My family has been in Canada for 3 years, but it wasn't truly home until we bought our house
CBC
This First Person column is written by Anusuya Datta, a writer and journalist based in Saskatoon. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.
It wasn't snowing in Saskatoon when we put up the holiday lights in early December. Despite the lack of white fluffy stuff, I snuck an adoring look at our house for the umpteenth time.
I have always subscribed to the adage, "Home is where the heart is." After three years in Canada, it seems we have finally found a place to call home.
The moment my husband, teenager and I stepped inside for the first time as we house hunted, we were struck by the abundance of windows. Sunlight poured in from every direction, infusing every room with a warm, inviting glow. Even the basement!
"Ma, this feels like home," my child said.
I had not seen that smile on my kid's face for a long time.
"And not a dentist's office!"
That was the usual cocky teenager taking over, referring to the several other "perfect" houses we had been seeing.
This house was beautiful in its simplicity and coziness, with a front lawn that stretched gracefully and a backyard with poplar trees that swayed with the wind.
And the windows, of course.
It wasn't grand. It wasn't big. It wasn't small. It was perfect.
It was love at first sight.
As I stood in our backyard, surrounded by Christmas lights, the now-greying greenery and the ground covered with leaves, I was reminded of my childhood home in India, which had a similar expanse of nature. That front lawn had a sweet-smelling jasmine bush and huge sunflower plants. The backyard was home to Mom's kitchen garden, which we siblings once dug up completely to install a canal system that we believed would automatically water the plants. I still remember Mom's horror at our ingenious plan.
Nostalgia flooded over me, and I was filled with deep gratitude for the opportunity to recreate similar memories with my family.
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