“There’s No Place Like Home”: Are you sure about that

Don’t get me wrong, there is no greater feeling than being at home: your own sanctuary and

safe space. But what if your perception of home is different to what it “should be”. What if

you’re a uni student who actually feels more at home in your student house, or multiple

places feel like home for you?

That's a completely natural feeling but sometimes it can make us feel weird, or ungrateful.

I’m sure I'm not the first one to admit that returning to the family home in the Summer after a year at university is strange; that may even be an under statement.

My university city, without a doubt, is my place. It’s the first place I’ve lived independently

and have genuinely grown and learnt so much in the two years I have been there. There are

so many places: from street art, to pubs, to parks and bodies of water that I have attached

so many memories too: both positive and negative.

So, when I come back to a pretty barren town slap in the middle of Essex and East London,

am I supposed to forget this other place that I live in for the majority of each year? The place

where my best friends are; where my studies are; where my career is starting. Am I

supposed to regress back to that 14 year old that stayed indoors and read to escape being

seen in the high street? The kid who has to answer to parents and adhere to meal times?

Well, that is what it feels like.

But you know what, if you can live in multiple places: you can also have multiple homes.

Each of mine has a different function. My childhood home will always be the place I grew up;

where I was cared for and where I spoke my first words - something that can never be

forgotten. However, my uni city is mine: not because I was put there but because I chose to

go there and make it mine. There is nothing wrong with having multiple homes that have

different meanings to you; it is natural and you never know, you may have a new home to

find and discover in the future!

Written by, Charley Sands