Can we create a home away from home?

With many of us having lived or studied in more than one place, the concept of ‘home’ can often be challenging to define. As such, two students share their personal conceptions of home and its significance to them.

Mariam Amini

It has been more than three years since I moved away for university. Three years that, looking back, seem like three separate lifetimes, each filled with their own distinct set of memories. Arriving at halls in my first year and waving goodbye to my family shortly after, I did not expect Warwick to start feeling like home so quickly.

I remember this sentiment blurring the meaning of ‘home’, itself, in my mind. My main base had always been where my family was, no debate. How could a room in a building that was only being rented out for 10 months possibly match that? Yet it did, with flatmates quickly becoming a new port of comfort and, in a way, like family too.

I began to appreciate having more than one place with the sentimental value of ‘home’

Over time, the constant back-and-forth between London and Warwick during term breaks and weekend trips, as well as the specific experiences at either end, led to a surreal internal division. At times, it felt like living two lives, yet never being able to do either justice, resulting in a detachment when it came to having a true sense of belonging.

However, experiencing people in places they weren’t typically associated with, for example having home friends visit Warwick or seeing university friends in London, provided a welcome way of uniting the two worlds. I realised that, at the end of the day, it was just a matter of finding the right balance.

Though I unexpectedly ended up homeless for the first month of my year abroad in Berlin, this housing situation made me realise how lucky one is to have a base at all. I began to appreciate having more than one place with the sentimental value of ‘home’. The objective of finding a third base in Berlin had been a little delayed but it was eventually accomplished.

However, getting better at independently setting up bases ironically made me miss London. Arriving back from the year abroad, it felt good to be surrounded by original home comforts. This proved that, though various life stages will require you to create multiple bases, re-shaping the meaning of ‘home’, personally, my main base will always be with family.

Tanya Khan

The word ‘home’ in itself has never properly conjured up an image in my mind. Growing up, I often struggled to find a sense of belonging, especially as part of a family who spent a lot of time travelling. Since coming to university, I have developed much stronger bases in different places. While this not might not necessarily be a traditional ‘home’, by spending most of my time at Warwick, I have become much more comfortable and independent. Even if you do feel homesick at first, it is possible to make university feel like home.

In becoming more comfortable at university, I began to understand myself much more than I could in other places. With this acclimatising, however, I have felt more conflicted in where my true home is. In moving abroad throughout my life, perhaps I don’t have a sense of belonging associated with a specific place, but rather multiple places around the world.

At the same time, however, this has not stopped me from appreciating the different ‘homes’ I have. Be it with my family in London or Dubai, in a friend’s house or at my home in Leamington, I have slowly come to appreciate the unique qualities of each place.

There is always going to be something that makes me feel comfortable in the different places I consider as home

Even though it can feel fantastic to have more than one home per se, it can make you long for different things from the different places you consider to be home. Be it the food at my parents’ house in Dubai or a cup of tea in Leamington, there will always be something that makes me happy in each place to which I ‘belong’. The biggest bonus of this is that there is always going to be something that makes me feel comfortable in the different places I consider as home.

Throughout our lives, the meaning of ‘home’ will always shift. As we grow older, it could change as we become more independent. It could bring us closer to our families or friends. However, the sentiment does not change. Regardless of where your ‘traditional home’ is, your home will always be the place you feel the most like your true self.