Home Sweet Home

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It doesn't take long to adjust. As soon as I hear the wheels screech and feel the pounce of the plane connecting with the ground, it's as if every stress, worry, burden, or fear is released from my body. A lighter me steps off that plane and suddenly my heart beats a little faster. My smile is something I no longer control. My soul breathes a sigh of relief and says, finally we are home.



What is it about one country, one city that can hold such power over me? I have been trying to answer that question for 10 years. It's actually what people ask me all the time, and my answer of "everything" usually doesn't provide any clarity into this place that holds the key to my heart. But, it is everything. It is the people, the food, the ambiance, the carefree attitude. It is the love you see everywhere you look - between friends, family, and lovers. It is the ridiculousness of inconveniences and seemingly old-fashioned way of doing things. It truly is everything. But I guess really it comes down to this - I strongly believe that every one of us has a place in which we truly feel at home. A place that feels so right our entire body seems to fill up with a feeling of happiness and tranquility. A place that gives us chills, that we love passionately. Some of us have discovered it and we are already there, some of us have yet to find it, and some of us know it but we can't quite get there yet. I guess that's the best answer I can give. To me, this is home.

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