after june- HOME!


behold, khao soi @ khao soi samerjai, chiang mai, 60 bahts

from end of may, it's been a whirlwind of movements- to eastcoast, back to toronto, hop on the plane, go to spain for yet another brilliant birthday trip, then off on solo sojourn in northern thailand and cambodia, and now, finally back home.

which home: my close friends will ask.

bouncing between two home, of yyz and man, the concept of home is a very simple one for me.  it's place where i feel 'at home,' with loved ones, where i can let my guard down (did you know that sleeping in new places keeps your brain up? so home is a place that wont happen)

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2085409-sleeping-away-from-home-half-your-brain-is-still-awake/

with the ongoing situations of refugees all over the world, fight to keep doors closed to others (brexit or us election campaign, anyone?), very real face of poverty i saw in asia (especially in phnom pehn), i am certainly appreciative of calm of home.  i slept almost a whole day soon as i got back.

home has running water. home has dependable electricity. i am not aware of people jumping in and out (i stay at hostels most of the time), loud partying or drunken entrance on ungodly hour (im sure this is only because i dont party, haha), figuring out a new shower when you are already mentally defeated. i have a kitchen and things are where i left them.

home has bed that i can fall asleep instantaneously. a place to take a hot bath. cup of water that i dont have to mentally check its source. real plates and cutlery. i do not have to hand launder everyday. no sand on the floor.

place where i know where my loved one(s) are. the scent of them pervading the place. their personal artifacts- toothbrushes, towels, leftover dinner, they are all there in their place, slightly different every time but with such comfortable rhythm.

i stopped buying souvenirs long time ago. the more i travel, i realize with G20 wealth, you can get most things back at home, often at a better quality (sure you may pay a bit more, but the general buying power is much stronger with the G20 currency so).

funny that my favourite khao soi is actually still from toronto, despite of eating bowls and bowls of it in northern thailand.  but is it really a surprise when one consider thai khao soi was 2 dollars and toronto khao soi was 12 dollars? in toronto, what is a normal cheap staple has transformed into exotic beauty- anything but a commodity good.

also hilarious to think that their market gucci bags are obviously fake, but their northface items may not be (so many of them are made around there, it is entirely possible that they are seconds or redirected merchandises). that abercrombie sweater? i bet my butt it is at least 50/50 real stuff. haha.

so in a sense, home is not so different from thailand. but oh it so is.  weird world of globalization.

now snug in my english hole, this monkey ponders the different power relations and hierarchy that i participate whether i know it or not- the different definitions i got for ex-pats vs. immigrants were actually quite startling. more on that later.

but for now, how nice it is, to look at rained english rose and think, aha, this is home.
just as much as the view of the cn tower and dundas square.
the world is big and im so grateful i have places that i know it's my home(s).

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