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"Lately, I&amp;#039;ve been struggling with the definition of home. When you&amp;#039;re traveling, the first thing people want to know, even before your name, is where you are from. It&amp;#039;s a simple enough question, but my answer is pretty complicated. Is home where you grew up? (That would be Guam, U.S.A., a tiny island territory in the Pacific Ocean) Is it where you were born? (San Francisco) Where you keep all your stuff? (New York City) Where your parents live? (Guam and Rome) Where you declare residency for voting? (New Jersey) Where you last paid rent? (Paris) I&amp;#039;m all over the map, as you can see. So when people ask me where I&amp;#039;m from, rather than launch into my life story, I tend to keep it simple. &amp;quot;New York,&amp;quot; I say. Everyone in the world knows New York, and everyone loves it. I don&amp;#039;t need to explain where it is or how I ended up there. And more importantly, even though I&amp;#039;ve only lived there for two summers while interning, it&amp;#039;s where I feel the most at home. There&amp;#039;s something magical about New York, especially during Christmastime. The city is alive with lights and possibility, and you always manage to stumble on something fascinating \u2013 incredibly talented street performers, crafts fairs, television show filmings. When I was going to college in New Jersey, I would always escape campus to come into the city. The energy on the streets would instantly invigorate me, even when I was at my most tired and stressed. Thankfully, my travels have finally taken me back. I am in New York for a few days en route to Guam for the holidays. I am writing this entry in a Starbucks in Union Square while sipping on a Gingerbread Latte and nibbling on a massive Rice Krispies treat \u2013 man, I missed them when I was in Europe! Outside, it&amp;#039;s snowing, and the streets are lit up with twinkle lights. Dean Martin&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ll Be Home for Christmas&amp;quot; just started playing on the sound system \u2013 the perfect song to suit my mood. Even though I plan to continue traveling and exploring the world, I have to be honest \u2013 it&amp;#039;s good to be home. Until next time, Jess CosmoGirl Travel Blogger "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/a11095/new-york-is-my-home/>