Hey everyone!!!
So, like Josh said, my name is Cassie and I’m a TCK like these other two crazies on here. Just to let you know a little bit about me: I was born in Haiti, grew up in the DRC, and now attend Colby College in Maine, USA! Crazy bit of a life, but it’s all good.
I just wrapped up my first semester of college, so I finally have a bit of free time to write a post! Seeing as it’s the beginning of Christmas break, I’ll make this one something seasonal. In the rush and stress of finals, packing, and nerf gun fights in these past few weeks, my friends and I talked a lot about the holidays. There were some who were looking forward to home cooked meals, some who couldn’t wait for family time, and some who just wanted to be able to fall asleep smelling something other than their roommates. Mostly, everyone just wanted to go home… and that’s where the dreaded question came in. Sitting in the common room, studying in the library, or eating in the dining halls, I just couldn’t get away from it: “Are you going home for Christmas?” Every time it was asked, I cringed inside and answered, “No, I’m going to Kenya.”
What is “going home for the holidays”? Does it mean you’re going to wherever your family is or does it mean you’re going to the place where you’ve spent most of your life? If you’re lucky, those two are the same place. If you’re like me, and many other college freshman TCKs, they’re completely different.
One of my friends remarked that, “home is where the heart is”, at which point I had to hold myself back from ranting about how he COULD say that, coming from a town he’s lived in his entire life. But, it’s true. Home is where the heart is. The problem is that my heart is separated all over the world – in Kenya, Congo, Maine, and all the places in between. Still, after being in Nairobi for a couple hours now, I realized that just because I’m sleeping in a new bed, in a new apartment, in a new country, doesn’t mean that I can’t feel like I’m home. I’ve had to accept that I might never completely feel that way in the typical meaning, but I’ve found that there are little things that bring the sense of comfort, peace, and, “Oh yeah, I remember this.” Lying underneath a mosquito net, listening to crickets, and keeping my eyes spotted for cockroaches to kill, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe I can find a piece of home anywhere. So, wherever you are for the holiday season, remember that you can always be home; whether you’re with people you love, in a place you grew up in, or even stuck in an airport, staring at those familiar tacky decorations; there’s a piece of your heart wherever you go. Merry Christmas everyone and have a very happy New Year! See you in 2012!!!
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