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I probably lived in more than 20 places between birth and age eight. Then I moved to Japan, an interesting but deeply dislocating experience. Although there had never been any one house I could think of as home, I wanted to come home to my country...but when I moved back at age 13, I found the "home" I had looked forward to returning to was gone because the culture had changed dramatically. Since moving out of my mother's house at 17, I've lived in another 30 places or so. My mother actually moved more frequently than I did, so her house was never even remotely close to "home" for me. There has never been any one residence I thought of as home; home is where I'm living right now.
So I don't feel like I've lost my sense of home because I've never really had one. If anything, I guess the town I live in (and this state overall) is home to me and that actually counts for a lot.
I live in a college town and I'm always really confused when I hear people talk about "going home for the holidays." It just doesn't compute for me - where is it that you go at the end of the day then if not home? I honestly can't begin to imagine what it must be like to have some place other than where you live, that you can go to and feels like home.
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