Paragraphs Of The Week

Home can have many meanings. Some people call it just a building, and other people call it where the family is. Although I have places like these where I will always feel like I have a family, there are also many places that I can never truly experience. There is a word for this feeling; a Hiraeth. The word Hiraeth is a Welch concept and does not exist in the English Language. Hiraeth is a multi-layered word, and no single word in English can describe this. It can mean homesickness, nostalgia, yearning or longing for a world that you can never return to, no longer exist, or in my case, never existed. 

 

I am an avid reader and have experienced many books that will always feel like home, but sadly will never be. Some of the most common places that feel like this to me are Hogwarts from Harry Potter and Camp Half from The Percy Jackson series. Although neither of these places exists  -that I know of- they will always feel like a home to me because of the characters as well as the setting. They all have clear skies and amazing woods. That I would never get tired of. But they don’t exist and I have to live with that and take advantage of the places that I can go to and will always be home.

 

A place that will always be my home is my summer camp. My camp is on the smaller side and my bunk will always be like my family. It’s far enough away from the cities that there is never smoke in the sky, and will always be the best place for stargazing at night. From the lake to the green forest it will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Kielar, Dan Winstead, et al. Word of the Week, https://sites.psu.edu/kielarpassionblog2/2016/04/02/hiraeth/

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