visiting "home"

(my reflection in the awesome, wide window of my hotel room on the 14th floor)

As an Army brat, I've always had a lot of fun and latitude in answering the question, "where are you from?" The answer could be where I was born...where I grew up (and even then, there are options!)...where my family is...where I consider home...etc.

So today, as my plane landed in Washington DC, when the traveler next to me asked if I was coming home or visiting, I paused...before replying that the DC area used to be home, but now I'm just visiting. And even though that might sound odd, it's how I feel. Washington, DC - and the surrounding metro area, especially on the northern Virginia side - is one of my favorite places on the east coast; and even though I haven't lived here since I was a toddler, it will always feel like a hometown to me. Even when I'm "just visiting."

Where I am: Arlington, VA
What I'm reading: the 29 July issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education