Would You Call This Place Home?

During my recent trip to Dubai, I was in a unique position to ask some people a very specific question.

I met up with friends, both old and new, who were either working or living out there. I even managed to meet up with a former boss who had made the move.

I enquired deeply about their experiences as none of them had any roots there. Some were single, others in relationships and some with children.

It was intriguing to me — the idea of moving country. Wouldn’t it be exciting? What do other countries have to offer? What are other people’s experiences?

And so we talked about starting and growing careers, culture and religion, networking, travel and housing, all the way down to taxes and raising children.

But the answer I was really looking for was:

“Would you call this place home?”

The response was mixed.

But it got me thinking, what constitutes a home? Is it more than just a house? Is it family? Having friends nearby? Community? What about work? Could your home be tied to something less fixed? Remote, even? And if you had to leave one, how do you build another?

It’s an interesting question that some of us have to figure out quickly. Others, perhaps have it answered for them.

So what is it that you call home?