Home…
The
hardest question I’ve been asked living in Greenland is the one everyone first
asks— “where is home for you?”
Luckily the Danish to English translation puts it is ‘where
are you from’, which is easier to answer, though not by much. Were I to give
the long answer to a non-American—I was born in Connecticut (then have to
clarify by saying the area between New York and Boston when the inevitable
blank stares follow), moved to Washington, DC for university and the first few
years of my career, moved to Copenhagen, Denmark for work in April and now am
residing in Nuuk—they would be confused.
However, this discounts a few facts; namely, that I’ve lived
in Virginia the past 3 years, and DC the 2 before that. That even my permanent
residence is a big question mark—with my passport based in and my mail
forwarded to my parents’ address in Connecticut, my driver’s license and voter
registration at an occupied house I once rented in Virginia, and my visa
paperwork for Greenland and Denmark claiming I reside at my work address in
Nuuk, there is no actual legal answer.
While traveling in Greenland, I answer that my home is in
Nuuk, as that lends credibility to my working for another country’s
representation, particularly while surveying visitors from around the world who
may not be as open to Americans representing another country’s boards and
interests. Technically, this is true, as I am paying taxes built into my salary
here and have a residence within the city.
Home, though, to me? Home is tangible. If I had to choose a
place, it would be DC and the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area as a whole as
it is where my friends are. Yet, at least for now, home is in the Arctic where
I don’t speak the official language and my residence card is still held up by
embassy paperwork.
-Small house in Tasiilaq, East Greenland
No comments:
Post a Comment