Finding Home: A Sentimental Journey
- ISBN-10
- 0578863383
- ISBN-13
- 9780578863382
- Series
- Finding Home
- Pages
- 248
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2021-03-31
- Author
- Gemma Stemley
Description
Finding Home: A Sentimental Journey is an account of my migration to a new place and a quest to determine whether the emotional content of fervor and affection for the land of my birth could be experienced elsewhere. Many years ago, in 1902, my great-grandmother had undertaken such a journey from her native land of Martinique to a Trinidad where she subsequently was married and raised a family. Often, we talked about where was home for the émigré and whether it was possible to experience home and homeland in two places. Was the notion of home to be confined only to the place of one's birth? A place infused with the memories of growing up and which accounts for the spiritual pull to return? This yearning to return she often described as the "homing instinct." Does homeland apply only to the land where one's parents are buried and the only place where one can obtain a birth certificate? Or is there such a concept as an adopted homeland? She wanted to know whether the homeland of her husband could be called her "adopted homeland." If so, can this give rise to feelings of disloyalty towards the land of her birth. She yearned to return to her beloved Martinique. But much to her chagrin, when she returned, she could not recognize the place. So much had changed over the years. My journey to the USA many years later was for a different reason but gave rise to similar questions and a determination to find the answers to my great-grandmother's quest. In essence, it turned out to be a journey that spanned many years, one which was ably guided by the multifaceted nature of love and commitment.
