Descriptive Home

Most people can relate the word “home” to one area where they grew up and made memories. Unlike most people, I called many places home. Growing up in a military family was an arduous task which had great impacts, both positive and negative, on my life. It shaped me into the person I am today. A person with a laundry list of flaws and imperfections, yet has learned to love herself.

What does the term “home” mean? How does the idea “home” apply to the text you read?

Home./hōm/ noun- the place where one lives permanently. In The Glass Castle, a true memoir, by Jeannette Walls, talks about how the family moved around a lot. They were always moving because Rex Walls, their dad, constantly was losing his job or getting in trouble with the law. The kids identities were changed a lot throughout the story. Maureen, the youngest child in the family, changed the most. Her identity was shaped and made her into who she is today. Maureen identity goes from a small child, to sheltered sibling, to a christian, and finally to a codependent adult.

Home is a dwelling where people unwind, mature, and can safely reside. Coates, Andreou, and Owen see home as a material structure and are chiefly concerned and focused on the importance of access to home. On the other hand, Shammas, Iyers, and De Botton view the abstract concept of home, which emphasizes that home, is about creating feelings and memories. Home is not a material place where it can be several different places and have no meaning. Home is a place where you create fond memories, feelings, and grow with the culture.

Home: the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

I guess one might call it naivete, but at first, I simply associated home with the single definition of where an individual lived or as something synonymous to an address. As I progressed into high school, and moved yet once again, I realized that was not the case. Now I believe home is an atmosphere created by the people that are surrounding me. I can be anywhere and feel at home as long as I’m with those people. My home is ever changing and developing as new people come in and out of my life. The unforgettable memories and feelings of comfort and love created by the people surrounding me are the cornerstone of my idea of home.

The word ‘home’ is something that is often misunderstood. Home makes up your identity and not many people know that. Therefore you ask me, ‘what is home?’ Home is not just in your house. Home is a place that surrounds you. It’s you environment and cause for emotions. Your home is where you are with the people that surround you (peers, family, and strangers), as well as cars, houses, stores, and/or toys.

Home is a mindset. With definitions of “home” varying for so many people, there is no way to tie it to a single, concrete definition. People from both extremes, those who stay and those who wander, derive pleasure and contentment from their choices of “home”. Tying a definition to the word “home” is similar to attempting to define what makes a human being feel comfortable. The words, while simple on the surface, mean very different things to every person making them impossible to define completely. So what is a home? Home to me is a location, a sensation, and a state of mind that is combination of four different aspects: shared happiness, the present moment, passion, and the ability to adapt.

Home has different meanings to each individual around the world. It could be an emotional place, where happiness or joy is felt. This could happen when you live away from your home at a college. Where you are living, at the college, is not your home. Instead, your home is back where you lived before, with your family you love. Home could also be defined by a physical space, such as a physical house. To some, this is simply what a home is, providing nothing else but shelter. Finally, a home can be defined socially. For example, when you meet up with your friends after not seeing them for awhile could bring comfort and warmth to you. All of these things come together and collectively make up what a home truly is. Home, simply put, is a conglomerate of emotional, physical, and social aspects.

It is no doubt about it that everyone has somewhere that they have adapted to long enough to call it there home! A place they can relax and really be their selves, for some it may have been their grandparents house, aunties house or wherever they felt comfortable. Well I of course felt comfortable in my own home, a four bedroom house on the west side of North Miami. My home in Miami was perfect I had my own room, I was very comfortable there, and it was a place to get away from the world.

Every person is in need of a home. It is a place that feels natural and welcoming. It instills a sense of belonging. A home doesn’t have to be a specific dwelling, for it has many different definitions and meanings for each individual. What is universal is the feelings one receives when they are in their home. It is a place that protects them from the struggles and obstacles that life inevitably thrusts onto people. It is a safe haven. For me this particular feeling is bestowed upon me every time I step foot into my grandparent’s house. My grandparent’s house is my home and it will forever fill me with the unconditional love, happiness and security that my family has given my entire life. My heart is there.

If someone were to talk about a “home”, there could be many different things that would come to mind. Home is defined as “a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household” (“Home”). Depending on the person and the type of environment they grew up in, you would most certainly get many different answers. In my opinion, home isn't just a place that you live in, but a place of peace and acceptance, and a place that you share with your family. A good, simple quote that represents this is “home is where the heart is”-Pliny the Elder (“Home Quotes”). There are many aspects of a home that can all play a role on your very own personal identity, like concrete things such as the building itself and the geographical location, to even the more mental things such as the social environment in your household. Everything that makes up the environment of your home, plays a very big role in the way it shapes your life and personal identity.

Home has an elastic definition that changes depending on the person. Home, to me, can be anywhere in the world as long as you are with the people you care about most. As toddlers may seek comfort with a stuffed animal or blanket, I find the comfort of home through my GoPro. A GoPro is a type of camera that is small, durable, and has a plethora of attachments. When the first version was released, I wanted one to capture the action footage of my life. Finally, I saved enough money to purchase one of my own. I bought the GoPro because I love spending time with my family and friends while taking part in thrilling and exciting experiences together. Spending moments, like those, with the people you love is what home is about. After receiving the GoPro, I was filled with excitement to be able to start capturing my adventures. Ultimately, wherever I am, I am likely to be found with the GoPro, for it provides me with comfort knowing I have the ability to capture the irreplaceable and priceless memories of the people I love.

It is where I grew up at, and where I became me. I believe that home is more than four walls and a roof. Home is an environment. It’s a feeling that I get when I walk through the front door. Home is where I became myself, not primarily physically but mentally too. It became a mold that formed who I am today. Home is my childhood, and my memories it means family and friends, and all the times we spent together.

For many home could be defined as the physical spaces we inhabit. However, for others home is defined in a deeper level that relates to the relationships we have or want to have with people. Home could be categorized in micro and macro levels. The micro level could reflect on the immediate situation in where we find ourselves such as the terrestrial space where we dwell in, the people we live with, etc. On the other hand, in the macro level home may perhaps refer to a broader idea of self that characterize us, such as the country we come from, the culture we were brought up in, etc. While the meaning of the word home is relative and based on personal opinions, architecture is a tool that could help us create an identity of what we consider home to be since it reflects physical, historical, and social conditions of the physical reality we live in. I live in the 7th floor of an apartment building with my family. Although this type of housing is quite common in this area, our home has some peculiar features that I have discovered recently. Because of its placement and small architectural cues this residence acts like a physical bookmark of a period in New York’s history that I have only recently been able to register and appreciate thanks to my newfound architectural knowledge.