HOME IS WHERE MY HEART IS

I was born and raised in New York. In 1997 my parents decided to relocate our family to Helsinki, Finland. Leaving the ONLY country I knew as home was terrifying and settling in to a new one was hard as hell. I didn't speak any Finnish and being accepted was difficult.

I often hear ''kids settle in anywhere and adapt well to change when they're young'', and I do agree with that on some level, but I think it's easier for kids who have experience of doing that since birth.
I was nine years old when we moved across the Atlantic Ocean and it was a shocking experience in every way, but the older I got, adapting got easier.

I continued elementary and middle school in an International class. I studied in English while learning Finnish as a second language. Finnish language is not the easiest to learn, and I remember starting to properly speak it around fourteen years of age. When I graduated middle school I continued studying but in a Finnish language school for a degree in hair and beauty. I met my husband while I was still in school, so we went through a long distance relationship for about two years. During that time I was traveling in and out of Finland to Italy and back. I never got tired of all the traveling though, because I loved being able to have the best of both countries. For the first time in years I felt an empty feeling being fulfilled.

After I graduated my husband asked me to move in with him to his current working country Ukraine. It wasn't a very hard decision to make, and not too long after I found myself on a flight to Kyiv with a oneway ticket in my bag. We lived in Ukraine for three years before moving to Russia. After which we spent three years in Kazan and two in Moscow. Certain circumstances forced us to move back to Finland for two years of which we spent six months of a total abroad in Spain and The United Arab Emirates.

You could move me to any country or city, I'm not saying I would necessarily like it, but I could definitely make it my home for the time needed. I consider Finland as some kind of home, but I think it's only because of the certain things I appreciate and miss there like:

- My blood related family.

- Clean and fresh tap water.

- Amazing food stores with large selections of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats and organic products.

- Fresh air and amazing outdoor activity options.

I'm turning thirty-one-years in fifteen days and I am blessed to say I have lived in seven different countries and nine cities so far! For someone that could be an exhausting experience, but I love it! I don't know if it has anything to do with my Romani blood or just the simple fact that I feel rootless. It took me years getting over being home sick. When I finally realized we were never moving back, I stopped obsessing over it, but it definitely left me feeling empty.
I don't know if this feeling will ever go away. Will I ever feel I have a home in one certain country? Will I always be this restless?

Only time will tell I guess, and until then I have no choice but to go with the flow and enjoy every country, temporary home and experience I get out of living in several different countries and cities!

Xoxo