In Grade 11, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at my high school’s Ted X Youth event. The title of my presentation was “What is ‘Home’?” and though I wrote it about my own childhood experience, I think that it applies to everyone here at Mount A. 

Growing up a military child means a constant cycle of packing and unpacking, moving to new towns, and not knowing anyone on your first day of school. I have lived in nine houses, gone to seven schools, and—though I’m now very grateful for this childhood I’d been given—I didn’t always see the benefits. I used to hate moving because I was obsessed with the idea of a “hometown,” or a place I could say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was “from.” Military kids don’t often have one of those.  

This used to bother me because everyone I’d meet—mainly, all of my friends at school— were so secure in their membership to the community that they had been born into. This used to make me sad, because I thought that not being from one place meant there was nowhere I truly belonged.  

But then I had an epiphany.  

Having lived in five provinces (and one state), I realized that I had the unique ability to make my “home” wherever I happened to be. The fact that I’m not tied down to one place allows me to make a home in multiple ones. Let me explain; if you’re so focused on thinking about where you’re not, you’ll have a very hard time truly experiencing where you are.  

And this brings us to my whole philosophy: you have to make wherever you happen to be your “home.” This includes hotel rooms, sleep-away camps, hospital beds, or a friend’s house. This may sound silly—to pretend that you’re home when you’re obviously not—but believe me, it cuts way down on FOMO and homesickness, and lets you appreciate what you have around you.  

It’s basically just another way of saying “Live in the moment!”, “Carpe diem!” and realize the potential to have fun, make new friends, experience something new, wherever you are. Take it from someone who’s done it before; it is possible.  

My Ted Talk was about how to reset your mind to believe that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. This applies strongly, as you may have already realized, to new university students. Instead of thinking: “I’m moving away from home” or “I’m not living at home anymore,” think: “I’m moving to my new home” or “I’m going to make this school my new home!”  

Trust me, when you begin to change that mindset and start thinking of wherever you are as your “home”, you look neither back nor forward, but instead enjoy your time, here, in the present, wherever you happen to be.  

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. :)