Lately, I’ve been feeling a strange mix of nostalgia and homesickness. It’s not for a place I’ve ever lived in, but a place that has always been my second home – Czechia. Both of my parents are from there, and even though I grew up in Switzerland, I’ve spent most summers of my life in the Czech countryside or in Prague. My parents always made sure that we visited my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins at least a few times every year. What feels weird now, is that I’ve never felt this kind of longing for Czechia before. Maybe it’s the distance, or the fact that I haven’t been back in over a year, but for the first time, I truly understand how much I love it.
When I was younger, I didn’t appreciate it the way I do now. I dreaded the long eight-hour car ride from Switzerland to my grandparents’ house, staring out the window, counting down the hours until we finally arrived. The summer days in the countryside always seemed to last forever and I often felt bored, waiting for something more exciting to happen. I always referred to my grandmas hometown as the “middle-of-nowhere” (which I guess it kind of is). But now, I look forward to it like never before. What once felt routine, now feels special. I miss the little things – the smell of my grandma’s cooking, the warm summer nights biking with my cousins, the quiet hikes through the forests. Even the sight-seeing and museums in Prague, which I once found tiring, now feel like places I can’t wait to visit and walk through again.
Even though I’m sad that my exchange year in Canada is “slowly” coming to an end and leaving will be hard, I’m so excited to go back and spend my summer with my family in Czechia. I’m grateful that Canada helped me realize how much I love my second home – a place I once took for granted but now truly appreciate.