The Return Home

Home – Three Days Grace

Home, Home, This house is not a home.

This past weekend was my trip home after a month and a half at university. I was really excited to go home and see my family and friends again. The funny thing is; I didn’t really feel at “home” till I went to Ancaster the following morning.

This past summer was filled with many big events. In a nutshell: I graduated from high school, moved with my family from Ancaster to Toronto and headed to Ottawa for university at the University of Ottawa. So when I went back to my house in Toronto last Thursday it didn’t feel very homey at all. I felt like I was living in a rental or a hotel almost with my parents. That feeling of being home would not really click in. It was when I went to Ancaster to visit my friends at high school did I really feel at home.


The drive up to Ancaster was long as I was bombarded with traffic and had my mom, grandma and family friend who wanted to drop off on the way as well. When I finally arrived in “A-Town” all the drowsiness I had from lack of sleep the previous night was gone. The leaves were changing colours and the town was so beautiful. It felt as if nothing had changed since I left. I went to the school and met up with some of my friends that stayed back as post grads. It was great, we had lunch, chatted a bit, went for a walk in the “valley” behind the pool (I don’t know its official name), and last but not least went for a quick McDonald’s run with my best friend. Although we didn’t have much time together, the time we did was amazing and it was great seeing her again.

Later that day I went up to Waterloo with my roommate to go visit my best guy friend. That was fun as well and I got to see some other people from my school that went their as well. When I finally decided to call it a day and started driving home from Waterloo and going to pick up my mom from Ancaster did I become very quiet and reflect. Leaving Ancaster was really hard. Looking in the rearview mirror seeing me leave my home, the city I spent some of my most memorable moments in, the city where most of my friends lie, was very emotional. The ride back to Toronto was silent. I played some of my favourite music I listen to when I get lost in my thoughts.

I got back to my house in Toronto and went to bed straight away. After staying there for the weekend, it didn’t really seem any homier to me. To be honest, after visiting Ancaster on Friday, it made it less of a home to me. I don’t really foresee myself ever calling that house a home. The years I spent in Ancaster will never be forgotten and I feel a part of my life will always be in that city. The city I call home.