The yearning for a place to call home
<p><span word="Writer">Writer</span>：<span word="Cecily">Cecily</span> <span word="Liu">Liu</span></p><p><span word="Steven">Steven</span> <span word="is">is</span> 45. <span word="Despite">Despite</span> <span word="having">having</span> <span word="lived">lived</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Dublin">Dublin</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="over">over</span> 30 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="something">something</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="missing">missing</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="call">call</span> <span word="it">it</span> '<span word="home">home</span>'.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="met">met</span> <span word="Steven">Steven</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="way">way</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Dublin">Dublin</span> <span word="Airport">Airport</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="end">end</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="business">business</span> <span word="trip">trip</span>. <span word="A">A</span> <span word="cheerful">cheerful</span>, <span word="talkative">talkative</span> <span word="fellow">fellow</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="friendly">friendly</span> <span word="smile">smile</span>, <span word="Steven">Steven</span> <span word="spoke">spoke</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="strong">strong</span> <span word="Irish">Irish</span> <span word="accent">accent</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="drinks">drinks</span> <span word="Guinness">Guinness</span>, <span word="plays">plays</span> <span word="Gaelic">Gaelic</span> <span word="football">football</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="taxi">taxi</span> <span word="driver">driver</span>, <span word="has">has</span> <span word="probably">probably</span> <span word="visited">visited</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="street">street</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="city">city</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="childhood">childhood</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="spent">spent</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Swansea">Swansea</span> <span word="makes">makes</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="feel">feel</span> <span word="Welsh">Welsh</span>.</p><p>"<span word="I">I</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="wonder">wonder</span> <span word="where">where</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="I">I</span>'<span word="d">d</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="think">think</span> <span word="it">it</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Swansea">Swansea</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="life">life</span> <span word="here">here</span> <span word="now">now</span>," <span word="he">he</span> <span word="explained">explained</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="trying">trying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="convince">convince</span> <span word="himself">himself</span>. <span word="Having">Having</span> <span word="left">left</span> <span word="Swansea">Swansea</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="teenager">teenager</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="since">since</span> <span word="lost">lost</span> <span word="contact">contact</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="childhood">childhood</span> <span word="friends">friends</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="left">left</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="too">too</span>.</p><p><span word="His">His</span> <span word="words">words</span> <span word="surprised">surprised</span> <span word="me">me</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="assumed">assumed</span> <span word="cultural">cultural</span> <span word="similarities">similarities</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="ease">ease</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="movement">movement</span> <span word="across">across</span> <span word="Europe">Europe</span> <span word="deemed">deemed</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="concept">concept</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="irrelevant">irrelevant</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="thought">thought</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="tech">tech</span> <span word="communications">communications</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="globalized">globalized</span> <span word="world">world</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="collapsed">collapsed</span> <span word="the">the</span> 250 <span word="miles">miles</span> <span word="distance">distance</span> <span word="between">between</span> <span word="Dublin">Dublin</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Swansea">Swansea</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="almost">almost</span> <span word="none">none</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="thought">thought</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Steven">Steven</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Caucasian">Caucasian</span> <span word="look">look</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="help">help</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="fit">fit</span> <span word="in">in</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Dublin">Dublin</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="constantly">constantly</span> <span word="ask">ask</span> <span word="him">him</span> <span word="the">the</span> '<span word="where">where</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="from">from</span>' <span word="question">question</span>.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span>.</p><p><span word="But">But</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="should">should</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="surprised">surprised</span>. <span word="Despite">Despite</span> <span word="growing">growing</span> <span word="global">global</span> <span word="connectivity">connectivity</span>, <span word="identity">identity</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="central">central</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="people">people</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="hearts">hearts</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="UK">UK</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Brexit">Brexit</span> <span word="vote">vote</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="perhaps">perhaps</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="dramatic">dramatic</span> <span word="consequence">consequence</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="emotions">emotions</span>.</p>
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