A habitat for every heart

Home is the cradle we cannot choose. Some people say it is the most beautiful thing in the world. Sometimes it can feel like a cage. So what is home, really? Home is not just wood, paint, or a roof that keeps out the rain. It is a feeling. It is the place where your heart feels safe. In my home live three beating hearts and one busy dog, Simba. He runs down the hallway like he owns it, his nails clicking on the floor like tiny tap shoes. My house is never completely quiet. There is laughter during movie nights. There is the sizzling sound when my parents cook. There is even the splashing sound of my mom washing the dishes. Sometimes we have serious talks. Sometimes we have small arguments. But that is what makes it real. A true home can hold happy, sad, and even angry feelings. In my house, two languages live together. I speak English at school, but at home I also speak Chinese. When I hear “吃饭了!” I know dinner is ready. Speaking Chinese connects me to my grandparents in China. It reminds me that my story is bigger than one country. I actually have two homes. One is in Vancouver with my parents and Simba. The other is in China with my grandparents, and it holds my happiest childhood memories. Every brick and tile of that house was designed and built by my parents. The home is full of animals — dogs, cats, horses, birds, chickens, ducks, fish, geese, and even alpacas! We also grow all kinds of vegetables in the garden. Every big tree in the yard started as a tiny seedling that my family and I planted together, and now they stretch high into the sky. That home is alive with colors, sounds, and smells, and every corner carries laughter and stories from when I was little. Even though the two homes are far apart, the warmth and love feel the same. We learn in science that animals need habitats to survive. Humans need a habitat too. For us, that habitat is love and safety. Some people sadly do not have that. For them, home might be a classroom or a kind teacher’s smile. Home is where I can be myself without pretending. Home is where I grow. Home is where my heart rests. That is what home means to me.