Yearning for Distance and Homesickness: Where is My Home?
It might be the place where we grew up or where we feel comfortable right now – home is where we find ourselves a part of something more than just an address. In our twenties, we often find ourselves navigating the constant change of new universities, jobs, and friends. But how can we find a place that feels more than just a stop on the journey?
Artwork by Alina Uhrich, Icon by Elizaveta Schefler
According to Oxford Languages, home is a "country, region, or place where one is born and raised, or where one feels a sense of belonging through frequent residence." Simple enough, right? But what happens when home becomes something else entirely?
Home. A word that resonates in all of us in different ways, be it comfort, safety, a mere location on a map, or a distant memory. Some of us return again and again to our hometown or childhood home. Others leave behind their roots in pursuit of new horizons, opportunities, and identities.
Lea, aged 26, puts it simply: "The future worries me - where I'll end up. What will my home be? Will I feel at home there?"
Home in Transition
It can't simply be our fault for leaving, can it? Yet, staying put was never really an option, as Lea found out. She believes there's a clear difference between home and homeland: "Even if I feel at home in my homeland, that doesn't automatically mean that my home also has to be my homeland."
Despite my fondness for my homeland, I need the freedom to forge my own path, to discover new places, to meet new people and learn, step by step, who I truly am.
More Than Just a Place
Distance can cause pain, but it also nurtures hope that the new will feel as comfortable as home. A sense of home is created by familiarity and joy – feelings often inextricably linked to the people who share that space with us. It can blossom anywhere – in a hometown, a shared apartment, a holiday resort, at our grandparents' house, at friends' place, or even in a foreign city. What home means and where we find it is a personal decision for each of us.
So, is Hamburg my home for life? Honestly, I couldn't say for sure. The future holds many unknowns, and circumstances can change at any moment. Life will always present new challenges, new questions, and many phases in which I'll question if I have all that I need, if I really belong.
Feeling at Home Anywhere
It's okay to feel comfortable somewhere and still miss it, to be happy and still have a sense of longing. Perhaps that's the key: recognizing that home isn't a fixed location, but a feeling that grows and changes with us, shaped by the memories we create, the people we meet, and the experiences we share. And that can happen in many, many places, making our hearts feel at home in the most unexpected corners of the world.
Written by Annika Eifert
Lea, 26, said: "The future worries me - where I'll end up. What will my home be? Will I feel at home there?"
The Series
We've been talking to people under 30 about what's on their minds, and dedicating a series to each topic. This week, we're discussing Lea's question about finding a home. Check back here on the website every Thursday for a new episode in the series.
A study by researchers at Jacobs University has found that Heimatverbundenheit (sense of homeland) in Germany is high, with a score of 72 out of 100. Heimatverbundenheit strengthens social cohesion and increases overall life satisfaction, particularly among people with a migrant background. Factors such as stability, low population density, and economic structure significantly influence it.
It's completely normal to struggle to find that sense of home sometimes – especially during times of upheaval, when jobs, people, or even ourselves change. Our needs, values, and priorities evolve as we age.
Where My Heart Lives
Is Hamburg my home forever? I can't say for certain right now. For the moment, though, I'd say yes. But life has a way of changing things, and the answer can change at any time. There will always be phases in which I wonder if I have everything I need and if I truly belong.
It's okay to feel comfortable somewhere and still feel a sense of longing. We can be happy and still be homesick. Perhaps that's the secret: understanding that home is not a fixed location, but a feeling that grows and evolves with us – shaped by the memories we create, the people we meet, and the experiences we share. And the heart can find a home in many, many places.
Artwork by Alina Uhrich, Icon by Elizaveta Schefler
Lea, aged 26, ponders, "Will I feel at home there?" In the journey of self-discovery and personal growth, one may find a sense of home not only in a lifestyle but also in education-and-self-development experiences, as these offer opportunities to shape who we are and where we feel at home. Similarly, nurturing a home-and-garden can provide a space for reflection and the cultivation of a feeling of belonging.
Despite the temporary nature of homeland not necessarily equating a home, education-and-self-development and home-and-garden endeavors can help individuals establish roots and forge a lifestyle fostering their sense of personal-growth and home.
