When we are asked where do we call home, it is usually answered with a location, whether it would be a street, state, or even country. This is usually what many people say, but is home truly a location, or is it more? Home to me is more than a location; it is something you can not see, but only feel. Home is somewhere I feel accepted, loved, and cared for. It is not a place, but it is people that care for me, love me, accept me for who I am. It is all of these things and even more. I have three different homes that I know will always be my home.
The first home I have is the one I grew up with: my family. The people in my family are my home, not a place where I grew up in. My mother, my two little sisters, and my little brother have always been my home, and I went many years without knowing this. I have moved many times in my 21 years of life and was never able to have a consistent answer to where my home is. The only accurate answer I could give is the United States; and that still was not the answer I wanted to give. After years trying to figure out where I can call home, I realized it is not a place but rather the people I care for and who care for me as well. My family is my first real home I understood to be my true consistent home. Once I had my answer to where my home is, I was still not prepared when I came to the University of La Verne. Here I found two new homes in two different ways.
The first home I made at the University of La Verne is in the dorm I live in today. The roomates I have in my dorm slowly but surely became my second home I began to know. These wonderful ladies did not just give me some of their time but gave me the feeling of acceptance. This home was very unexpected because my last roommates when I had did not become my home but suite 411 contains my second home. After spending time with these ladies I grew to care for them as if we were long lost cousins that had no idea of each other and by chance we become reunited together here. They care very deeply for me and help me get through a stressful week of finals and stayed up with me as I finished homework. They were there for me and I was always there for them as well.
My third home I made was very unexpected as well, maybe (at first) the last place I would even call home. I had never seen myself joining a sorority, but this semester I decided to try to be part of Greek Life. I was nervous, but the idea of a sisterhood caught my eye–even though I already sisters, it seemed that a sorority would offer a different sister relationship. My sisters and I are not very close in age: we range from eleven to thirteen years apart; and my brother and I are nineteen years apart. I did not have that one person to grow up with and tell all my secrets to. It was hard to make friends when I was young, so I saw joining a sorority as a new attempt to make friends. But I was wrong. I did not just gain friends: I gained sisters, a family, a new place to call home in Alpha Omicron Pi. As soon as I accepted their bid, they became my new home. We have not spent much time together, yet I instantly became very close with them. They accepted me, care for me, and even love me as their sister. With the short time I have spent with them, we’ve had so many laughs and got to learn much about each other.
These three homes I have will always be my home, even if we all go our separate ways. I know we will still try to reach out to each other and meet up to reconnect. Over time, no one truly knows how many homes they will have by the end of their life. So far I have three amazing homes: my family, my roommates, and my AOII sisters. And who knows how many more homes I will have? Again, when you think of a home it is not a location, building, or structure but the people who accept you, care for you, and even love you. My family, my roommates, and my AOII sisters do all these three things for me, and I accept them, care for them and even love them all. I can truly say I love all of these people in my three homes.