Opetusmateriaalit: valmistava opetus

 What is home?

The meaning of home varies for different people and at different stages of life. The concept of home can change depending on circumstances, and sometimes it can be found in surprising places. When I moved to Finland and my living environment changed completely, I was left wondering: what really is home?

For many, home is made by its physical features. The physical aspects of a home reflect a person’s personality, life situation, and lifestyle. This is visible, for example, in interior decoration: photographs, keepsakes, and furniture make the space personal. Location and surroundings also play an important role – nearby communities and services, such as the local grocery store or a football field, can be things that make a place feel like home.

For others, the more abstract qualities of home are more important. Home is a safe haven, a place for relaxation and presence. It is a place where one can be entirely oneself and express emotions. Home is associated with warmth, safety, and closeness. For many, home does not mean just four walls and a roof – home can also be another person. It can be family, a partner, a friend, or a pet that evokes the feeling of home. Home is often found in everyday moments: eating together, laughter, and conversations. Memories and experiences connected to certain places and people also make a home special.

The experience of home is always subjective and changes over time. A person can have many homes at different stages of life. For most, the childhood home remains one of the most important, even if they live elsewhere. Others carry with them several homes from different countries and cultures – each one equally meaningful.

I, too, have more than one home. I was born in Nepal and spent the first years of my childhood there. Nepal will forever be a home in my heart, and the warm welcome from my relatives always makes returning there special. Joensuu holds a special significance, as it was my first encounter with Finland. It was the place I began to call home when I understood the deeper meaning of the word. Helsinki is also one of my homes, because my parents live there. At the moment, however, Kuopio feels most strongly like home – it is the first place where I have lived on my own.

It is important to remember that the feeling of home is not self-evident. For immigrants, turning a new place into a home can be especially challenging. Adapting to a new culture takes time, and that is why it is important that society and local people help them feel welcome. A kind word, practical help in daily life, or an invitation to shared moments can be decisive in when a strange place begins to feel like home. It benefits both the individual and society when a person feels they belong somewhere.

It can therefore be said that home can be a physical or a mental space, but most often it is a combination of both. The feeling of home arises from the environment, from people, and from personal meanings. Home is the heart of society, and it can be anywhere one feels they belong. When a person has found their safe haven, it reflects on everything else in life.

Aayush Khadka