Until I got to college, my idea of home had always focused on the brick and mortar homes I bounced around from growing up. However, after moving 60 miles away from what I believed to be my home, I began to realize that I had not parted with my home at all. Within the past two and a half years, I've come to understand that home is not simply a what or a where, but a who.
When asked what "feeling at home" is like, most people would likely answer with feeling comfortable or accepted. In looking back on all of the places I've called home, it's not the comfy couches or cozy kitchens that have given me these feelings. The people who've shared these spaces with me have never ceased to instill the sense of comfort and acceptance that is so commonly attributed to home.
Whether it was my high school Alma Mater, my current residence in Baton Rouge, or wherever the future may have in store for me, I've always managed and will always manage to find comfort and acceptance through the people whom I've come to consider as my true home.
Whether you enjoyed your high school experience, or not, there are classmates or teachers whom you still remember and possibly keep in touch with. From third grade through my senior year, I was fortunate enough to attend a school that not only resembled a postcard with its sprawling live oaks and near 200-year-old buildings, but that also grew to be my home away from home.
In beginning my journey at Sacred Heart, it did not take long before I was able to develop an unshakable sisterhood with my classmates and a steadfast reverence for my teachers. Upon reaching high school, some of my fondest memories would be made sharing laughs and tears with my classmates and teachers in Ms. Comeaux's office, our guidance counselor. Our post-lunch gatherings in Ms. Comeaux's office were like being immersed in someone's journal each day. There was no judgment, no breach of confidentiality, and most importantly, everyone felt comfortable enough to share her stories and opinions. Ms. Comeaux's office was transformed into an everyday refuge of acceptance and comfort. After spending seven hours a day, five days a week, for 10 years at Sacred Heart, my time in the guidance counselor's office helped me realize that the classmates who grew to be my sisters and teachers who grew to be my greatest mentors are ultimately who provided me with my home away from home.
Whether you arrived at college already knowing people, or not, you've most likely found a group of people that you do everything with from studying to tailgating. On top of moving to a new city at the onset of college, I was assigned three roommates whom I had never met and was subsequently forced to stalk on Facebook. While I spent my summer preparing to make my dorm as homely as possible, I was clueless about preparing myself to live amongst complete strangers. This anxiety quickly dissipated, however, as my relationship with my roommates evolved from apprehensive acquaintanceships into familiar friendships. After our first year of college, we became the best of friends and did everything from mini golfing to taking late-night Sonic trips together.
Alongside my roommates, I was also fortunate enough to find a group of girls in my major whom I've spent most of my college experience with. From cursing up a storm in the sewing lab, or making last-minute Joann runs, to modeling each other's latest garments, we've been there for each other's most desperate moments and proudest moments. The bonds we've built with each other always prove to be the ultimate sense of home. As I look to next year, knowing that I'll be leaving my current roommates and moving in with my classmates, I know that the change in address will have no change on the level of comfort and acceptance I feel.
Whether you've mapped out your future, or not, there's a good chance that you expect the people you love to be a part of it. As an apparel design major, my future has guaranteed that I'll be moving much further than 60 miles away from my hometown. From the concrete jungle of New York City to the sun-soaked, carefree atmosphere of Los Angeles, I'll likely be calling one of America's fashion capitals my future home. While the prospect of moving to another unfamiliar city isn't one of comfort, I've found comfort in knowing that the home I've already established in my family and friends will be moving with me. As the internationally renowned author, Pico Lyer, expressed in a 2013 TED Talk, "And for more and more of us, home has really less to do with a piece of soil than, you could say, with a piece of soul. If somebody suddenly asks me, 'Where's your home?' I think about my sweetheart or my closest friends… that travel with me wherever I happen to be."
Like Lyer, I've come to believe that no matter how many times I move, how far away I settle, or how familiar I am with my surroundings, the people who've become my true home will provide me with the feelings of comfort and acceptance.
Although each move to a new home can bring with it a sense of unfamiliarity and angst, the people who are present through each move provide the ultimate sense of contentment and embracement. When I think back on the sentimental memories made in one of my many homes, it wasn't my Hannah Montana themed bedroom or trendy dorm decor that allowed me to feel at home. The people who surrounded me in each of these memories provided me with the feelings of comfort and acceptance that always ensured my place of belonging. Ultimately, these are the people who create the unchanging, indelible idea of home.
