Written by Reena Amon

If I ask “What does home look like for you?”, I’d expect many to describe the roof they grew up under with others describing that in detail—snuggled up in their favorite blanket with an episode from their favorite series (mine would be Big Bang Theory). While some might say they find home away from home—in the arms of another person, walking through the halls of their college, sharing laughs with friends, or describing it as the spot in their favorite coffee shop.

Home is subjective. It’s where each individual finds solitude and rest. Home is ever-changing. What we think of it changes with us as we grow and mature. Home is you. How you define home defines the person you are.

Now that we’re eight months into quarantine, let me reminisce with you how I define home to be pre-Covid. Home was the train ride during my daily commute to school. Despite the crowded carriages packing more people than it should, I’d patiently wait until I get to sit. That’s where it happens—I put on my earphones, play a track from Taylor Swift’s Lover album, and stare outside the window or observe the different faces and the lives they live. It was bliss for me to be on that train with good music.

Then… Ms. Rona came. We all had no choice but to wander around the walls we wake up to every. single. day. If that ever made you feel drained and tired, acknowledge that. Let it pass your mind as it is—an emotion. You don’t have to label it as good nor bad. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling what is simply an emotion. Nevertheless, I hope that being stuck in your house made you find the project you’ve been putting off, got you more time to exercise and take care of your body, or finally finishing the book you’ve spent months reading. Before, we’d find home far from home. But now with a pandemic, I hope you were able to find a home inside your home.

Covid-19 has made us rethink and reshape our notion of a home. Yet I look forward to when I’ll be able to share some laughs in the halls of Rizal, sit at my favorite coffee shop corner to study, and watch buildings pass by.

I end this piece with an excerpt from Frank T. McAndrew Ph.D.’s definition of a home:

“Home” is the place where you feel in control and properly oriented in space and time; it is a predictable and secure place. In the words of poet Robert Frost, “Home is the place that, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” In short, “home” is the primary connection between you and the rest of the world.

Who, what, or where is your home?