No Place Like Home, But Where Is Home?: Reflecting on Studying Abroad.

It has officially been a year since I became an international student. Entering my second year here at the University of Sussex, I am feeling beyond grateful and excited, not only because of the educational gain I receive here, but also because it is starting to feel like home.

Coming back, I was not new to Brighton; this time I knew the bus routes, I knew where my classes on campus were, I knew the streets, and I had all of my favourite coffee shops lined up. It felt like I was returning to another part of home. Becoming an international student teaches you a lot about yourself, who your people are, who is supporting you and how you learn to support yourself. Being Canadian, I know Canada is my home. I was born and raised there with Canadian traditions, my family and friends are all there, it’s where I have built my whole life. But yet, I also feel at home when I am back in  Brighton.

I grew a lot in my first year here. I went out of my comfort zone. I competed in legal competitions, I met new friends who I feel like I have known for a lifetime, and most importantly, I have grown to be a person I am proud of. I have made a life here, with my friends, my routine, and with the goals I have reached.

Most importantly, I have realised that, international student or not, home can be any place in the world;  it does not have to be one place or one person. I don’t know who decided that home can only be one place. I wholeheartedly disagree with the thought that home can only be the place you were born in and a citizen of. Prior to me coming to school here, I had never been to the United Kingdom, let alone any place in Europe. I was lucky enough to get my visa and be allowed to study here. I feel really proud that I have found another place for me that feels like home.

I have also grown to realise that home does not have to be a place; it can be a person, or a group of people who truly light up your life. My family in Canada are people who feel like home to me. My grandparents, brother and dad are home for me. No matter where we are in the world, if I am with them, it feels like home. My mom, aunts and cousins in the Middle East are my best friends. I may not see them every day, but when I do, that is a place of home for me. It is the memories that make it home. My best friends in Canada are my rock, they represent home to me. But, so do my friends here. I may not have known them as long as my friends back home, but it feels like we have been friends for a lifetime. The people you surround yourself with are so important.  They can make or break a time in your life, and those who truly make an impact and stick with you and start to feel like home. No matter where you are in the world, if you’re with your mom, dad, friend, sibling, aunt or uncle, or even cousin, if they make you feel at home, then you are home, and I think that’s beautiful.

In a world where someone can be taken from the only home they have ever known, I think it is important to know that you are not bound by state lines. You can explore the world and go visit new places. If one place really connects with you and you suddenly feel an urge that this could too be a new home, I urge you to go for it. I know that Canada will always be there for me to go back to, but it is really great to know that I have an opportunity to build another home for myself across the world. You are not obligated to stay where you were raised and grew up. That place can always be home, but you are more than allowed to explore and find new places that provide that same feeling and comfort to you. As my friends and I talk about going back to Canada for Christmas, we all say we can’t wait to go back home and see our family and friends, but we also acknowledge that this place has become a home too. When we are out in town and ready to come back, I catch myself saying, “We want to go home”. Another home we’ve been lucky enough to grow in and build; our housing here is not just some bedroom we stay at during the school year. It takes on a part of us that feels like home. My walls carry pictures of the people I love, the new memories I have made here in Brighton, and even show hobbies I have taken on more since I have been here, like colouring. Home can be any place in the world as long as you feel it, and I think that is really special.

So, to answer the question in my title, “no place like home, but where is home?” I think home is wherever you want it to be. For me, home is in Canada, but also now in the United Kingdom, specifically in Brighton, England. Home to me is also my family. I could be stranded anywhere in the world with them, and it would be home. My best friends are also my home, providing me with unwavering love. There is no rule that home can only be one place in the world. So,  go out and explore, and live a life where home can be anywhere with anyone.