being around loved ones.
Cooper Asp- Cooper focused on home as not being a familiar house or specific place, but what you feel connected to and what you’ve experienced. This struck me as unique because several students talked about a family home, the people that made them feel at home, or familiar comforts. Cooper moved a lot, which ultimately trumps my number for the amount of times I’ve moved, which for most would be a lot. Picking up your lofe and rearranging it or trying to make it fit into something new is mentally and physically exhausting, and it can sometimes lead to a feeling of displacement and a loss of a sense of home. I experienced this feeling a few times throughout my child and “adult” life, but I eventually came to realize that my sense of home was rooted in what I felt connected to, and I am connected to this city, this province. Experiences are such a significant aspect for a person’s sense of home because without experiencing other places and feelings, how can you truly understand what makes you feel at home?
Megan Cameron- Megan’s discussion about her changed definition of her sense of home resonated with me because I, too, underwent a similar process. She describes that because she was acquainted and familiar with her home town West Kelowna, that was enough to equate her sense of home, not to mention her family and friends. However, after Megan gained a family of her own, her sense of home changed to being defined as the people she was surrounded by, which are her son and Husband.
Eva Dvorak- Following on the notion of loved ones as being a sense of home, Eva also described this attribute of familial bonds, and I also discussed loved ones as being the finishing puzzle piece to my understanding of home. I still live with my parents and sisters- can’t beat living for free- and I was at home by myself, except my dog, for a week. That’s definitely a record for me, mainly because I have a twin, and I’m very dependent on her. Being alone, even though in my home and in a place I love and am comfortable in, I felt a bottomless pit in my chest as if something wasn’t right. Previous to this experience, I hadn’t realized how much your family or people you are always with can make up that missing piece of home. It was such an indescribable and unbearable feeling not being close to my family, and that’s when I finally realized that no matter where I am, without certain people in my life or nearby, I don’t feel at home.
Lisa Hou- Lisa described her sense of home as related to a past experience from high school, which challenged her original notion. Even though many, including myself, define home as a place where we can go to that’s comfortable or being surrounded by family and friends, there’s more behind our perspective of home. As Lisa discussed, a sense of familiarity and even cultural similarities can be a significant indicator of home, which is most noticeable when travelling to a foreign country and feeling a sense of “home-sickness.” I as well touched on the idea of home equalling familiarity, something I have previously experienced and grown accustomed to or comfortable with.
Joanne Kutlimetova- Joanne sums up most of the points I touched upon concerning other students’ perspectives of home, but she further adds to it saying, “home for me is a special state of mind when I am comfortable, relaxed, and can be myself. I may also feel relaxed, safe and comfortable in new places, but it will take a while before I can call that or the other place as one more home in my life. This is why the sense of familiarity is one more component that contributes to my definition of home”. Again, familiarity is a defining factor that constitutes a home, but to further delve on this notion is how familiarity allows you to be in a particular state of mind, as Joanne explains. I think it’s safe to say that a majority of us all share similar if not the same opinion of what we believe to be our sense of home.
Works Cited
Ailmova, Nargiza. “Assignment 2.2”. Engl 372: Oh Canada, Web blog post, 28 Jan. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/nargizaalimova/.
Asp, Cooper. “Assignment 2:2 – My Sense of Home”. English 372, Web blog post, 30 Jan. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/cooperasp/.
Cameron, Megan. “Assignment 2:2”. Megan Cameron’s Blog, Web blog post, 28 Jan. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/megancameronengl372/.
Dvorak, Eva. “2:2 A Story of Home”. Oh Canada: Our Home and Native Land? Web blog post, 28 Jan. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/evadvorak/.
Hou, Lisa. “Lesson 2:2 Sense of Home”. Canadian Lit Blog. Web blog post, 27 Jan. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/lisahouengl372/.
Klinkenborg, Verlyn. “The Definition of Home”. Smithsonian Magazine, May 2012, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-definition-of-home-60692392/.
Kutlimetova, Joanne. “Assignment 2:2. Home… Where is it or what is it?”. Joanne (Zhanna) Kutlimetova’s Blog. Web blog post, 28 Jan. 2020, https://blogs.ubc.ca/zhannakutlimetovaengl372/.