HOME IS WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE
“Here in Italy, people say, ‘home is where mama is’,” says my Florentine tour guide with a laugh. He had worked in London for five years, and had felt dislocated living and working among strangers.
On the other end of the spectrum is global strategy adviser Parag Khanna, an Indian American, who shuttles between Singapore and Berlin equally at ease in either country, as fluent in English as he is in German. A global citizen, home is where he makes it to be.
Truth is, if you live somewhere long enough, lay down roots and develop an emotional and social connection with the local milieu, you have in effect created your own home. Dorothy wouldn’t have clicked her red shoes, thinking of Kansas, if she had married the wizard of Oz.
This month, we turn our focus on the idea of home and family, the type that has less to do with biological links than a spiritual connection. In the feature My Tribe, My Family, page 34, individuals talk about bonding over shared passions, about choosing their own families in spirit. There are many ways to belong, and the results can only be enriching.
JENNIFER CHEN
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PHOTOGRAPHY ZAPHS ZHANG ART DIRECTION DENISE REI LOW STYLING GRACE LIM HAIR VERONICA NG, FROM KIMAGE MAKEUP SOPHIA CHIA CLOTHES COTTON SHIRT, FROM CAROLINA HERRERA
