Home

dusk, the sky a pinched pink and amber intertwining twilight. there is a slight chill to the air but burst of warmth eminate from peeking rays of sunlight. from behind, the gloriously bright waking sun chases me as i make my way on foot to the old town shrine. the road has been blocked for the occasion and traffic diverted. the gentle morning breeze makes my dress billow as my feet hurry in stride. a quarter past four in the morning and the town and its locals, not to mention a handful of random foreigners are up and about for the occasion. i arive at my destination delighted at the sea of people that have showed up for such a simple practice of sport.

only a few years ago, i would not think to call this dusty, old fassioned place my home. but now i take every opportunity to gloat about what a beautiful place i am honored to live in. my home, all its people, the rural, provincial feel of it, everything my senses are allowed to take in makes a smile play in the corners of my mouth. i'm glad upon hearing birds chirping, cocks crowing, dogs barking, and locals chatting in their dialect (which surprisingly for others, i can understand as well as speak). over friendly locals bid me good morning as i pass them by. more often than not, they are amused to see a tall, pale skinned, light haired girl walking the streets among them.

I love to walk. for me, walking is a method of apreciation. how else can you realy feel the vibe, the aura of a place if not to walk through it. it was how the nomads traveled before man became lazy and wanted to save more time traveling. it was also a good form of excersize. when transportational vehicles came, man grew fat and lost stamina as well became impatient, and the trecherous results of that is the smog, traffic and noise polution that the invention contributed to the world. but still, ah the glory of walking...

i cant realy put a peg on the actual emotion coursing through me. i feel it from my chest, the epicenter of it, to my fingers and toes. Awe, sublime, exitement, happiness, gratitude, love. either one of which, or a combination of all. i am overflowing with gratitude to God. thankful to have been given the chance to live amongst good hearted and friendly people, to walk amongst a comunity i adore, to practice my God given crafts with the likes of both students and proffessionals, and to connect daily with deviating minds of people from far corners of the world.

this is what i feel towards that which i now can call home. after two years here, learning, working, having fun, bonding, falling down then getting up and dusting myself off, hurting, loving, and last but not least growing inside and out, i know i now belong. not just here where i now live, but from now on everywhere. you can make any place into a home, but what realy makes a place are its people. as they say, home is where the heart is. we just have to keep in mind that we have to keep our hearts with us wherever we go because using them makes both ourselves and others happy. we are made to love. and i love my home...