2025/Ilea-

For most people home is a place, a house, a city, or even a country. It’s where they grew up, where they made memories and where they feel a sense of belonging. But for me, home could never be tied to a place. I lived in the UK for 5 years, Japan for four, and Korea for 5. Each place has been a part of my life but ultimately just a place. How can I call just one place home when I have never stayed in one place long enough to form a deep connection? Whenever I start to feel settled, I move again. My surroundings are always changing and I've never belonged to one place.

But through all these moves, one thing always stayed the same, my family. No matter where we lived, they were always with me. They were the only constant thing in my life, the one unchanging thing. While houses, schools, and friends have come and gone, my family has always been by my side. No matter where I go or how many times I move I know I can always come back to them. They are my home.

Because of this I've come to see that home is not about a physical location. It's not about the country I live in, the language I speak or the people that I surround myself with. Instead home is about the people who make me feel safe, loved, and supported. My family gives me a sense of stability that a place house never could. They are my anchor keeping me grounded even when everything around me is changing. When I think of home I don't think of a house or city I see the people who have always been there for me no matter where we are.

Some people may assume that moving so much is difficult, and in some ways they are right. It can be hard to have to say goodbye to friends, adapt to new cultures, and to start over in a new place. But I also get to see the whole world, and learn new things. I get to meet all kinds of different people from all different backgrounds and learn to adapt to new situations. Most importantly I learned that a house is not a home, home is the people inside of it.

While I may never be able to call just one place home, I have something much better, family. They will always be there for me through every beginning, every move. No matter what, where, or when they always remind me that I am not alone. As long as I have them I will always have somewhere to belong.