There's no place like home...
There’s no place like home.
At times, when we travel loneliness can gnaw into our core. It can worm it’s way around our bones and plant clichÈs like “home sweet home”. All of a sudden we have an irrational desire for marmite on Vogel’s toast and pineapple lumps. Even if we never ate pineapple lumps in our lives. Loneliness has us blasting Katchifire on our ipods, and dreaming of rugged coastline. It has us calling our mums and old friends instead of exploring our surroundings and making new friends. Yet what happens when we actually get home? After the novelty of eating a mince and cheese pie, washed down by L&P wears off we are left with confusion. When we travel for so long we start to question where exactly home is anymore.
Two expressions come to mind:
Home is where you hang your hat. An oldie but a goodie and a true travellers philosophy. Home is wherever you are in space and time.
Home is where the heart is. Space in time does not matter. We could be on the other side of the world yet still wear our huffer shirts with pride. “I call New Zealand home.” Because that is where we grew up. That is where our roots are. That is where we graduated from Highschool, University, had our first kiss, fell in love. That is where our mums are.
Yet when we arrive home we tuck our ‘I heart NZ’ t-shirts away and pull out our ‘I heart NY’s’. We change from being proud of where we come from, to being proud of where we have been. And the same longing that we felt for New Zealand on our loneliest days travelling, we feel for our destinations. We crave mate teas, cobble stone streets, and Incan warriors. Our facebook pages fill up with “I miss yous” and “I wish you were heres.” We reminisce through old photos, old friends, old lovers and crave the excitement of doing something new each day.
We wonder where our heart is now.
At times, when we travel loneliness can gnaw into our core. It can worm it’s way around our bones and plant clichÈs like “home sweet home”. All of a sudden we have an irrational desire for marmite on Vogel’s toast and pineapple lumps. Even if we never ate pineapple lumps in our lives. Loneliness has us blasting Katchifire on our ipods, and dreaming of rugged coastline. It has us calling our mums and old friends instead of exploring our surroundings and making new friends. Yet what happens when we actually get home? After the novelty of eating a mince and cheese pie, washed down by L&P wears off we are left with confusion. When we travel for so long we start to question where exactly home is anymore.
Two expressions come to mind:
Home is where you hang your hat. An oldie but a goodie and a true travellers philosophy. Home is wherever you are in space and time.
Home is where the heart is. Space in time does not matter. We could be on the other side of the world yet still wear our huffer shirts with pride. “I call New Zealand home.” Because that is where we grew up. That is where our roots are. That is where we graduated from Highschool, University, had our first kiss, fell in love. That is where our mums are.
Yet when we arrive home we tuck our ‘I heart NZ’ t-shirts away and pull out our ‘I heart NY’s’. We change from being proud of where we come from, to being proud of where we have been. And the same longing that we felt for New Zealand on our loneliest days travelling, we feel for our destinations. We crave mate teas, cobble stone streets, and Incan warriors. Our facebook pages fill up with “I miss yous” and “I wish you were heres.” We reminisce through old photos, old friends, old lovers and crave the excitement of doing something new each day.
We wonder where our heart is now.
Rose,I even feel that about where I call home in NZ. I loved our time in Golden Bay but know I couldn't return, but I have never felt a real affinity to Auckland, except you and Simon are here. I guess I
ReplyDeletefeel more connected to Wellington as I lived there during my formative years, but would I want to live there again? I don't know. I think I am a nomad and would love to keep traveling if I could.
Hey Mum, Thanks for your comment, and also thanks for installing the love of travel into me, even though at times it can be confusing and lonely... but for me, I am happiest when I'm traveling, even better, when you are traveling with ones that you love :)
ReplyDelete