As much as I love traveling, it’s always good to come back home.

I left my “real home” in Bombay to come study in a small town in Ohio two years ago. And ever since then, home became some sort of a question mark or at least it was in my head for the first few months. How can this be home? Where is my family? Where are my closest friends? Where is the noise and pollution? Where is the street food? Where are all the people? Why is it so quiet?

It was a sudden shift in environment and culture and it definitely took a while to get past the homesickness. I would walk with my friend to different parts of the town, we had no idea where we were headed, but it helped us rediscover ourselves. And gradually, over time, Ohio became home!

It has been amazing to see different parts of the U.S. Each state, and every new city, has given me experiences to cherish. I have had the chance to meet wonderful people and eat delicious food. But when all of that is over and I take a bus back to Wooster,OH, or fly to Akron or Cleveland, I feel safe.

When everywhere else I’m a traveler and on my own, in Ohio, I don’t have to be. I have a great host family and they take care of me. I have made friends here who have stood by me through thick and thin. All the professors, staff members, and even custodians have made campus feel like my second home. I know there will be someone I can reach out to when I need help and I am forever grateful for that.

It is weird, though. When I left home, I was scared and didn’t think another place could ever make me feel as comfortable and as safe as I felt in Bombay. But, Ohio in its own, unpredictable-like-its-weather way has taken care of me. I do feel like I’m coming home whenever I get back into the state. I know I have a family here and I think it’s nice to have that.

I’m sure everyone feels that sense of being home somewhere. And I didn’t think it was flexible. But it really is! Anything and anyone can make you feel like you’re home, sometimes, in the most unexpected situations and places.

For me, Ohio just happens to be one of those places. So, yeah Bombay is noisy and busy and Wooster is not. There is no street food and it can be too quiet sometimes, but when the leaves change colors in the fall and wither during winter it is absolutely mesmerizing. It's not very big things but these little habits of this peculiar Midwestern state that make it strangely enchanting. For someone who comes from a big, crowded city like Bombay, the cornfield-y Ohio is the perfect new home!