Sometime ago, I was touched by a short quotation. A boy playing in his garden saw an aero plane glide over and thought: How lucky those people in the aero plane are! They can go to remote wonderlands! Meanwhile, a passenger in the aero plane looked down at the house, and thought: If only I could be home down there!

Yes! It is in a dilemma that you’re deeply missing your home on the journey, but you want to explore the world outside. My experience inspired me on this issue.

When I was small, my parents sent me to a boarding school. Away from my home and my friends, I felt so homesick that I cried all the time. I was isolated and lonely. At the end, I failed to continue studying there and went back home.

Time flew by; I was in secondary school and got popular among my classmates. Once, our school organized a two-week stay in the countryside. Again, I was away from home, without mum fussing around me, without yummy food, even without a hot shower. However, this time, I felt so happy. Every day was enjoyable, everybody was caring; everything made me feel at home. When the trip was over, my parents told me: “You’ve grown up!”

I’ve grown up!

I understand that missing home is not only missing our physical home, but looking for our identity, for our sense of belonging, and for our spiritual home.

I’ve grown up!

I know I’ll be far away from home and go after my dreams, but home away from home will always remain in my heart.