Home is where the heart is – or, in my particular case, wherever the Air Force sends your family. Growing up, I was moved around to different places, and I had a whole family that was spread out across the country and in different areas of the world. My mom made this little house with hearts hanging down from it; each heart shows a different place that we lived in whenever the Air Force required us to move. This piece is not necessarily a representation of our culture or ancestral background, but to my family, it is a big part of who we are. Living in so many different places and having such a spread-out family made me who I am today.

Although I said that this does not represent a cultural past overall, I do like that it includes one particular feature about my background. The third heart from the bottom shows that we lived in Holland, or The Netherlands. My mom is actually Dutch; she was born and raised in Amsterdam. When my father was stationed in Korea, my mom took my two brothers, my sister, and me to go live with family in Holland. I love this part of my identity. The Netherlands is a beautiful country with lots of cool quirks and customs, and even at home these customs and especially the foods are part of our lives.

My mom’s side of the family lives in Holland, and my dad’s side of the family is spread out across the U.S. One other aspect of my dad’s side of the family is that his dad (my grandpa) was also in the Air Force. So, my dad and his siblings moved around a lot as well. This style of life is a part of my family, which is why this particular piece that I chose fits so well into the identity of myself as well as my family. It is almost as if none of us truly have a home or a particular place where we are “from.”

Overall, being an Air Force brat has made me who I am. I am more independent and comfortable with encountering new environments and people, and I can find new friends and new family no matter where I go. Furthermore, one of the best advantages that came from moving around and ending up in my final location of Alabama is that it is probably one of the main reasons why I ended up going to school in New York City. I have found yet another new home here, because my background has taught me one very important thing: home is not necessarily stationary – it is wherever you make it out to be.