As someone who has lived in different parts of the world, I’ve often wrestled with the idea of home. Is it a physical place? A feeling? A collection of memories? For many of us who have moved across cities, countries, and cultures, home isn’t always a fixed location—it’s something we carry within us.

I grew up in Pakistan and Houston, surrounded by the warmth of family, and the aroma of home-cooked meals. Moving to New York for grad school was a complete shift—new faces, unfamiliar streets, and a city that never slows down. At first, I felt like an outsider, constantly searching for familiarity in a place that didn’t yet feel like mine.

But over time, I started finding home in unexpected places.

Home is in the Rituals

Home isn’t just where you live—it’s what you do. I found comfort in the little rituals I carried with me. The morning chai I made before heading to class, the way I arranged my books, the calls home every Friday. These small acts became anchors, reminding me that home wasn’t lost—it was evolving.

Home is in the People

One of the hardest parts of leaving home is leaving people behind. But I’ve learned that home isn’t just who you’ve known the longest—it’s who makes you feel like you belong.

In New York, I built friendships over late-night design sessions, deep conversations about culture and identity, and shared meals that reminded me of home. My friends became my chosen family, proving that home isn’t just about geography—it’s about connection.

Home is in the Food

Nothing transports you back home like food. I’ve had days where all I needed was a plate of biryani or a warm bowl of daal to feel grounded again. Cooking dishes from home became a form of self-care—a way to reconnect with my roots, even thousands of miles away.

It’s also in the moments of discovering new favorites—finding comfort in a New York bagel, learning to love Mexican tacos, and realizing that fusion food is a metaphor for life itself: a mix of the old and the new, the familiar and the unfamiliar.

Home is Always Changing

I used to think of home as a place I had to return to. But now, I see it differently. Home is fluid, evolving with us as we grow. It’s in the spaces we create, the people we love, and the experiences that shape us.

Maybe home isn’t just one place. Maybe it’s everywhere we choose to find it.