Constructing Home

What Is Home To You?

Relocating can evoke excitement, fear, sadness, and discomfort – sometimes simultaneously. Like all migrants, the Southeast Asian women we spoke to faced this complex emotional experience. Individuals and families settling in new countries often experienced violence, change, and uncertainty. In the face of such challenges, they negotiate a new sense of home. Although they may not have control over where they live, they create comfort however they can.

For some, home is a place. For others, it’s a person or a memory. For all, home is the place we feel most comfortable and where we keep our hearts. How do you find comfort in the face of change? This section explores food, community spaces, and communication technologies as outlets people manipulate to create a sense of home wherever they are.