As the holiday season is upon us, Christmas decorations start to appear on the sides of buildings. Wreaths, garland, and giant trees line the halls and entrances of malls, offices, and other establishments. Back home, snow covers the ground and the weather has people layering on coats, hats, gloves, scarfs, boots, and rushing for their hot cup of tea and coffee.
Except this year, I’m not in the states. Snow is not within my view, not even in the peripherals, and while I still see Christmas trees, garland, and the like, it certainly isn’t the same as being in the states. I am not home with my family. I am at home, however, here in Taiwan.
Home is where the heart is, and pieces of my heart hold onto different, important locations to me. One sliver holds tight to the feeling of the wind rushing through my hair, the sea salt breeze–brisk but cool–off the Atlantic. The sand scrunches between my toes and piña coladas, one of my best friends and her family, and sunshine awaits me with open arms.
Another part, the home I’ve known the longest, embraces the white winters, the familiar drives to ice rinks, and the sound of chatter in the kitchen with my family: Mom, Dad, Jimmy, Tori, Annie, and the two kitties. Ah the days of innocence, the flashbacks of family dinners, or binge watching a TV show with my siblings.
A third eyes the hills and traffic of the Boulevard of the Allies, plans coffee trips with friends and professors and coworkers, and studies, goes to class, and writes pages upon pages of my senior project. I found myself somewhere in Pittsburgh, the steel city, and my home for four years. But alas, I’ve found a new key to my heart, here in Taiwan.
Of warm weather and tea for days, I have found comfort on the bus amongst strangers. I’ve created memories of smiles and laughter with friends over hot pot, cat cafes, and walking through the night markets deciding where to spend our money next. There are lessons I didn’t know I still had to learn in the eyes of my students as they step to the front of the classroom to throw the dice or the sticky ball at the board. There’s joy in the unknown and peace in finding a routine, a new way of life I am still discovering within myself these days.
I am lucky to feel comfort in four places, and know that more places in my future that will hold the same title of “home”. Of course I’ll miss my family and friends back home on December 24th, and even December 25th when the familiar routine has changed itself once again for the holidays. While I may not be traveling back to the U.S. any time soon and my family won’t be with me for Christmas, I will be home for Christmas. Just another home of mine that holds a unique place in my heart, just like my family’s home in the states.
