What does 'home' mean to you?

Exactly one year ago, I embarked on a journey with a single question in mind: What does it take for a place to truly feel like home?

During this time, I spent a month living inside a community of Pygmies in the forested hills of Uganda, shared intimate moments with the indigenous Bedouins in the Negev Desert, explored the hidden underground tunnels of Las Vegas, and connected with families in Central Italy who had lost everything in a devastating earthquake.

But why did I undertake this adventure? I can still vividly recall a lesson from my early school days when the teacher explained the difference between a house and a home. This concept hit my brain with the power of a high-speed train, and fueled my curiosity about how people from different corners of the world perceive the idea of 'home.' Does it mean having a big house? Being close to family? Or is it an abstract feeling that's difficult to put into words? I yearned to engage in conversations with people living lives vastly different from mine in order to understand what makes them feel at home.

Even now, I haven't found a clear answer for myself regarding what 'home' truly means to me. Living as a nomad for the past three years has been an exhilarating experience, but it has also taken a toll on my mental well-being, leaving me with numerous questions. So, I decided to start by asking others what 'home' means to them. Perhaps by learning from their experiences, I can begin to shape my own understanding of 'home'. It seemed like a wise approach, so I began my journey of travel, inquiry, and documentation.

Throughout my encounters, two common themes have consistently emerged:

1) Feeling Loved: It turns out that the physical attributes of a house, its material wealth, and its geographic location often pale in comparison to the presence of love and affection that surrounds a person. People feel at home when they are loved and supported.

2) Freedom: This notion takes on various forms, including the freedom to be one's true self, to uphold cherished traditions, and to establish a deep connection with nature.

All the communities I've visited share a profound connection to the concept of 'home.' Consider the Batwa people in Uganda, who lived within a forest for generations, sourcing all their necessities from nature. Then, in 2000, the government forcibly displaced them from their ancestral lands to create a protected area for gorillas. This abrupt upheaval disrupted their profound bond with nature, leaving the Batwa without compensation, shelter, or sustenance. They now reside at the edge of society, marginalized from the rest of the population. I firmly believe that it is by immersing ourselves in the lives of those deeply rooted in the earth that we can glean invaluable insights.

So, what's next? I remain dedicated to documenting my journey, introducing video interviews, and expanding the channel to offer viewers the opportunity to learn from these remarkable individuals. If you would love to contribute, you can either sponsor some of my travels or directly impact a specific community.

I'm going to tell more stories, going deeper, here and on other channels, make sure to follow my account and bookmark all of the stories for future reference.

See you soon!
Cheers,
Fran @ferragosto