What Does "Home" Really Mean?

I’ve been having a bit of a rough patch here in Zagreb.

You know that feeling when you're surrounded by people, but somehow still feel a little out of place? That’s what the past couple of days have felt like. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the coldness in a few interactions at the hostel. Or maybe it was just one of those days where everything feels… off.

There was a sudden pang of loneliness. An emptiness. And an urge I couldn’t shake off — to connect back to home.

But what is “home,” really?

Chasing Familiarity

When you’re away from everything familiar, you start noticing the small things that remind you of comfort.

So I went searching.

First stop: a tiny place called Bollywood Barber, run by a few folks from India. I didn’t just get a haircut — I got a few warm smiles, a bit of Hindi banter, and that unmistakable Indian energy. For those few minutes, I wasn't in a foreign land. I was just another person getting a trim and chatting like I would back in Chennai.

Then came the food trail.

I tried a Nepali restaurant someone had recommended and devoured two plates of momos. It felt like a warm hug in dumpling form. And the next day, I treated myself to a full Indian meal — dal, rice, paneer tikka, chutney. My stomach was full, and my heart fuller.

And Then Came Tamil

That night, as I lay on my bed still reflecting, I played a random Tamil movie I’d downloaded ages ago. I hadn’t heard or spoken Tamil — my mother tongue — in days, maybe even weeks.

And something about that movie hit different.

Hearing the familiar words, the slang, the rhythm of the language — it stirred something deep inside. It was comforting. Nostalgic. Healing, even.

But even after all that, something still felt distant.

The Door I Almost Didn’t Knock

A few days ago, I had emailed Impact Hub Croatia, hoping to meet someone from the social impact space. No response.

But while sipping coffee at a café nearby, I realised the Impact Hub was literally just around the corner.

What’s the worst that could happen?

So I walked.

The building looked shut. No signs. Just silence. I almost turned back. Then I noticed a tiny sticker on a door: Impact Hub. I hesitated, then knocked.

A lady opened it and said, “Come in.”

That simple invitation changed my entire day.

The Universe Knows

Inside, I met one of the team members. We got chatting. From social innovation to India, to tech for good — the conversation just flowed.

When I told him I used to work with Teach For India, he paused. “I know someone from Teach For India,” he said. Turns out, we both knew the same person — someone from India who had spent time in Croatia and was now studying in Germany.

I mean… out of over a billion people, what are the chances?

It was one of those moments where the world suddenly feels small, and oddly warm.

So, What is Home?

Today, I feel more at home than I have in days.

Not because I was in my room. Not because I had internet or clean sheets. But because something inside me finally felt seen.

Maybe home isn’t always a place. Maybe it’s a voice in your mother tongue. A plate of food that tastes like childhood. A shared mission. A familiar face.

Maybe home is wherever you feel understood — even if it's just for an hour, in a tucked-away co-working space, or through a screen playing a Tamil movie.

Heading to bed tonight, I feel lighter.

Grateful.

Because even in the most unexpected corners of the world, home can find you — in dumplings, in data, in dialogues, or in the language of your roots.

And sometimes, all it takes… is knocking on the door.