Home Is Here

Where do you come from? Where do you call home? Why? Often, when we think about belonging, we associate it with our country of birth, or the country we are raised in. This stems from the common belief that the place of one’s origin is the place one should know best. However, this easy version of belonging is complicated by increasing rates of global migration. For Yin Xzi Ho, the phenomenon of belonging is one she has navigated for most of her life. Growing up, she has travelled between Malaysia and China while being educated at an American international school. She has spent years unlearning the notion that her identity is based on what she is not (i.e. not Asian enough for her home country, not culturally White enough for her schools), in order to define for herself where she belongs. Rooted in feminist and human geography, as well as cultural anthropology and sociology, Home Is Here is a moving collection of poetry and prose filled with delicious food, wondrous sights, lasting friendships, and immense wisdom. Yin Xzi Ho takes us on a journey through China, Malaysia, Canada, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Australia as she discovers what it means to be home and what it feels like to belong.