A Sense of Home

Home is not just pho or rice paper rolls

Or the textures of fresh herbs and crispy red shallots

Or even the taste of lemongrass infused in our palettes

It’s even subtler than the crunch of bread rolls, or elephant ear stem in our sweet and sour tomato soup broth

Home to many people like me or my family

May contain smells of fish sauce and pungent spices - to our senses not domineering

Sometimes it’s the case, when its durian but other smells spread beyond the kitchen

It’s also in our memories or the peace we feel from the hint of incense lingering when we do our honouring

Beyond food, home is where you hear spontaneous karaoke, sad ballads and your native tongue spoken

A language you think sounds melodic, beautiful, poetic and warm

Despite not necessarily knowing every word said, you savour the sentiment of benevolence and harmony

Sometimes love emanating from the warmth of the voice is just as sweet as it is soothing

See home is the little things you cannot see at first, such as the sacred;

The unseen paths of our ancestors for which we continue on and give reverence

Or of traditions and stories shared across generations to which we give remembrance of thing past

And existing beyond the confines of imperialism, communism or any isms that tore us apart or led us to war and to seek refuge

Sometimes our homes are not within reach or no longer exist -sometimes we must uproot in order to find sustenance

It can unsettle us to move away from what we know and our comforts

Some only consider home a place to live, or a place where we spend most of our lives

How could it then not be important to have a space to which we can always come to be ourselves and to thrive

For home is of many things all at once; taste, smells, sounds, sights, touch - a delicate balancing

Beyond the touch of comfort and familiarity, is a place to be yourself and the sense of security - to not take for granted such faculties

You can construct a house in any way and anywhere you want it and not ever feel at home or any sense of belonging

For home is not just where we reside, home is a place that nourishes us and more importantly, it's a space that gives us a chance of truly flourishing