make yourself at home How moving residences infuences the way students view the concept of home

by katie myckatyn family room staff

Within a house, the family room is a nexus for interpersonal connection, recreation and a place for strengthening the bonds between people that love each other. The feelings it sparks often take credit for association with the connotation of “home.”

Alex Abreu

If one were to ask a room full of people what home is to them, they would be met with a wide variety of answers. For Pittsburgh-born senior Alex Abreu, nostalgic and familial memories take the cake. Certain motifs explain his sentiment perfectly.

“No matter where we live, when my mom cooks and I’m eating [her] food, it feels like home,” Abreu said. “It’s like no matter where we’ve been, we’ve been together and retained that familiarity. That’s

TOP LEFT: Senior Alex Abreu wears a Pittsburgh Steelers hat. Even now, he is still a Steelers fan. “Whenever I think about my childhood, it’s running around in my Pittsburgh backyard,” Abreu said. (Photo courtesy of Alex Abreu)

BOTTOM LEFT: Freshman Linnaea Ellis waves a Canadian fag with her brothers. She and her family celebrated Canada Day in Alberta while living in Squamish, British Columbia. “Living in so many different countries has been a really interesting experience,” Ellis said. (Photo courtesy of Linnaea Ellis)

RIGHT: Freshman Linnaea Ellis smiles with her mom and brothers in Hawaii. They lived on two different islands on three different occassions. “[Hawaii] has probably been my favorite place to live,” Ellis said. (Photo courtesy of Linnaea Ellis) home to me.”

Abreu, born in Pittsburgh, moved to Denver when he was 9 years old before making his way to St. Louis. To him, home equates to sentimental experiences and could potentially be anywhere.

“I feel as though it’s less about the actual house and more about where you feel the most comfortable at a given time,” Abreu said. “I’ve lived in three separate houses and I would consider them all home at different points in my life.”

Abreu places value on memories, and the house ties in as a package deal. The reasoning for his philosophy is likely the many times he has moved.

“I think people who have lived in the same house all their life put a lot of sentimental value on the neighborhood and on the house itself,” Abreu said. “I put a lot of that same sentimental value on the city of Pittsburgh, because most of my childhood memories are from there. When

I think of my childhood, I think of that house; however, the attachment isn’t to the building itself, it’s to the memories.”

In terms of the future, Abreu’s opinions on home remain on trend with familial connections.

“Even when I move out for college, my dorm is just a dorm, my home will still be where my family is,” Abreu said. “I place value on where my parents are, and eventually, they’re gonna retire and move away. Once we’re out of [our current house], if I come back here, I’m not going to have that same attachment. I’m gonna remember all the times that I had here, but it won’t feel like the place is mine anymore because it won’t be.”

Dawit Muluye

While Abreu has his own moving experience, his is only one perspective. Listening to sophomore Dawit Muluye, one is given a different point of view.

“To me, home is a place where you spend time with your family and friends,” Muluye said. “It’s where you make memories, that gives you serenity and relieves stress. Home is wherever you find it.”

Muluye’s personal definition of home stems from his history. Born in Akaki, Ethiopia, Muluye grew up in a multigenerational household, living with both his mother and grandmother after his father moved to the U.S. to start the process of getting the rest of the family over the Atlantic.

“In the beginning, we were moving around [Ethiopia] just looking for stuff,” Muluye said. “Then, my mom wanted to get a house, so we roamed around looking for a few years. Once we found one, it was only a year until we had to come [to America] to meet my dad. So we came over to the U.S., to Washington and then to St. Louis [because of] the education.”

Muluye’s childhood was most shaped by the people he spent it with. Each time he moved, Muluye would cultivate a new circle of friends, allowing him to feel more comfortable and relaxed in his new home. However, even with the happiness they provided, friendship during these times was a bittersweet experience.

“I had this one friend named Yared, and we were friends for years,” Muluye said. “The day that we moved, I forgot to tell him about it, and we barely got to say goodbye. I’m an only child so I’ve always latched on to my friends like brothers. As soon as I leave them, I just feel lonely again.”

Muluye’s idea of home is brought about by reminiscence, or certain memories feeling more like home than a specific house or apartment ever did. While the constant change in residence played a large part in the way Muluye grew up, the continuous affection of his family provided him with what felt like a normal childhood.

“Sometimes it hits me that [my interpretation] is probably different than the way that a lot of people think of home,” Muluye said. “But I don’t necessarily think that home is the place where you live or leave your stuff. Maybe it’s because of the way I grew up; however for me, it’s the people that I hang around with that really make me feel like I’m home.”

Linnaea Ellis

While the process of moving played a large role in the lives of both Abreu and Muluye, neither of them experienced it quite the same as freshman Linnaea Ellis.

Map Of Movement

Unpacking The Stats

“I was born in Kauai, and have lived in Oahu, Squamish, Dubai, Washington and now here,” Ellis said. “My dad works for hotels, so my family moves around a lot to accommodate for that.”

Moving residences has become an expected and integral part of Ellis’ life. Having spent her childhood transitioning from one location to another, the notion of “home” is seen as a funny one to relate to a single house.

“Home is wherever my family is,” Ellis said. “Whenever people ask, I say I’m from Hawaii because it’s where I was born and spent the most time, so I’m most attached to it. However, Hawaii isn’t my home as much as my family is.”

Ellis separates the concepts of home and place of origin. Having gone from residence to residence, Ellis’ family is her rock, unshaking in the face of change. Although her family’s support is greatly beneficial, Ellis feels the most comfortable in a new place when she’s able to successfully integrate into the social landscape.

Sources: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

“I have to adjust and adapt to the place I’m at,” Ellis said. “I’m fine when I fit in with the other kids, but it’s always different wherever you go. So once I kind of figure that out and get settled, then I can accept that this is my new home.”