My entry for CUHK's study abroad writing contest:
Moving to Hong Kong for my year abroad is a big step. Previously, I've done a summer away and I've been traveling by myself, but never for so long or so far. I'm not necessarily the kind of person who gets homesick, but I often find myself longing for the feeling of home, as opposed to 'home' as a place.
My 'physical house' home has family photos, my young-adult book collection, a piano I've serenaded and a bed I've slept in for years. Hometime here feels infinite. I'm surrounded by the smell of my mum's perfume, the sound of my sister's laughter and the warmth of my stepdad's cooking.
Music can add a good few hours onto this said hometime. I can listen to This Is the Day, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa or Mo 'Better Blues as many times as I can bear. I feel at home through the familiarity of the songs I've loved for years; I'm able to sing every word, hum every guitar riff and the improvised jazz solos are no longer spontaneous, but ingrained in my memory. All it takes for me to find this home in Hong Kong is a pair of headphones.
My over-worn clothing home can be found in my dungarees, 'Forrest Gump' trainers and old Bowie sweatshirt. I'm waiting for the weather to cool a bit more so I can slip back into these items here. As I fasten my dungarees I'll be reminded of the day I was gifted them - my eighteenth birthday - and think about how I had no idea I'd ever live in Asia two years later. Rolling the sleeves of my sweatshirt, I'll be back where I bought it at Reading Festival 2016, celebrating finishing GCSEs with my school friends. Scuffed and tatty, my trainers will be back on my feet. I'll know that their condition is due to all the dancing they've endured - many late nights at Casablancas and even more early mornings in the Patterns basement - so I'll try not to feel guilty about it.
Hometime can be extended by 128 minutes when I watch Dead Poets Society or 132 minutes if I decide I'm in the mood for Call Me by Your Name. (It can be stretched a lot longer if I want to consume the entire Before Trilogy or every episode of Parks and Rec.) I've brought these DVDs with me so I know I can escape the real world and immerse myself in the comfort of this 'home' feeling whenever I please.
My where-I-live home for the past two years has been Brighton - a place that I've been visiting since I was in primary school, but still excites me at 20 just as much as it did when I was 10. Hometime in the seaside city has seen what I view as the best two years of my life. I cried during my final few days there, I was heartbroken to leave and nervous I wouldn't like it over here.
Looking back to just a few months ago, I feel ridiculous. Since moving to Hong Kong, I have begun to make myself at home, just as I did in Brighton, just as I always do.
I've seen my favorite band at This Town Needs and felt a sense of home in the mutual admiration of Men I Trust. Audiences appreciate the performances more here, I notice - everyone sings along. Hometime felt nice beneath the swelling sounds or synth and sways of the crowd around me. I'm sure I'll have a similar feeling of home when I go to Clockenflap with friends I've met here.
I can tell Hong Kong is becoming my home because I can navigate around Mong Kok, use the minibuses and people don’t laugh at my chopstick skills too much anymore. I’m still working on the best way to slurp my noodles, but I know what I like when ordering Dim Sum and I already know that I’ll (really, really) miss sweet and sour pork when I leave. I’ve had to adapt my diet and cooking methods, but rather than pasta or a pie, a home-cooked student meal now looks like noodles with veg and dumplings.
I see bits of old friends in the new ones I’m making here too. That’s not to say anyone’s being replaced, but it is to say that the world is small and you’re never as lonely as you think you are. It hasn’t even been three months yet and I already know some of these people will be in my life for a long time. I’ve come to find home in myself and those around me here; when I was nervous I was told I’d find like-minded people in Hong Kong, and I definitely have. The comfort of being able to share my experiences with others emphasises just how at home I can feel here.
Although I may do my washing in the basement of my dorm building, I get that familiar whiff of freshly laundered linen as I hang my clothes to dry, it reminds me of lazy summer afternoons in my garden when I was younger. Hometime back then included running behind sheets on the washing line and tugging on my stepdad’s shirt sleeves as they billowed in the light breeze. Around this same age of six or seven, I loved the fair too – my favourite was always the one at Priory Park. A lot of the time, I was too scared to actually go on anything, but I remember being in awe of the flashing lights and bright colours. I began to enjoy bigger rides and roller-coasters when I was a few years older, and still love them now, but my favourite part about going continues to be the vibrant atmosphere. (I remembered this earlier on in the week at Ocean Park).
I suppose the main thing is that this is all teaching me, is that I can have much hometime as I like. It's up to me to craft the experiences that give me this feeling. Home to me has never really been about a certain space, but everything is packed within it.
Yazz James
