Define what the word home means to you

My house in Dubai is a single story, terraced villa and is situated in a nice area of the rapidly evolving city. The villa has a total of six rooms. It has two spacious bedrooms, one equipped with an en-suite bathroom. The second bathroom is found in the hall. Moving from the hall the next room is the kitchen. This room is very spacious, light and airy. There are light grey tiles on the floor and white tills running up the walls. The kitchen is equipped with the usual: fridge, cooker and washing machine. These are all silver to match the tiles. The last room is the sitting room, which can be seen through a big arch separating the kitchen and sitting room. This arch is also a marble topped workbench. The sitting room doubles as a dining room. On the floor there is two big red silk Belgium carpets, these cover the floors blank white tiles and give the floor a texture. Mounted on the white washed walls is the television and some oil paintings. This room is the biggest in volume because of the sloping roof, which at its highest point is five metres tall. My mother likes furniture to match so in our house nothing clashes. There is no vibrant oranges, pinks and greens to be found. The colour combination is dark red and gold. The carpet colour is the same nuance as the curtains, which in turn are the same fabric as the cushions and dining seat upholstery. I think that this gives the house a distinguished and formal look but a very comfortable and warm feel, this is the same as our house in England.

I like my home in Dubai because it is the opposite from what most people have out here. The majority of expatriates in Dubai opt for a mansion sized house and a luxury car to give them a sort of social status. Then as soon as their contracts end and they have to move back to their home country they end up living in a two-bedroom apartment. My family has always done the opposite though. In England we own the big house, so why do we need one here? Add that to the fact that we are only a three-person family so we only need two bedrooms. This does not just happen in Dubai but in every country that I have lived in.

In the villa I have my own bedroom. My room is big enough for me. The queen size bed dominates the floor space. I have a television, playstation and a laptop at my disposal. The walls, like the rest of the house, are white and have black and white pictures of the buildings in New York contained in sliver frames. This space gives me the chance to get away from my family when I need personal time. The room gives me extra security and silence. This bedroom does not reflect my personality. If I had the chance to personalise my room I would, by adding posters on the walls and painting the walls blue, but I cannot because the landlord does not allow it. Instead the room is very space efficient.

I think that family is a very important aspect to my idea of home. I think this is due to the fact that in Dubai I only have my immediate family with me. I think that a family is the skeleton and soul of a home. They keep the homes shape and form and also give the home feelings. My mother has made our home in Dubai more like our home in England by bringing some objects that were in that home. I think that this helps the transition period by having constant items with you wherever you go.

If I did not have a home I think I would lose my personality and my self-security. I would look at people and see how much they do not appreciate their homes. I would lose my self confidence and self-security because a home is not only the family hub but is also a place where one can roam around with out any secrets, whereas if I did not have a home I would be very lonely, shy and insecure.

When I am away from home, I miss the routine that I go through everyday, I miss the invisible warmth that my family emits. I love coming back home and walking into that door to smell an aroma, which has never changed. This scent confirms that I am home. It is not an air freshener, but a mixture of smells that have gathered throught the course of the day. For example cooking, smoke, flowers, deodorants.

Home for me is my life. If I did not have a home I would be lost. Not knowing where to go when in need of those reassuring words or who to fall back on when struggling in life. This proves to me how important my home is, even when I argue with the people I lie with and love.