I moved to Daegu just over 8 months ago. Â I came from a small town in Florida where my parents were living. Â It never really felt like it would be my permanent home, but I knew the area well. Â My parents grew up there, I visited my grandparents there all my life, and I still had other family there so it did feel comfortable to be there. Â To me home was always Texas. Â That is where I grew up and where I lived most of my adult life. Â For the past 2 years I have felt like a man without a home (which is why my original blog was titled A Man Nowhere – that and I love the Beatles song Nowhere Man). Â However, even though I felt I didn’t have a permanent place to call home, I felt at home in Florida. Â Now things have changed and I feel again like I have no place to call home.
You see my parents sold their house and are moving.
I knew this was a possibility, but really didn’t expect it to happen this soon. Â I am really happy for them because I know it’s what they wanted for some time now. Â They will be closer to some of the grandkids which is always a plus. Â I think they are really going to like where they are going in Tennessee, but it’s a strange feeling for me. Â Now don’t get me wrong I don’t want to live the rest of my life with my parents. Â But being overseas and doing what I am doing now, I know there will come a time when I might be home for a few months while I am waiting on that next contract. Â To not be able to go somewhere familiar is just a strange feeling. Â I don’t view it as a bad thing, but I don’t think I have gotten my head around it all yet.
I really like the feeling of being overseas working and traveling, and I know I am not ready to give it up just yet. Â Having that familiar place to go back home to for a short time while I get things worked out for my next contract was always a comforting thought in the back of my mind. Â Now it’s gone.
It’s not something I will lose sleep over, and maybe it was just the initial shock which might wear down in the long run. Â There is an element of excitement knowing I have the chance to go somewhere new when I go home, but I am also going to miss parts of the area they are leaving. Â Maybe it’s all the different emotions and the loss of the familiar combined that give it such a weird feeling.
I honestly don’t know if anyone can even understand what I am talking about either. Â If anyone out there has been in this situation or even can understand what my rambling means, please let me know. Â It would be comforting knowing I am not the only one out there.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
you won’t miss anything here, Eric.
My parents did the same thing, but they moved back to a city where we lived through part of my youth. When people ask, I call Florida home, because I went to HS, Uni, and Grad School there. But, my family is spread out, so I really feel like I have more than one home…
It’s not that I will miss anything. It’s that now there is really nothing familiar to go home to which is just a strange feeling.
I always say Texas is my home even though I haven’t lived there for over 2 years. It was where I grew up and will always be home to me. My family used to be even more spread out but now it seems slowly everyone is getting closer, except me.