A house arguably does not become a home until it is filled with items which are attached with symbolic meanings (see Domosh & Seager for a discussion on the topic of home and feminist geography). Yet the concept of home as a place can be understood at different scales- it does not necessarily need to be contained in one space, such as a house or apartment- rather the idea of home can be contained within oneself (body) or extended to country of birth, the possibilities abound. Athens, Ohio was my home.
It has been nearly a month since I made the epic journey across the states from Ohio to Texas. Life has kept me busy by throwing challenge after challenge my way. I am thankful to still have a strong network of friends and family around the US who have been able to help me get through this most recent string of challenges. Because truthfully, even the most independent of folks needs a little help every now and again.
Among my many challenges this month has been finding a new apartment. As it turns out, the house in which I am "living in" now is not quite what I had in mind. In short, my roommates and I have very different lifestyles when it comes to living with dogs so I am opting to move out. Which is unfortunate because both of my roommates are incredibly nice but as it stands, Nando and I cannot live according to the rules set in place. Thankfully, for the last couple of weeks I have been living at my advisor's apartment, watching her dogs, so Nando and I have been out of my roommates' hair if you will.
Sleeping in a real bed has been very nice. But because I am dog-sitting and also watching another professor's cat at another house I have been jumping from house to house on a daily basis. Add to that, the fact that I am living out of a suitcase and I occasionally have to go back to "my house" to pick up items, then mix into the equation work (yes, I am actually working in addition to dog-sitting and cat-sitting) and one could understand that I simply have not made a "home" for myself in Austin quite yet.
Admittedly, I miss Athens.
I miss being able to walk everywhere that I need to go. I miss running into folks I know at any given time/place. I miss taking Nando to the dog park and having conversations with other dog owners who pamper their dogs just as much as me. I miss being able to walk upstairs to have a heart-to-heart with my best friend or to walk just a couple houses down my street to enjoy tacos and hookah with my favorite doctors. I miss blowing off steam on the bike path or at the pond at SuBAMUH. I miss having friends for whom I can cook delicious meals. I miss hugs.
I miss many things.
But the truth is that the cultivation of community, friendship and love- key components of a home for me - takes time. As Terkenli (1995) discusses:
Historical time becomes the central dimension to the idea of home, because habits that repetitively unfold in specific contexts differentiate these locales or circumstances from the rest of the known world. Therein lies the meaning of home as "a place where every day is multiplied by all the days before it" (Tuan 1977, 144).
Notably, Yi Fu Tuan is also quoted in this little block of text defining home as, "a place where every day is multiplied by all the days before it". And so, as the days pass, I too will eventually come to know Austin as my home. I first need to find a space to call my own.
Apartment hunting at this point is slim pickin's. With such short notice, the school year fast approaching and a Nando dog (folks are anti-German Shepherd around here)- I have had a hard time finding any open apartments that will accept my application. There is one place that I have applied to that looks promising- keep your fingers crossed. With luck, I will be move into my new apartment on September 5th. As the school year begins and I settle into my apartment- into my own life (as opposed to the trans-local house-sitting life that is very much not my own), I will be able to establish my "routine" and surely Austin will begin to feel more like home. Naturally, along the way I imagine I will pick up a few new friends here and there.
As it stands, I have made a couple new friends so far. Most seem like fleeting acquaintances but a couple are definitely worth keeping around. We shall see where life takes us.
On that note, I need to be on my way- I have doggies to walk and a friend to meet.
Hasta luego.
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