A sense of place
I have been think a lot in the last couple of days about 'sense of place', a phrase beloved of the Heritage Lottery Fund, meaning 'how do I know I am here?'. But not in that meaning. Rather, 'how does here know who I am, location-wise?'.
The last decade has privilidged me with conversations with migrants. Some are migrating, along traditional paths, between counties in the south-east of Engand. Others are migrating from Europe to Central America, to Asia, Europe again - or permutations involving different continents. They and I were there, then, having a conversation in the south of England, in the early 20'zeros and teens. Sometimes we talked of the 'where have you been' sometimes of the 'where do you see yourself going ...' but mostly, 'how is it going, here, now?'. Some of these people were spending more on the new tires for their car than I earned in a year. Some of them earned less in year than I spent on my car. But what they were saying was very similar, very valuable.
Over the past few months, I've been thinking about where I am now. And where I might be going, and where I say 'home' is. And where I want it to be. With curiosity rather than anxiety.
I'm not sure that I'm in the position of the Dutch ambassador's wife who said something along the lines of 'wherever I lay my cheese-grater, that's my home' (nods to Marvin Gaye et al) but wherever I lay my ExMemSec, connection by some means with the world starting with my nearest and dearest and spiraling out, my e-book reader connects, I can email folk, there are shellfish/cheese, insulin, and the other essential stuff.... It might not be home, but heck, it's wonderful so why worry?
The last decade has privilidged me with conversations with migrants. Some are migrating, along traditional paths, between counties in the south-east of Engand. Others are migrating from Europe to Central America, to Asia, Europe again - or permutations involving different continents. They and I were there, then, having a conversation in the south of England, in the early 20'zeros and teens. Sometimes we talked of the 'where have you been' sometimes of the 'where do you see yourself going ...' but mostly, 'how is it going, here, now?'. Some of these people were spending more on the new tires for their car than I earned in a year. Some of them earned less in year than I spent on my car. But what they were saying was very similar, very valuable.
Over the past few months, I've been thinking about where I am now. And where I might be going, and where I say 'home' is. And where I want it to be. With curiosity rather than anxiety.
I'm not sure that I'm in the position of the Dutch ambassador's wife who said something along the lines of 'wherever I lay my cheese-grater, that's my home' (nods to Marvin Gaye et al) but wherever I lay my ExMemSec, connection by some means with the world starting with my nearest and dearest and spiraling out, my e-book reader connects, I can email folk, there are shellfish/cheese, insulin, and the other essential stuff.... It might not be home, but heck, it's wonderful so why worry?