As  I am writing this I am currently on a bus back to Singapore from Malaysia. I’ve had this google doc open for a week now, and every time I’ll start typing away, I’ll erase it 10 minutes later, which I suppose defeats the purpose of a stream of consciousness. Everything just felt superficial. A week ago I was so so so homesick (still am) and that’s all that was on my mind. I’m perpetually jealous of those who can make home wherever they are, gotta be a top 3 life skill. My home is where people I love are and obviously that’s not Singapore. That combined with the fact that I’m not a city person just intensified the longing to be back in Chapel Hill. Coming back from Malaysia feels a little like coming home though. So if any of you ever feel out of place when you go abroad, I advise you to go abroad from the abroad place. Because then going back to just abroad will feel like you belong there. Home away from home. Idk if that made any sense. Hopefully it did. Okay I am slightly off track, but that’s okay I suppose. My point is I kept erasing what I wrote because I was just homesick, and the stream of consciousness turned into what sounded like a lot of complaints about being abroad. And that felt INCREDIBLY bratty. Like cmon, singapore??! Im so lucky to be here and I recognize that, the city is incredible, so safe, so many cool people, so many things to do, etc. etc. (but it’s just not home). But then what makes a place home? Does it just come with time? I think for me it’s who I love most. My best friends, my parents. But even when I’m in Chapel Hill, most of those people live hundreds, if not thousands of miles from me. So what makes me feel so at home there? Habit? Pride? I don’t know. Let me know if you have an answer to this question. I literally have no more thoughts on this topic. It’s not a problem I have yet solved so there’s no deep meaningful conclusion.