What is home? A roof over one’s head?
I believe the notion of home is as varied as it is intersectional. Its interpretation differs across time, distance, and most importantly, according to who occupies that distance. No two pairs of eyes see ‘home’ as one.
Home is often linked to belongingness, affirming where one feels at one’s best and feeling dignified and safe. When it rains challenges, one seeks refuge in what one perceives to be home. It doesn’t matter if the home is sturdy, permanent or fragile.
For some, home is the emotional bond that connects the self to a material embodiment. When hungry, one does not care where the food came from –within the confines of a shelter made of thatched roof or concrete blocks, as long as it brings personal satisfaction and a cheerful demeanour to one’s face. Here, the idea of home is constructed within the perceptions of solace, ease or relief.
A locational parameter is frequently associated with home. These can either be geographical or even manifest as a physical body. Perhaps, regarding the latter, my recent research in perceiving home within the realms of trans theory provides some fruitful observations. For trans people, the concept of home is not a given. They have to travel home. The journey, undertaken in the form of transferring or transitioning, occurs sometimes by surpassing geographical barriers while looking for medical treatment, legal options and economic benefits.
One can also arrive at a place, far away from the point of origin and feel homeless where one is considered a citizen, at least on a piece of paper. Ultimately, the sense of belonging is shaped through the perception of the self.
Sometimes, borders become distinctive markers. When one seeks refuge, as either a refugee or an immigrant, one strives to build communities. Hence, “home colonies” are built on foreign soil, and one grows with Little Indias or Africas next door. This process is not easy and is, at many times, clouded by a sense of alienation.
While some people associate the idea of home to cultural and traditional routines, another section breaks away to blend in with elements beyond the neighbourhood. . Most can never make peace between both these ends and are left stranded in the in-between spaces of somewhere and nowhere.
Is there a right home?
In my experience, no. There is no single universal formula that gives a separate index for home. A place can bring a feeling of security while equally leaving one homesick. A person who has worked hard to get U.S. citizenship may still crave for the coconut trees in the place he came from.
Home is multidimensional. A trans person may have not yet transitioned and can still feel at home with an accepting and loving family. For an immigrant, fair working conditions outside of her country can provide as much comfort as a bowl of noodle broth served by her family. Home is fluid, as is the self, and it is this fluidity that makes the complex subject fascinating.
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