Home?
As a young adult in college, the concept of "home" is blurred. Even before going off to school, I never had a great answer for "where are you from?" Granted I was born in Germany, I have family in Germany, I am a German citizen, but I did not spend much time there. I spent most of my upbringing in Switzerland, yet I don't relate to the Swiss, I'm not a Swiss citizen, and (even though I should) I don't know much about the Swiss culture.
I have grown the most while living in the US (thanks to puberty), I have most of my family in the US, and I've made amazing friends here in the last nine years. Now that I'm down in California, I feel a divide again. I am continually maturing, making new friends, and I spend most of the year in California. So, yes, it is my "home," but Washington is what really has my heart.
As you can see its a confusing situation, that even I don't have all the answers for.
I spent my winter break in two places, both of which I consider my home in some aspect.
The first two weeks of my break where comprised of working full-time at BayPhoto in Santa Cruz. (If you're ever looking for sick metal prints check them out here). I had so much fun on the production line working on a multitude of different projects, and I actually looked forward to going in to work (crazy, I know).
And while I've never lived in Santa Cruz ever, my parents and I would go to visit at least once a year the first ten years of my life. I have memories of riding the Dragon Ride and Caveman Ride at the Boardwalk, spending hours at Blue Balls Park and climbing on the monkey bars, and going out to eat at El Palomar. I've always felt like a part of who I am is in Santa Cruz (maybe it's because my mom lived there for so long, and showed me local sites that tourists don't think to see).
Now for some pictures:
Note: I went to work at 6:30 am and would come back around 4:30-5:00 pm, so I worked the same hours as the sun, which I really didn't mind as I got to look at these beautiful sunrises and sunsets. And yes, I had to include pictures of dogs because dogs are great.
The other two weeks of my break were spent in Washington. I had the opportunity to reconnect with friends, spend quality time with family, read more than I have read in months, and catch up on sleep. There's something about Washington that warms my heart. Maybe it is the mountains that you can see from almost anywhere in Kitsap, maybe its the green that covers most of the landscape, or it's the clear blue water that brings life to ferrys and fish.
I guess I am having a mini identity crisis, as the place that used to be my home is now a "vacation spot," and a place I've known for a little over a year is now my home. That the people who used to occupy my life are people I see once every couple of months; further, they're not the same people with whom I spent so much time because we've all grown and changed so much in such a small amount of time. In High School when school took up most of our days, we were around each other so often that we barely had anything to talk about because we watched it happen, we witnessed each other grow everyday that we didn't even notice we were all changing. Now, we don't have anything to talk about because we don't know where to start, and we know that the other person can't relate since they don't know our friends and life.
This isn't to say that I'm not friends with people from High School; it's more to say that those moments I get to spend with my High School friends are cherished because I can see how much everyone has grown and changed, and soon we will all go back to living our separate lives.
I guess I'm still trying to find my home in this world, but one thing I can say for certain: Growing up is weird.
Much love to all,
Ella
I have grown the most while living in the US (thanks to puberty), I have most of my family in the US, and I've made amazing friends here in the last nine years. Now that I'm down in California, I feel a divide again. I am continually maturing, making new friends, and I spend most of the year in California. So, yes, it is my "home," but Washington is what really has my heart.
As you can see its a confusing situation, that even I don't have all the answers for.
I spent my winter break in two places, both of which I consider my home in some aspect.
The first two weeks of my break where comprised of working full-time at BayPhoto in Santa Cruz. (If you're ever looking for sick metal prints check them out here). I had so much fun on the production line working on a multitude of different projects, and I actually looked forward to going in to work (crazy, I know).
And while I've never lived in Santa Cruz ever, my parents and I would go to visit at least once a year the first ten years of my life. I have memories of riding the Dragon Ride and Caveman Ride at the Boardwalk, spending hours at Blue Balls Park and climbing on the monkey bars, and going out to eat at El Palomar. I've always felt like a part of who I am is in Santa Cruz (maybe it's because my mom lived there for so long, and showed me local sites that tourists don't think to see).
Now for some pictures:
Note: I went to work at 6:30 am and would come back around 4:30-5:00 pm, so I worked the same hours as the sun, which I really didn't mind as I got to look at these beautiful sunrises and sunsets. And yes, I had to include pictures of dogs because dogs are great.
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| The sweetest puppies: Rocky and Ellie. Reminded me a lot of my dogs back home. |
The other two weeks of my break were spent in Washington. I had the opportunity to reconnect with friends, spend quality time with family, read more than I have read in months, and catch up on sleep. There's something about Washington that warms my heart. Maybe it is the mountains that you can see from almost anywhere in Kitsap, maybe its the green that covers most of the landscape, or it's the clear blue water that brings life to ferrys and fish.
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| The hummingbird that visits our house everyday |
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| Just in time for Christmas |
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| A signed Anthony Bourdain cookbook |
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| His drink matched his jacket |
I guess I am having a mini identity crisis, as the place that used to be my home is now a "vacation spot," and a place I've known for a little over a year is now my home. That the people who used to occupy my life are people I see once every couple of months; further, they're not the same people with whom I spent so much time because we've all grown and changed so much in such a small amount of time. In High School when school took up most of our days, we were around each other so often that we barely had anything to talk about because we watched it happen, we witnessed each other grow everyday that we didn't even notice we were all changing. Now, we don't have anything to talk about because we don't know where to start, and we know that the other person can't relate since they don't know our friends and life.
This isn't to say that I'm not friends with people from High School; it's more to say that those moments I get to spend with my High School friends are cherished because I can see how much everyone has grown and changed, and soon we will all go back to living our separate lives.
I guess I'm still trying to find my home in this world, but one thing I can say for certain: Growing up is weird.
Much love to all,
Ella
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