At some point in casual conversation, it always comes up. "Where are you from?" A simple enough question, but for me, there's no simple answer.
I was born in New York, but only lived there for two years, and we were only there for my dad's work anyway, not because of any personal ties to the place. Before I turned three, that same job sent my family overseas, and we moved from international city to international city every few years until I got to junior high. I was able to stay in the one place for the six years of junior high and high school, but then it was four years of college back in the US in one state, grad school and work for six years in another, and then the final move with my husband to the state in which we now live.
To my amazement, I've been here for thirteen plus years now (in my current house for almost eleven)...more than twice as long as anywhere else in my life. By that measure, this should be home, but I am not with my tribe here. My husband is from the general area, my kids were all born here, but this is just not where I belong. "Home" used to be the city in which I went to junior high and high school, but that's more than half my lifetime ago now, so that doesn't really apply either.
If you ask me the question and I don't feel like going into the whole explanation of how I'm not really from anywhere, which is most of the time, I usually say that I'm from Oregon, a state in which (ironically) I have never lived. My parents now live there most of the year, I've visited many times, and I love that particular corner of the universe...call it a spiritual home of sorts. It's as good an answer as any!
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Ha! You can claim it! Somebody the other day said, "But I thought you were from Oregon?" NO!
ReplyDeleteFunny how we all have such different homes and places we feel that about. I've lived in Oregon for ... maybe 6 years or so over the past 25 years? Would never consider it home.
Eastern side of the Cascades...the rain on the western side would drive me to drink. Something about the mountain scenery feeds my soul. To each her own, my friend!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I lived over there too. And left.
ReplyDeleteExactly - to each their own - it's great that we needn't be lockstep in values and desires! Not that there's anything at all wrong with Oregon, for example, but it just doesn't fit me like New Orleans (or even Liberia). But it fits many many people.