Life Down Under

Is This Home, or Just Where I Live?

I've been thinking recently about what it is about a place that makes it home. Or, perhaps it might be more accurate to say that I'm really wondering if New Zealand will ever feel like home, and if so, how long it will take for it to feel that way. I've heard myself saying occasionally, "I miss home....." Which is what got me to thinking....funny how Kansas City is still referred to as "home", even I don't live there anymore. I guess it has to do with a lot of things - friends are still there, family is there, and of course, it represents everything familiar and nothing foreign. It's amazing how much our country of origin is such a part of who we are - a part of us that can never be changed or altered. At the very core of my being, I am American. Although I can adopt new world views or new ways of doing things, I can never be kiwi. And I imagine that I will always feel most at home and most comfortable when in America or amongst Americans. Who knows. Maybe in several years I'll prove my own theories wrong, but that's just how it feels now. It's funny how simply being from a certain physical location affects so much of who we are and what our life looks like - and defines our concept of "home".

So, the questions remains. Will New Zealand ever feel like home? What is it about a place that makes it home? Will I always feel like a foreigner living in a strange land? I suppose I always will ~ until I step into that glorious realm called 'eternity' and find that I really am a citizen of another country.......