i’m not necessarily ready to be home, i’m just ready to have a home. i’m ready to unpack & stay unpacked. i’m ready to have a place to put my stuff rather than keeping it all in stuff sacks at the foot of my bed. but i don’t want to stop traveling. i don’t want to stop experiencing new cultures. i don’t want to go back to being comfortable. honestly, i don’t miss america, i just miss home.
that’s been my state of being the last month & a half. people ask how i’m feeling that there are only 60 days left until i step foot into america again & that’s the ramble they are met with.
the idea of home has been something we’ve been learning how to create since the beginning. some have used christmas lights in their tents. others have hung pictures of friends/family up by their bed each month. some have to unpack & organize to fully feel at home, while others have to shower for a place to be official. each of us have our own little quirks & methods.
it took over half of month two for me to feel at home in costa rica & now i just got emotional leaving “home” when we were only there six days.
our team arrived in MaeSot from Myanmar last week. the boys kept heading down to Phuket, so girls week!! we met up with Outpour, an organization missioned to empower those around them, whether that’s through business training centers (a sewing center & cafe called Braverly), english classes & homework help for children in the community (Seeds), children’s homes (Refuge) & so much more.
check out the organization here: https://outpourfamily.org
check out the story of Braverly here: https://www.braverly.com
check out the merch from the sewing shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BraverlyDesigns?ref=search_shop_redirect
we sat down with the staff & got to hear all of their stories of how they ended up in MaeSot. we heard it’s “a home away from home.” that “it really sucks ya in.” many stories began with “i planned for 6 months & it’s been 4 years” or “i planned for 2 years & it’s been 7 & i’ll probably be here for 18 more.” we were warned from the beginning that there’s something about this place that will make you want to stay. i brushed it off but as we said goodbye to our new friends only six days later, i had to hold back the tears & caught myself being drawn back to the town.
during these six days, nothing spectacular happened. we helped paint their cafe’s kitchen so the staff had a happier environment. we organized recipe books & helped kids with math homework. we had movie nights & took the kids to a circus. all were a blast but what made it feel like home? it was the people! the staff, WOW!! they welcomed us in like family. they invited us to lunch. they asked us questions. they genuinely wanted to get to know us. they recommended books & podcasts. they told us all the local dives to eat at (shoutout to mango sticky rice lady). they were willing to help us make the most of our time in MaeSot.
over the last nine months, that’s what i’ve learned home to be. home is the people. home is creating a space for those around you to be fully welcomed & known. i’ve been so blessed to meet people along the way that can create that space for me. i hope that once this journey ends & i end up back in america i can make that space & allow people to feel at home wherever they may find themselves.
we’re on a 15 hour bus down to phuket to meet up with the rest of our team & to continue on this crazy adventure i get to call life. if you could keep our team in your prayers to finish this journey with strong health & full hearts, we would greatly appreciate it! as always, thanks for reading & sticking with me all these months.
madeleine
