When I started thinking about my map and my home, mapping out where I live right now didn’t feel right because it’s not my only home. So I decided to draw a map of where I am from, and where I grew up and lived, because every single one of those places is where many core memories were made
The left side is half of Switzerlands map, and the right side is half the map of Sudan. I have travelled there many times but I never actually lived in either of them. At the bottom right there’s a flag of UAE where I was born and grew up till the age of 12, and on the bottom left is the Canadian flag, where I am now.
Being born and growing up in the Emirates I was surrounded by my dads side of the family, I remember my family and my aunts and uncles, and all my cousins going over to one of my uncles houses and just spend the whole day there playing.
Almost every summer was spend in Sudan where I was around family from both sides, one of my favourite memories was me, my 3 siblings, and my 3 cousins laying down mattresses all over the upstairs living room of my grandparents house and having one massive sleepover, then we all wake up in the morning as see who can pick the most limes.
Switzerland is where most of my moms side of the family is, I didn’t go there as much but when I did I remember spending most of my days going from one uncles house to another, playing non stop with my cousins, going on ferry rides, and eating way too much chocolate.
Then I moved here with my family, I may not have any other family here other than my immediate, but I build my own family, I found my people and created endless memories with. So I guess my home and my map is wherever my family is, and where the people that I cherish the most in my life are.