Aureliano Buendia https://beacons.ai/luiszaldivar

“Where’s home?” People ask me. 10 years ago, serendipitously, me, a girl from Beijing, came to live in a small town in New Hampshire. My landlords are an old couple, who didn’t just take me into their home, but made this little place in the mountains home FOR me. Medical school was hard. I was rather new to the country, and getting through an abusive relationship. My landlords fed me when I couldn’t bring myself to cook; they washed my clothes when all I did was staying in bed. Recently I learned they protected me from getting stalked. Without them, and many others, I couldn’t have made it through. This little place on the river became a dream, in which I could rest and heal. “Why don’t you come home?” They asked me after learning I would be in New England for a fellowship. Yesterday, after I arrived, I saw that everything stayed exactly the same from my memory. Due to old age, they never rented the place again after me. The past is long gone, and I am different now. I have more space in my heart for those who love me. And I’m determined to make that space a cozy home for them, like they once did for me. “Where is home?” People ask. I am home.