So the idea of ‘home’ has been on my mind a lot lately. I put home in quotes because it’s not necessarily the idea of my home, but where is my home? I’m from Burlingame, I go to school in Point Loma, and I’m currently living in Barcelona. So where exactly is home?
This past year has involved a lot of moving around. Moving into school, moving back home, and moving into a foreign country. Being in Barcelona I often get asked the question “Where are you from?” and typically my response is San Francisco, but I know that deep down my heart is in San Diego. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family back home and will eternally be proud to have been raised in the Bay Area, but right now I want to be in San Diego. I see pictures of school and the things my friends are doing back there, and I so desperately want to be apart of that. When I first moved into school there was a speaker at orientation who told us that in our four years of school there will come a time where our home will transition from where we’re from to where we’re at. I never thought it would happen this quickly, but Point Loma Nazarene University is my home. It’s more than just the place I go to school, but it’s the place where my heart is.
Personally, I feel really blessed to have three homes. I have a home where I grew up, I have a home where I became independent, and I have a home where I explored the world. The Bay Area will always be my go to. It’s a place where no matter how long I leave, I can come back and feel like nothing has changed. San Francisco is my forever. Compared to my other homes, I can see myself staying there long term. The city of Point Loma is my paradise. It’s my four year vacation where I have and will continue making millions of memories. It’s the defining point in my adulthood where I leave the nest and discover the world for myself. Though I know San Diego has an expiration date, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Barcelona, Spain- what more do I have to say other than it’s Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona has been my adventure, a place where I can embrace my wanderlust. It’s a city where I came in knowing nothing and everything was completely new, but I can leave having felt like a local. All three of my homes mean so very much to me. Each hold an essential part of my growing up. But I know that three is not the end… There will be many more homes to be made and many more places to explore. So while I grew up in the San Francisco area, attend school in the San Diego area, and currently live in Barcelona, the world is still my backyard. Adios!