Thoughts on changing homes

Tomorrow I’m moving to a new apartment, technically its my first very own apartment. Although, I’ve had some previous apartments, but they were student dorms or a shared apartment (collective), and my movable house!

During the summer while I was looking for a new apartment, since I knew I had to move out from my current one eventually, my dear friend recommended me to make a list of all the places I’d lived in (Me love lists!!). Which I did, and it made me think of how troublesome it has been to move (packing, selecting, carrying, unpacking, placing, etc.), but also to adapt to new settings (new house, new location, new continent(!), new school, etc.). But this has also made me realize that it has been a privilege to have so many new beginnings and it has taught me to detach from material things (kind of).

If you’ve been following my (very short) blog, you know I’m 25, and I’ve lived in many different homes. And I wanted to share my list (my mom helped me with it since I was very young and couldn’t remember some and the order/time). It accounts for “homes” in which I’ve spent at least 6 months (with two exceptions) and they are somewhat in order? Because I support privacy, I avoided writing out the exact address and instead semi-coded the street names.

1. A house where there was a frog living in the bathroom, Outskirts of Bangkok (maybe 3 months?). 1995.
2. At my grandparents, The street of Astronauts 51, México City. 1995.
3. Playa Paraíso, México.
4. The street of engineers, México City. 1996?
5. The street of Astronauts 52, México. 1997?
6. Path of Bees, Järna, Sweden. 2002.
7. Donkey street, Järna. 2003.
8. (former) Del Rey Shores, LA, California. 2005?
9. Löwensväg, Järna, Sweden. 2006?
10. The street of Astronauts 51, México City. 2009/10?
11. Mountain street 22, Järna, Sweden. 2012?
12. Mountain street 34, Järna, Sweden.
13. Norrtuna, Järna, Sweden. 2013.
14. My wonderful wagon!! Path of violets, Järna, Sweden. 2014.
15. I wasn’t officially living here but I did spend a lot of time here, Solna, Sweden. 2015.
16. Duvbergsvägen, Stockholm, Sweden. 2016.
17. Temporary misplaced, and it was for 3-4 months?
18. Roomie with my bestie <3, Stockholm, Sweden. 2017.
19. My first, own student apartment, Riksten, Tullinge, Sweden. 2017.
20. My favorite home so far, Björnkullaringen, Flemingsberg, Sweden. 2018.
21. My own apartment, Södertälje, Sweden. 2020.

If anything, I think it’s refreshing and fun, or at least I’ve learned to think so. I remember moving to México (after many years in Sweden) I was really angry and didn’t want to move. Two and a half years later I had the same attitude about moving back XD. Now, it just the act of moving which is troublesome, but on the other side I’ve got great friends and family who help me out, so it’s not as tiring.

In contrast, I know people (like my best friend who suggested writing this list) who have moved once in their life. And I admire that too. In my own case, I think I’ve inherited the free-flowing spirit from my mom. My uncle recently referred to her as a “Nomad.” While it is true, because she moved around a lot too, I find a beauty in that and I think it may be healthy for me (us) as well. I’m not gonna lie, I do dream about having a little house in the woods of southern Sweden in the future, a place which I can call my home for many, many years even though I may be elsewhere.

While I may be moving to a new “home” tomorrow, I consider myself to have four. First, my own (or at least where my personal belongings are and where I sleep); next is my parents in Sweden (even if I’m actually uncomfortable there nowadays, it feels like home); third, my parents in Thailand (even if I’ve been there twice, I feel anchored and safe there, its my cultural, family home); and my last home is México, I don’t have a place to stay at anymore (after my grandparents passed away) but my roots are there and thus, México itself and its wonderful culture are home to me too.

In summary, a home for me is not necessarily a house or a particular place. And I’m really, really thankful for my mom who has had the opportunity to continuously adapt and create safe-spaces for me to learn and grow, in spite of the constant challenges we’ve faced.