Title courtesy of Richard
Our new home |
Richard and
Marianne have been living in the UAE for about fifteen years now. The other day Marianne said to me they are
going home for the holidays. Home, for
them, still is South Africa, after all these years. Another dear friend of mine, Tani - previously
from across the hall, now from across the world - said to me one sunny Friday
afternoon that she’s going home for the weekend; she hopes she doesn’t get lost
- she’s never been there. Her parents
moved to Jeffrey’s Bay, and for her, home was where her parents were.
During my years
in boarding school, I remember watching people through my bedroom window jogging
in the streets below, thinking - they’re going home. Although I returned to my parents’
home from time to time, it never quite felt like home. My life since school pretty much kept me
moving, never staying in one place for long enough for it to become home. There were places I've slept, places I've lived
in, decorated, even renovated, but nothing has ever felt like home. Or has it?
Am I looking at the wrong definition of home?
Complete with opulent staircase :) |
I’m not sure
the living in one place thing has ever really had great appeal for me. It's hard to explain:
One of the most interesting couples I’ve ever come across was on bicycles
in Sinai. They met while they were
cycling from two different parts of the globe, he from India and she from Sweden. They travelled together for a while, eventually
fell in love, married while ‘on the road’ and when I met them they had a five
year old daughter. Yes, she was born
while they were travelling and have been travelling with them for all her
life. They were thinking (I almost want
to say sadly) of settling down when I met them, in order for their daughter to
attend school.
That, I think
is my ideal: to travel with the ones I
love, having the world as my home, the important thing being the fact that we
are together – SHARING LIFE. And that is
what we are doing. It is not always easy
– but the worthwhile things aren't, are they?
So from home to home we live, sharing life. Our home for this part of the journey turned
out to be this enormous villa: Lots of
potential for living, for being happy.
We have to create it, for creating our own happinesses is such an
integral part of living a good life.
When we left
Dubai the previous time, not sure if we’re ever coming back, we went to my
parents’ home, where they took us in, gave us shelter and comfort, looked after
us and helped us get strong. Yes, then
we were home, and now, we are busy making another home. We have tried to settle down for so long now;
when we returned from Dubai early 2003/4 our children were around five, we
wanted to settle down then, so that they can have the stability of one school in
one town. It didn't work. In Hopefield I even planted a tree, hoping
that those roots will be able to keep me there, but it didn't. It is just not in our makeup - I think.
Marble floors all over - this is the landing - possibly breakfast room - upstairs |
Perhaps this
time we’ll be able to stay, if not for ever, for a long while at least. We’ve received our residency visas today; we
just have to do a visa run to Oman for it to become official. And then, at
least on paper, we will be residents.
res·i·dent/ˈrez(ə)dənt/
Noun: A person who lives somewhere
permanently or on a long-term basis.
Adjective: Living somewhere on a
long-term basis.
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