Home. It evokes rain, gray clouds.

Sinterclaas. Oliebollen, pepernoten

and Hamka's.

.

Home. It evokes that long, three-part

street fulled with shops like Trekpleister,

De Vulpen, Videoland, and Jamin.

.

Home. It evokes afternoons spent drawing

with chalk on the gray pavement. Riding

my bike up and down the street and

“parking” it in the parking places we drew

with white chalk.

.

Home. It evokes a house with a

ground, first and second floor.

Deep red carpets the stairs and

dirty white paint peels off the

banister.

.

Home. It evokes that green-painted

room on the second floor where my

sister and I watched movies on that

bed/couch where we'd fall asleep.

(But not before two in the morning.)

.

Home. It evokes the balcony overlooking

our small garden where in the left corner

is a small wooden house that my dad and

a family friend built and in the right

corner is a rare tree: the ginkco biloba.

.

Home. It evokes games I invented and

“forced” my siblings and family to play.

Games that involved furniture and left

behind a mess.

.

Home. It evokes that warm, cozy feeling

deep inside that I now only get when it

rains, which is rare here, and I spend a

Saturday in my pajamas watching movies

with my sister.

.

Home. Here, it evokes Saturday nights

when almost the entire family watches

the X Factor on ITV1.

.

Home.

I miss it.