Leaving Home?
In 10 hours we’ll be on a plane leaving Venezuela. Over the last week I’ve answered the “where are you going for vacation question” dozens of times. Sometimes thought, the question is more specific: “Are you going home this summer?” I always answer yes to that question. But is it true?
As I look at our apartment of the last two years, all the boxes packed up, ready to move to a new apartment up the hill, the questions come easily. Is Caracas our home? Is Seattle our home? Does it matter that we came to Caracas knowing that we would leave in x number of years? Is the answer more evasive because we don’t own a house? In 10 hours, are we leaving home, or are we going home?
I don’t intend to ramble off into a lengthy philosophical examination of the nature of home, however, our family has arrived at a new reality. Certainly this reality and these questions are shared by many international teachers.
A part of this new reality is that we have had a wonderful year in Caracas. Kat and I have both grown tremendously as teachers — just one of a hundred items to add to the positive column, which, no matter what you hear on the news, still outweighs the negative column. We’re happy to leave for a couple months, but we’ll also be happy to come back for another school year.
As for the home question, I don’t really need an answer, but at least once a week Graham reminds us that “we live in Seattle, we’re just visiting Caracas for a very long time…like a few years.” I have to say, I usually believe him.
Fino Cambur 