Monday, August 20, 2012

Where home is

I have spent some time abroad, on Grand Canary, and I really enjoyed it. That's also the reason why I didn't blog that much within the last few weeks. For me it was the first time I spent on the island. The view from my room was amazing and I wished I could have taken it with me, but unfortunately it didn't fit into my suitcase :(
On the first day someone from the travel agency told us a bit about the Spanish island. I was mostly astonished about the fact that it hasn't rained since May last year. Where I live it's normal that it rains almost every week (not now, because I have at least taken the heat with me).

the view from my hotel room - could be worse, right? -kidding ;)

Every day was warm, and even it was sometimes a bit cloudy, it never rained and though it was windy at the beach, it had never been cold. The temperature was constantly about 85 degrees - so I was totally happy because I love it when it's warm and sunny like that. My family and I rented a car and explored the isle. We saw some harbors, cities, and lots of mountains. It was really impressive, and we also met lots of friendly people. I am not that person who finds it easily to just go to someone I've never met before and have a chat, but the few I spoke with, were very kind. Of course we spent a day at the beach, too. Not that many because I am very pale, and when there was one thing I didn't want to bring home was a sunburn. Luckily I didn't ;).

no it's not Egypt - it's Grand Canary - just a big sand box ;)

But for some reason, as much as I always look forward spending some time abroad, to sit on a plane (though I don't understand why so many people applaud after landing - I mean no one claps his/her hands after I've done my work well), and fly far away from home, I am also always happy when I am back home again. Mostly I'm already happy when we drive through the city I was born. But this time, it was the first that I felt nothing. When we sat on the bus back to the airport, it just felt for me like we're making another trip. And now, that I am home again, I felt like I haven't been abroad - though I have all the memories about what we did, what we saw.

like taken from a movie - the mountains of Grand Canary

Do you know what I mean? Maybe it was because it was only a week, maybe because it was the first time after 4 years that I saw a beach and palm trees again. Maybe I felt that it wasn't time to go back home. Can this be possible? Or that I feel that the place I was born is no longer my home? Can this change? I still live with my parents, and I wanna have my own place, but as I don't earn any money right now - but start to look for some writing jobs to get at least a bit money - I simply can't move. When I have finished my basic studies I hope I can do my internship semester somewhere within the US. I hope that I can convince my friend to go next year with me to Los Angeles, visting my relatives and finding out if I really can imagine living there.

Do you still feel at home where you was born or has this changed? Can the definition of home change? Is home always where you come from, or where you feel currently happy?
I guess it's the place where you love to be, spending most of your time, where you have your friends. I think as we all change, our safe place can change, too. I will never forget where I come from, and it could be that I will miss it once when I spent too much time far away. Of course I have my family here, and that will be hard when I can't see them daily anymore, but I guess I have reached a point in my life when I wanna start and live my own life.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Sanny. What a beautiful island, I am so happy you were able to experience this vacation.
To answer your question. I grew up and lived in the same home in Iowa until I married and then, having married a military man, we moved every 2 to 3 years over 23 years. I loved it. I have always had the travel bug so I was very happy. Home to me then was where the place my husband and children were. Sometimes we rented an apartment but as our family grew to 3 children we rented houses and a couple times bought homes when we thought we would be there longer. I felt more comfortable in certain areas of the country; I truly loved California and South Carolina for instance. But it was never the four walls of our home or state we lived in, but the fact that we were together and had so much fun exploring our new town and surrounding area. Our roots were each other but I always kind of thought of Iowa being my home just because I grew up there. I remember coming in on an airplane once and flying over the beautiful cornfields, the patterns of planting made it resemble a quilt. I found myself weeping. I knew I would come back to live here one day.
After being gone from Iowa for over 30 years, my husband and I decided to come back buy a home in the country. It is a good, quiet and peaceful place to live and I do feel it is my home now.

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

Sanny, lovely photos! It looks like a wonderful place to vacation.

I live in the same area where I grew up, but I don't feel like the old community is home anymore. Home is where my husband and I are. We've lived together in a small town for almost 9 years. When I lived in another state, I always thought of Virginia as home. Now, I'd like to move out west with my husband. I don't know if that will every happen, though.

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot for your comments. I guess home can't be defined by a single building, it's more depending, as you two said, on your family. Nothing let us feel more home than our beloved ones. I totally agree with you. I think when I'll have found my better half I'll be happy when I'll have him around, no matter where it is. Because home is where the heart is, and when my heart is with me, happy and fine, I am happy, too.

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