Episode #0: Stepping Out

On leaving and finding home.

A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with my family in Sicily. We rarely engage in outdoor activities or venture beyond the perimeter of our home when we're together. But if there's one thing we excel at, it's preparing food and filling all 22 seats at our table.

With our hands full of soft, humid flour, my mum asked, “How do you feel, Fra?” The next day, I would have been on a plane to Bogotá, and she was delicately expressing her worries about having two sons always traveling so far from home.

I often see the contrast in her eyes: truly happy for me and my brother, yet unable to control the shy tears that rise the day before we leave. The reality was that I wasn't feeling well. After 12 years of living far from my hometown, saying “See you soon” never gets easier.

“I’m good, Mum... I’m excited” I lied, not wanting to add to her worries. My grandmother, my mum's mum, was listening. She smiled at us and said in Sicilian:“U scaluni i casa è trarimintusu.” And she was right.

The most difficult part of any journey is the start; leaving your home, your habits, your space, your familiar world. It’s incredibly hard.

I've thought a lot about sharing these stories. My mind kept conjuring imaginary blockers and doubts. A year flew by, and I was still stuck with this overwhelming need to write. But as my grandma said, “The first step is the hazardous move.” So here I am, taking a small step out of my zone.

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Over the past two years, I’ve dedicated my free time and energy to collecting stories from people and communities. And even though I feel like I’m still at the beginning of this journey, I’d love to bring you along.

What does home mean to you?

Leaving Sicily in 2011 was a huge shock. My life became a web of connections around the world. I felt at home everywhere but nowhere. I kept thinking about the difference between house and home, a concept my primary school teacher explained when I was young. I began to ask myself: where’s my home? What does home mean to me?

I couldn't find the answers, so I started researching stories until one day, when I asked myself: “Why not ask people what home means to them? Maybe by finding inspiration, I can build a reasonable answer for myself.” That idea changed everything.

This newsletter aims to collect and share these memories with friends and curious individuals like you who might find inspiration in this research. I want this to be a space where real feelings about what makes a home can be shared.

Our first chapter will explore the Batwa community in Uganda.

Tell your friends, and see you in one week with the first story.