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As I sit here on the plane (7 hours into a 9.5 hour flight – whew!), I still can’t believe I will be back in the USA for the first time in 360 days!! How quickly a year has gone by! I feel like I haven’t been there in ages, yet also feel like it was yesterday.

I’m very curious to see how I feel after being there for a little while. At this point, I feel like I’m going on a vacation and am just so excited! Seeing friends, family, and Indy, favorite restaurants, familiarity, a sense of home . . . it sounds wonderful!

Yet, at the same time, I already miss Spain! Just arriving in Madrid yesterday and speaking Spanish to cab drivers made me feel like I was “home.” Although I am SO excited to be in the US for a few weeks, I am already looking forward to returning to Barcelona and starting to settle in.

Since arriving at Heathrow, I’ve been surrounded by English speakers, naturally. I’ve heard/eavesdropped on numerous conversations about people’s travels. Many of them are Americans returning home. Hearing the questions “Where are you from?” and “Where do you live?” have started to take on an entirely different meaning for me. For example, when living in Colorado, I would always say I was from Indiana. But, when in Spain, I usually say I’m from Colorado, because it’s more well-known and I feel like it was really my “home” as an adult. But when asked the question by an American when abroad, I struggle to answer. Most often, it’s “I’m originally from Indiana, but I was living in Colorado,” or something equally confusing.

I was hit with the realization today that when asked by Americans where I live, the truth is “I live in Spain.” I still find that so hard to believe!! I am truly an ex-pat – wow! I’m still stuck with the “Well, last year I was living in Seville, but starting in August, I’ll be living in Barcelona,” response. There is definitely not a straight answer for me at the moment!

With all of these thoughts, I keep coming back to the idea of “home.” Until recently, I considered “home” to be my parent’s house in Indiana. Although it’s no longer the one I grew up in, being with them was always my association with home. Now that’s changed a bit for me. Going to Denver feels like going home, and I know that going to Indy will feel the same way. And I remember returning to Seville after a weekend away felt like home and I know that Barcelona will soon be my new home . . .

I’ve decided that “home” for me is a place with people I love, a place I feel comfortable, a place that invokes a feeling of familiarity, and a place I enjoy returning to after time away. So, although I am already missing my new home, I can’t wait to visit my old ones!