A New Place In Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming

Maya Angelou once wrote that “the ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned”. Many people go through life searching for a place to call home - a place to belong, a place they can truly be themselves. But home is more than just a place. It is more than the walls that surround us, more than the doors we walk through and the roof over our heads. Home is a feeling. It is where you are not afraid to make mistakes because forgiveness is right around the corner. It is the breaths of relief after realizing you have pulled to shore, away from the raging ocean tides. When immersed in a foreign country surrounded by unfamiliar people, it becomes difficult to recreate the feeling of “home”. For instance,

Unfortunately for me, the language barrier was a very real thing. Thankfully, my new community was not a hostile one. Unlike Jackie, I was never followed around in stores or felt like I needed to sit in the back of the bus because of my physical appearance. However, just like Woodson had to adapt to a new way of life in New York, I also had to acclimate to life in the States. Due to my differences in language and culture, it was difficult for me to make friends. In addition to not being able to communicate with others my age, I also had an unusual way of thinking and being. I still remember being called “fake” because I was “too nice”. Where I came from, I was not used to impoliteness or behind-the-back talking. People were expressive with their views of others and I had a challenging time trying to explain that this happy, young woman was the real me. This made me revert into my shell and wish to go back to the place I considered home, with the people who accepted and understood