Yasuko

1. Where are you from?

– Japan

2. How long have you been in the USA?

– I stayed in the U.S. for 1 year and 6 months. (I have already returned to Japan.)

3. What do you feel — where is your home now? Or what is your home now?

– I have three places I can call home. One is my hometown, the second is the city where I spent my college years, and the third is Fort Collins.

4. If you feel that the new place 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?

– It happens when I start to enjoy spending time with someone who lives in the area and feel confident that I’m part of that community. In Fort Collins, it took about eight months.

5. What helps you feel at home in a new place?

– Someone who says “welcome back, ” such as family and friends.

6. Has your sense of home changed over time? What does “home” mean to you now, after moving to a new place?

– As the number of friends grew and the number of communities I joined and enjoyed increased, I felt the blurred lines of “home” becoming clearer — if a home has defined lines at all.

If the home is something clear, it doesn’t get overwritten as I move to a new place. Instead, a new home starts to stand beside it, with its own blurred line in my mind.

7. Who or what makes you feel like you belong somewhere? Why? For example: Parents? Friends? Culture or language? Nature? Or maybe something else?

– That would be parents, friends, or communities.

8. Do you think it’s possible to have more than one home? Why or why not?

– I think it is possible. I don’t care how many people or communities say “welcome home” when I say “I’m home.”

9. What advice would you give to someone who is trying to feel at home in a new place?

– The speed at which one becomes accustomed to a new home is different for each person, so don’t rush and pace yourself. If you don’t fit in, that’s also a valid result — just accept your efforts.

10. How do you say “home” in your native language (using English letters)?

In Japanese, there are two words:

“ie” refers to the physical house.

“uchi” (pronounced oo-chee) refers to the space you are allowed to enter — a place of belonging, like family or a close-knit community.