Sarah. Portrait and family photographer in Fort Collins Dania Gaisina

Sarah

  1. Where are you from?
    I’m from São Paulo, Brazil.
  2. How long have you been in the USA?
    I’ve been in the USA for 1 year and 11 months.
  3. What do you feel — where is your home now? Or what is your home now?
    I feel like I have two homes now — one in Fort Collins, USA, and one in Salto, Brazil.
  4.  If you feel that the USA has become your home, how long did it take to feel that way? Did you do anything to help make it feel like home, or did the feeling come naturally over time?                                                   I feel that, with daily life, the USA is becoming a bit more like home, but my sense of belonging is still much stronger in my home country.
  5. What helps you feel at home in a new place?
    Keeping my roots present — like through food and friendships — helps me feel at home.
  6. Has your sense of home changed over time? What does “home” mean to you now, after moving to a new country?
    Yes, it has changed. Today, I feel that home is where your heart is.
  7. Who or what makes you feel like you belong somewhere? Why? For example: Parents? Friends? Culture or language? Nature? Or maybe something else?
    I feel that cultures connected to my roots help me feel I belong — the familiarity of my life experiences, the way we relate to each other, and the closeness to my culture’s food, for example.
  8. Do you think it’s possible to have more than one home? Why or why not?
    Yes, I believe it’s possible to have more than one home. Home is where your heart belongs — just like love. We have many loves in life.
  9. What advice would you give to someone who is trying to feel at home in a new country?
    Be open to the new. You might be surprised.
  10. “How do you say ‘home’ in your native language (using English letters)?                                                                                                                      In my native language (Portuguese), we have two words — “casa, ” which means the physical place where we live, and “lar, ” which is the place where we live and belong, a word with a much deeper emotional meaning.